The “Red Wedding” episode of Game of Thrones was a shock-fest that reverberated wildly through fandom and beyond, with even videos of people just watching and reacting to it went viral.
The McCann Health session invited David Nutter, the director of that episode and many other cool TV moments, to talk to delegates about courage and creativity. Nutter says he is driven to tell stories about characters who are wrestling with a “void” in their lives—inspired, most likely, by the loss of his father when he was an infant.
Like several sessions today, there was a strong theme of humanity and identification as a way of connecting with audiences of all kinds. “The audience is starving to get involved,” Nutter said. Instead of showing only his own professional reel, he also showed the much-viewed compilation of reactions to the “Red Wedding” episode.
Everyone loves an entertainer, and the applause for Nutter was long and passionate. What was cool was hearing him talk about the battles he has to retain his creative vision, and his vow to regain his center when a film project demoralized his confidence.
When he says he’s not jaded, that he is passionately connected to his projects and to giving the audience something to really connect to, it is authentic.
