A conversation about storytelling

Punchdrunk’s Stephen Dobbie and Game of Thrones Production Designer Deborah Riley discuss how great stories get told, and why the boundaries between on-screen and real-life narratives are blurring

The ability to spin a good yarn is an essential skill in the creative industries. Whether you’re making a blockbuster ad campaign or a long-running TV series, it can mean the difference between great work and mediocre work.

To understand where storytelling is going, and the demands it’s making on the creative industries, CR brought together Game of Thrones Production Designer Deborah Riley and Stephen Dobbie, Creative Director at Punchdrunk and co-creator of Beyond The Road, an immersive art and music installation, to discuss the matter in a London pub.

Riley studied set design in Australia and worked on films including The Matrix and Moulin Rouge before joining Game of Thrones for its fourth season onwards. Dobbie has been a part of Punchdrunk’s creative team since 2002, and has also worked on several projects as a sound designer, including Beyond The Road, which recently showed at the Saatchi Gallery in London.

Together, the two discussed everything from building convincing environments and narratives to how virtual reality and gaming are changing the way stories are told.