Overall, the entire thing is BIG!
Top Gaffer Tom Gates summed up what it's like working on HBO's mega hit television series Game of Thrones when he stopped by the Panalux UK headquarters earlier this year. Since Season 1 shot in 2010, Tom has been a mainstay on Game of Thrones, a nearly year-round job spanning more than five international shooting locations and six stages at the Titanic Studios in Belfast.
Tom is unquestionably one of the most successful Gaffers to come out of the UK. His work includes high-end TV Drama and film productions: Bridget Jones's Diary, 51st State, Your Highness, The Night Manager, The Jacket, Saving Mr. Banks and the list goes on.
Having gaffered for nearly 30 years, Tom has weathered the ebb and flow of TV and film production in the UK. He is known far and wide for his love for his work, moving from job to job all year long without downtime or holiday.
When we sat down, we wanted to know how the UK entertainment industry has evolved over the course of his career, what he still loves about work, some of his fondest professional memories, and of course his experience working on GoT. An excerpt of our conversation is below:
PANALUX: LET'S START WITH GAME OF THRONES. WHAT A MASSIVE PRODUCTION! TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE ON SUCH A PROMINENT SERIES.
TOM GATES: It's like five movies in one honestly! It's six to eight weeks of prep and then seven months of filming. We have two main units. We normally shoot for 22 weeks and then there is another full-blown unit [headed up by Gaffer Mark Rocky Evans].
Everything about it is just huge! There are five DoPs, whereas most productions only have one. Plus there are 1,200 other people working on this one show. That gives you an idea of the size of production.
THAT'S MASSIVE. HOW MANY FILMING LOCATIONS ARE THERE?
GATES: There are six stages all [in the Titanic Studios] in Belfast, lots of castles and locations built all over Northern Ireland Winterfell castle and Castle Black are in Northern Ireland King's Landing is also filmed in Northern Ireland, and the other unit shoots in Spain, Croatia, Morocco, Malta, and Iceland
Some years there have been new locations but normally there are about 20 locations in total.
THAT'S A LOT. YOUR CREW MUST BE REALLY GOOD.
GATES: My unit shoots everything in Northern Ireland and so far I've always used local crew they are fantastic! They're really, really good. I have an excellent crew around me their jobs are hard. Mine is easy! I just turn up to set and do what I'm told.
I've got two really good Rigging Gaffers Bret McCrum, Gareth Hetherington a great HOD Rigger Hugo Wilkinson and an excellent Best Boy Ger O'Hagan in charge of me and everything I do!
IN TERMS OF PANALUX, YOU STARTED OUT AS AN ELECTRICIAN AT LEE LIGHTING BACK IN THE DAY. YOU MUST SEE SOME FAMILIAR FACES TODAY.
GATES: I started in Lee Lighting in 1976 as an Electrician. I worked on all of the films at Lee Lighting back then. But this is my first job with Panalux. I have known [Panalux Sales Director, TV Drama] Sinead for many, many years, and a few others who I met beforehand.
For GoT, [Panalux Group Technical Director] Chris Millard and [Panalux Technical Manager] Jim Algar were heavily involved in all the technical aspects of the job, which, at some points, were tricky. And [Panalux Manchester General Manager] Colin Smart and [Panalux Account Manager, Film and Drama] Laura Thompson were an enormous help from the beginning of the job with logistics and planning.
The Panalux team is very good. I'm quite old fashioned and I tend to stick to old lighting. At Panalux, I've been introduced to a whole new world of LED lighting! I'm going through the entire process of learning the new LEDs I'm trying to convert slowly. But I'll get there!
Panalux have a lot of lights. There are a lot of different ways to light a set and get roughly the same effect a 10k is a 10k. I'm old school and am used to what I'm used to. But with HBO, we've had to be careful about the production footprint and we ended up incorporating quite a lot of LED stuff last year.
[Panalux kit] worked throughout the whole year. We didn't have hardly any replacements for the entire year! What I appreciate the most is that there is no ego at Panalux. Egos are a pain.
YOU'VE WORKED WITH SINEAD FOR A LONG TIME, WHAT FORMS THE BASIS OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP?
GATES: We have a complete circle of trust. Sinead is smart and accommodating. We talk and always work it out. In fact, we spend all year talking and working it out! It's up to me, Sinead and [HBO producer] Lisa McAtackney to keep everyone happy.
AND WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK FOR HBO?
GATES: I would be happy to work for HBO forever! They are a fabulous company to work for, probably the best. I have a long association with the same company and the same people.
Here's an example: Just before Christmas, an HBO producer asked me if there was any way to make my life easier! That is unusual.
Producers, especially these producers, have to deal with so many things. Me and lighting is just one of those things. I'm always humble of that fact.
Here's another example: For the long night shoots, one of the producers are always there all night. That's unusual.
TAKING IT BACK A LITTLE BIT, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR CHANGES YOU'VE WITNESSED IN OUR INDUSTRY SINCE YOU STARTED?
GATES: It is slightly different now than when we were starting out. GoT is evidence of that change. It was more of a social thing before; there were fewer people and a lot less money. Today, there seem to be so many people I've never met before and I've done this my whole life.
IN LIGHT OF THESE EVOLUTIONS, HAS YOUR LOVE FOR THE JOB CHANGED AT ALL O
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Overall, the entire thing is BIG! 
