Dragons and Game of Thrones pretty much go hand in hand. People watch because they want to see these epic beasts and watch the story unfold with a lot of fire. But making these dragons appear real, and the world around them pop as well?
Well, there is a massive team of VFX artists working to make sure the world and its beasts keep you coming back for more.
Let’s check out an HBO behind-the-scenes video to see how it’s done.
Spoilers for this season below.
The Art of Riding Dragons on TV
Director Loni Peristere, showrunner Ryan Condal, production designer Jim Clay, VFX producer Thomas Horton, and more come out in this video and talk about what it was like building the world for episode 207 in House of Dragon.
This was an episode with many dragons, huge sets, and lots of drama. You’re seeing real fire in this episode, with the stunt, special effects, and many more teams working in tandem to show how to shoot people on fire. In one scene, the titular dragons burn 16 people at once.
Of course, none of this is possible without the dragons, which are VFX staples in this show. They have a buck saddle they use to show people riding the dragon, but they also use a ton of blue screen, even some giant blue figures they use to interact with actors.
One of the most challenging scenes to film is when Hugh claims the dragon Vermithor. This scene is a single shot that takes the viewers on a journey through the Dragonmont set, which was incredibly realistic.
It was filmed using a handheld camera and required a lot of coordination between the actors, stunt performers, and visual effects team.
These shows are so intricate and amazing, it’s incredible watching them unfold on the screen, and then seeing the work that goes into making them believable.
You can only do so much worldbuilding on the page, eventually your imagination needs to come alive. For that, you need a real team of experts to build things. the Dragonmont set was like 30 feet high, and Harrenhal has a bunch of actual trees built for it. In fact, George R.R. Martin’s face slightly carved into the side of it.
It’s fascinating to see the immense effort and meticulous detail that goes into creating such a visually stunning and captivating show. The dedication of the cast and crew is truly remarkable, and it’s clear that their passion shines through in every frame.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
