While Game of Thrones might be over, some people are still not over it. Some are re-watching it while others want to know how good the TV Show was. Already, millions of people have watched Game of Thrones. The love for this TV show was and is still so great that some want to know how the show was made.
Obviously, dragons are extinct (if they ever existed). Plus, there is no way you can find a dragon out there. But how did the makers of Game of Thrones pull it off? What made the TV show look so real? Of course, there was some use of innovative technologies that helped them make it interesting enough. That being said, here is a look at the technologies behind the hit show, Game of Thrones;
The Kingdoms Setting
One of the major points of focus is the setting of the show, which is the geography of seven kingdoms. You will be ushered into the 3D models that are quite breathtaking. According to the visual effects companies, a52 Graphics, Rock Paper Scissors, and Elastic Division, it took them three months to work on the intro of the show.
What happens is that the artists responsible sketch the intro, which is then created into 3D models on the computer. Also, the visual effects team will commence with the designing of mechanisms, chains, and gears. They will then use their skills and experience to determine the interaction between the mechanisms and how the small buildings can be lifted.
So, in this case, all the creation of the locations is done on a computer and with the proper software. The visual effects artists emulate real physical textures and materials on the computer. As they create the locations, another specialist will verify the exactness of the shadows, which cast mechanical buildings.
The Dragons and Other Unique Creatures
The first episode of the seventh season of the show, also known as Dragonstone, is where you can see more about the dragons. Plus, you will see how they made a tiny islet in Spain, Gaztelugatxe, look like a whole new place. You can check out Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 1 online free to see how incredible the scenes and everything else is breathtaking.
The fire-spiting dragons are some of the things that would blow up your mind. By the way, the film crew wanted to shoot with maximum use of nature. However, they had to improvise the availability of technology and visual effects to bring in the dragons.
Here, the dragons are created with motion graphics. The creators of these dragons mention that they were inspired by nature when creating them. In other words, they based all the dragons and other creatures on real animals.
There were a total of 71 people who worked on the dragon project. Out of them, 10 animators helped to make the muscles and skin of the dragons and creatures look as real as possible. Plus, one animator was responsible for the skeleton of the dragons, then three illuminators along with 10 specialists put the dragon together.
Since dragons naturally breathe fire, the animators used their skills to make the magical flame from a real shooting. This was simulated by a robotic rail chamber, which is attached to a flamethrower. The flamethrower simulates every movement of the animal’s head.
Furthermore, Husky dogs and wolves were shot along with the use of visual effects, which helped to simulate other creatures on the screen. After the show, Husky dogs became more popular all across America.
The zombie bear that is seen in the seventh season is also a work of the visual graphics. The creator wanted to make the bear as scary as possible.
The Power of Drones
It is not unusual to find movies and TV shows being shot with drones. Generally, most of the bird’s eye view shots are shot by drones, and that was the same thing with GOT. For instance, scenes like the Battle of Meirin and towards the Stannis Baratheon fleet as they head to the Royal Harbor were both filmed with drones.
With drones, the filmmakers can create a quick camera span effect. Besides the drone, a spider cam system can also be used to achieve the effect of a quick camera span. A spider cam system is a cable that is stretched between two construction cranes, where a camera is hung to slide on rollers.
FlyCam was also used in seasons 7 of the show. The FlyCam helped the filmmakers to get mini-helicopter drones while shooting. One benefit of using a FlyCam over a drone is that the former can carry a camera over the terrain at a high speed while offering image stabilization. This can be used to simulate the flight of a dragon.
For example, the battle between the Lannisters army and the Daenerys army was shot using a FlyCam.
Visual Effects and Nature Footage
VFX technology was largely invested in the making of this TV show. This technology was used not only in the heroes’ creation but also in the overall creation and customization of the locations. Do you remember the lake where the expedition team of John Snow fights with the zombies? It was just a quarry that was filled with concrete. It was then painted and decorated with an ice smooth surface.
The computer then did the magic to make it look like a lake. Most of the VFX-based scenes gave the actors a challenge when they were trying to get into the role. They found it to regain emotions while they were on a mock-up green dragon. When it comes to the 200m-long wall, it was just a small platform that was slightly raised. From there, the actor would peer at a green screen, which is then enhanced on the computer through the VFX to look like a super tall wall.
In general, the show involved field shooting, which was combined with visual effects to make it as real and breathtaking as possible. So, if you haven’t watched the show yet, get out there and see what you are missing. By the way, don’t expect to notice any unreal scene on this show, even when you know some of them are computer-generated.
Now that the show is long gone, what is next for Game of Thrones? Time will tell.
