Game of Thrones has revolutionized what a fantasy TV series can be with its amazing visuals and compelling stories.
But it takes a lot of CGI to bring that world to life.
And some of these behind-the-scenes pics break GOT's illusion of reality.
Game of Thrones has revolutionized what a fantasy TV series can be with its amazing visuals and compelling stories.
But it takes a lot of CGI to bring that world to life.
And some of these behind-the-scenes pics break GOT's illusion of reality.
How dare Liam Cunningham take the role of Ser Davos from an actor who is missing four fingers!
To really commit to the role, Cunningham should have lopped them off himself!
Here's Cersei taking in the view of King's Landing moments before she blew up her enemies.
We're sure that Lena Headey is smiling triumphantly, even from this angle.
Yep, dragons aren't real. And unlike Saturday Night Live's famous skit, this show doesn't have performers on set in dragon costumes.
Instead, they had these little green balls when the dragons were still growing.
Qarth isn't quite as impressive when you realize that only the outer wall exists in this shot. And only part of it at that!
Jon Snow and Ygritte's famous kiss on top of the Wall probably wouldn't have been as epic if we only saw green.
But hey, it worked out of Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie!
It would have been impractical, if not impossible to build a "real" Wall for the show.
But this does kind of rob the Wall of its mystique.
The actors have to stare at a lot of green on this show, and pretend it's a long way down.
Fortunately, we don't have to pretend. We can just enjoy it.
Kings Landing location scenes are typically filmed in Malta, including the walled city of Mdina.
But even those locations still need a CGI boost.
While it helps that the real location has spectacular buildings, the grandeur of King's Landing isn't possible without CGI.
Remember the bear that chased Jaime and Brienne around a bear pit?
Turns out he was just getting some grub as he chased them up a wall.
Sometimes, it's easy to forget just how much CGI goes into the show.
Even a simple shot of Daenerys on horseback requires effects to bring out the background.
Before the advent of CGI, directors would have had to really fill a battlefield with extras.
But thanks to the effects artists, only a few real people are needed.
This is why the Lannisters always pay their debts.
If they didn't, they'd only be able to get a few tents for their troops!
Note the fan on the far right, which gave the illusion of the Eyrie's Sky Cells an added level of reality.
It's a great view, but it might be your last!
Every single tent above was added after the shoot was completed. In the left, you can see that very few real life props and actors were used.
Fleeing from a main ship, this entire scene was shot in a small pool of water, later edited into an ever-extending ocean.
White walkers storm down towards an impending battle but in reality, they're jumping down a manufactured green screen cliff.
As Arya walks towards massive, looming pillars within a hollow building, she's really walking into the green.