It’s often said that visual effects only succeed when you
don’t notice them . HBO’s “Game of Thrones” received 19 staggering Emmy nominations in 2014 , including the
Outstanding Special and Visual Effects award . It’s not a surprise , given the
show’s beautifully integrated visual effects are largely responsible for
immersing viewers into its fictional world of Westerns . German VFX house Mackvision
, recently published a video breakdown of its visual effect works on the show’s fourth season, and as stunning
as it is, the FX techniques that they
had employed , to create the world of
“Game of Thrones” aren’t as out of reach , out of the world , to mere mortals
as you may think . Firstly , watch the reel.
Let’s take a look at the techniques behind three of the
prominent shots .
Shot 1 – Jeffrey’s Wedding
Jeffrey’s – wedding – vfx - plates - WEB
For King Jeffrey’s wedding celebration , earlier in season 4, nearly everything in the
scene was either constructed or composited in , during the post-production
phase onto live action plates. The background of the plate was removed and
replaced with castle works of Kings Landing , using 3D models . 2D , still and video composites , were also placed
on offset layers , to provide a parallel effect to the scenes (where, in motion
shots, elements further from the camera move more slowly than those closer).
Multiple actors were shot in different positions and composited into the
motion-tracked scene , to create the virtual crowd at the wedding . Each
individual element ,was individually keyed in , to remove the green background.
Shot 2 – Bravos Harbour
Bravos harbour – vfx – plates - WEB
The overseas port city of Bravos , is well known for interconnecting islands , bridges and the
monstrous monolith warrior statue that guards the harbour mouth . To create a
flyover establishing shot of this purely fictional location, a combination of
3D computer-generated models and “ 2.5D ” camera mapping tricks , with still
and motion footage , was used. Particle systems were used to create clouds and
flocks of birds from scratch , to give depth and detail to the shot, and the 3D
objects used within , were rendered using global illumination , to ensure that
the lighting was realistic and believable.
Shot 3 – The Bloody Gate
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The stark and forbidding Bloody Gate , protects the only
route into the Vale of Arryn and the fortress of The Eyrie . Although the treacherous landscape
itself was largely provided in the physical shots, all the seemingly man-made
elements in this shot , were in fact constructed in the post-production phase .
The Bloody Gate itself is a 3D model , composited and camera-tracked seamlessly
, into the live-action plates as a multi-pass render, along with all the
sentries, guards, and background in the shot.
What I find most impressive about all these shots are , not just
the sheer amount of layered work that went into them, but how little of the
effects , I actually noticed while watching the series each week. Which just
goes to prove that old adage : When
visual effects are done well , you don’t notice them at all. Well done,
Mackevision.
If you are inspired by Mackvision’s work on “ Game of
Thrones ” , then check out our 3D+Animation courses to learn about these visual
effect techniques and more.
Bravos – harbour – vfx -plates-WEB
