We have once again entered the "abstinence period" that Game of Thrones imposes at the end of each season. Although it has had some sharp edges in this fifth phase, its popularity remains intact, and fans eagerly await the continuation. In what may be a unique opportunity, the people at El Ranchito Imagen Digital, one of the companies in charge of developing the special effects for the series, shared several technical details about some of the most prominent scenes.
50 episodes. Compared to other American series, Game of Thrones could be classified as "small" if we only obey that number, but the resources invested in its development, the technical deployment, the talent of its actors and the response of its followers make it a titanic blockbuster. Almost a month after its finale, we can say that the fifth season was a real roller coaster. The leak of the first four episodes, the events of the sixth episode "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" (it lost almost a million viewers in the following episode in the United States due to them), the Battle of Hardhome and the fall of critical characters in the tenth episode left us spinning like a top. Its rating was definitely more chaotic and irregular (part of that is attributed to HBO's streaming system, not considered by traditional measurements), but still, the opening and closing of the season remained the most watched by far, without mentioning the constant downloads on exchange networks.
Obviously, Game of Thrones is much more than a story. Behind every frame there are people with talent, skill and precision. Considering that the average budget for each episode is around six million dollars, the series must put its best on screen, and special effects are no exception. That's how we come across this excellent video published by El Ranchito Imagen Digital, the company in charge of developing VFX for the fifth season. The video is based on all the work around the Battle of Hardhome, including the digitization of the exteriors, the transformation of the giants, and the advance of the wights led by the Night King (Note: No spoiler complaints, please. This happened last month).
The astonishing processing power of today's computers, the flexibility of the software, an excellent use of green screens and the touch of each of those in charge of the controls lead to a formidable final result. The most complicated thing for Game of Thrones now is that it cannot lower the quality bar. Any reduction or cut will be too exposed compared to previous efforts, therefore, it is logical to expect even more elaborate effects for the sixth season.
