VFX designer elaborates on the Red Keep 3D model

Here is a comment that deserves highlighting. A member of the VFX team stopped by and commented on the preview show thread, discussing the details of the Red Keep (and King’s Landing) layout in response to a querry from one of our readers.

We design the VFX shots for King’s Landing.
It’s all pretty accurate, in which we take great pride, so thanks for asking.

We’ve been using the same 3D model of the Red Keep ever since S2, with only minor changes. Our rough 3D model of King’s Landing also remains pretty consistent. However, we do have to adapt them when new locations are being introduced or certain sets dictate those alterations.

If you look carefully, you’ll see that the remarkable S1 gate of the Red Keep with the corkscrew pillars and the Baratheon Stag head is still around. With great regrets, we had to modify the lowest yard behind it a bit by comparison with S1 as a result of an overall reshuffling of elements for the improved S2 model.

Slightly up on the right side the where Joffrey’s nameday tournament took place in S2. The small tower between the tiny yard and the lower yard was damaged in the Battle of Blackwater Bay and had to be repaired during S3.
The S4 wedding is imagined to take place in the park areas right under the main building mass, but as the pavillions aren’t permanent, you don’t see them in the Dragon shot.

The king’s private marina, from which Margarey  [WiCnote: they mean Myrcella] was sent away, would be further to the right along the walls, but is not visible in this shot. It’s right under the bastion from which Tyrion and Varys discuss gods in S2 – about 1/5 of the way towards Mud Gate. That’s also where the riots were. I believe a glimpse of it is in this footage, 0:24, far left side, but it’s very much in the shade: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE4D0attDaw.

The amphitheatre from 00:37 of the Foreshadowing feature would be further to the left along and below the city walls.

The Sept is much further away from the Red Keep and cannot be seen in the aerial shot, but there’s a chance that there might be a shot where the spacial relationship between these landmarks in the urban context will be explained.

The only shot that, in the overall context of all seasons thus far, really doesn’t work out any more is the tourney ground shot of S1 – taking place in the Kingswood accross the bay, the red keep would be much smaller – probably entirely obscured by the trees.

Thank you very much for sharing the info with us, tmannewitz!

• Published on 02/11/2014 at 6:13 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:43 PM CDT