The Special Effects Behind “The Massacre at Hardhome”
With the official Game of Thrones YouTube channel officially releasing a behind-the-scenes video labeling it as such, I think we can all agree that last Sunday’s epic battle has an official name: “The Massacre at Hardhome.”
Some of this is a repeat from yesterday’s “Inside the Episode,” especially the Benioff bit at the beginning. But it quickly evolves by bringing in director Miguel Sapochnik, to whom Benioff and Weiss give credit for making the scene “a horror sequence” as much as a battle. We also hear from the art director, the prosthetics supervisor, and other professionals who worked on creating what’s proving to be one of the most memorable sequences so far on Game of Thrones.
I love the groupings of wights from “Super Fresh” to “Mid-Decomps.” These sound like terms one might find while buying their extras in the market place. Speaking of which, the scene featured 220 extras—that’s more than they had at last year’s Battle for Castle Black.
Considering the time, money and work that went into this scene, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is only the beginning of a much longer DVD extra for next year.
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