Daenerys having three dragons is one of the main reasons I’m hooked on Game of Thrones so pardon me while I take a look back at their evolution while looking ahead to the BIG things to come from them in Season 5.
We’ve already seen a super interesting video look at the making of the dragons but TV Insider has a new article with visual effects supervisor Joe Bauer and producer Steve Kullback. Part of creating a realistic dragon meant utilizing a “fire-breathing crane.”
TV Insider writes:
The team began with a Technodolly–a motion-controlled crane with a 15-foot-high arm that moves in different directions while its base rolls along a track. The telescopic arm usually holds a camera, but instead the crew mounted a flamethrower that could shoot as far as 50 feet. “Standing 50 feet away from the dragon fire, you could get a nice tan,” executive producer D.B. Weiss says.
The crane was then programmed with Drogon’s movements, repeating the same sequence over and over again. This made it safer for the stunt team and more efficient for production, as both always knew exactly where the “dragon” and his fire would be.
After the segments that used the Technodolly were edited, digital artists sketched in the fine details of Drogon. His physical traits were modeled after real animals: Komodo dragons, iguanas, horned lizards, and crocodiles. His movements were derived from eagles and bats, and his takeoff from pelicans.
“Drogon is twice the size he was last year. He’s about 40 feet long and 20 percent bigger than the other two dragons,” Bauer told TV Insider. “He’s also the alpha, so his way goes. He’s still affectionate with Dany, but he’s got his own mind and needs her less, just like any child growing up.”
Which is why we felt the need to take this ridiculous look back at my babies. I mean, Dany’s babies. Stop at slide #6 if you don’t want to be spoiled for the Season 5 dragon look.
[slideshow id=2792]
And here’s that trailer that features our newly-sized dragon…
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