Game of Thrones wins 4 Visual Effects Society Awards! 

Visual Effects Society Awards ceremony occurred last night.  The Visual Effects Society is a global professional honorary society for the entertainment industry that represents all of the visual effects practitioners.  They have over 3,000 members in more than 30 countries.  Variety and other news sources are reporting that they awarded Games of Thrones four trophies, one of which was for the City of Volantis (image at top).  Who could forget the meticulous detail of those scenes with the fantastic overhead shots of the Long Bridge.  It created the perfect setting for Tyrion’s adventures.

Game of Thrones won four VES Awards at the 14th Annual Awards ceremony yesterday:

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode for the episode “Dance of Dragons” (image at bottom)

Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial or Real-Time Project for the City of Volantis (see image at top)

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial or Real-Time Project for the episode “Hardhome” (image below)

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode for the episode “Hardhome”

refers to effects that are dynamic and generally include particle, dynamic, fluid, cloth, hair, and crowd simulations.  The term

refers to how the crew took multiple elements and combined it into one scene or episode.  For example, in Hardhome episode they used a real landscape combined with greenscreen, which then had some painted additions plus live actors interacting with motion captured wights plus completely digital wights for the crowds plus blowing snow and/or fog that crept over the cliffs.  Here’s a video of Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Bauer describing some of the diffculties faced when shooting Hardhome.  It was truly a wonder to behold.

The award for Dance of Dragons refers to the way in which Drogon was digitially inserted into the Daznak Pit scenes.  If you recall the crew used a flame thrower mounted on the end of a pivoting crane and the animation had to match that movement.  Here’s a video detailing how parts of that scene were done.

Congratulations to the Game of Thrones production crew lead by Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Bauer and the visual effects companies that performed a lot of the wizadry: Rodeo FX, Piximondo, Rhythm and Hues, Image Engine.

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What an honour to hodor at these very good and deserved news!

Congrats to the amazing team of Game of Thrones for such a big win at VES Awards!!

The show looks better than a good deal of movies. Well done and well deserved :

Amazing, congrats to the best visual effects crew EVER, also thanks for all the explanations at the end, i was confused with those terms used in categories really.

Consistently high quality effects, congrats, and cannot wait to see more!

Congratulations to everyone involved at GoT!!!! It is a big win as GoT is BEST in visual effects!! Well deserved and now awarded for it!!

Love this show. They should win everything

I’m thinking we may see a trailer on Superbowl weekend, whenever that is. Millions tuning in and an added potential customer base.

I hope we get another budget increase for s6 because the scale of things and the amount of CGI can only increase right?

Anyway OT but my sister’s a publicist promoting a book about the Game of Thrones world called “Winter is Coming: The Medieval World of Game of Thrones” by Oxford professor Carolyne Larrington. The author/professor is hosting an AMA on Reddit tomorrow so feel free to check that out, my sister is very anxious about it!

Also where the f is the trailer the last two game of owns episodes have really reignited my hype D:

I dont think that HBO would pay millions to have the trailer during the superbowl

Valaquen: The show looks better than a good deal of movies. Well done and well deserved :

In regards to better than movies, I’m so sad that it looks like there will be no IMAX event this year. A few weeks ago I read somewhere that IMAX in Europe was talking about the possibility of a showing of the last 2 episodes. Was that news on WotW? Can’t remember where I saw it. But no word since.

For those of you who couldn’t attend an IMAX showing last year, it was, to use phrases from the cast, epic and mental to see GOT on a huge screen. It played excellently, it looked like it was made to be a movie; the action and scoring translated perfectly. Hearing Ramin Djawadi’s themes boom through the theater was an event unto itself.

Sigh …. when’s that effing trailer coming …. my memories are getting threadbare.

I’d rather them spend the money on something else

Yeah I don’t think we’ll be seeing a trailer this weekend. Hopefully next weekend with Vinyl though.

Thronetender: Absolutely congratulations on the awards. Well deserved.

In regards to better than movies, I’m so sad that it looks like there will be no IMAX event this year. A few weeks ago I read somewhere that IMAX in Europe was talking about the possibility of a showing of the last 2 episodes. Was that news on WotW? Can’t remember where I saw it. But no word since.

For those of you who couldn’t attend an IMAX showing last year, it was, to use phrases from the cast, epic and mental to see GOT on a huge screen. It played excellently, it looked like it was made to be a movie; the action and scoring translated perfectly. Hearing Ramin Djawadi’s themes boom through the theater was an event unto itself.

Sigh …. when’s that effing trailer coming …. my memories are getting threadbare.

The IMAX Experience last year was amazing. Seeing it on the big screen with some popcorn, candy, and soda was so much fun. Doesn’t look like that will be happening this time though. Maybe after Season 6 they can put Hardhome and 609 together in IMAX.

I kind of thought they would release the trailer before Super Bowl so fans getting together to watch the game would hype the trailer as well. Word of mouth, and all that. They probably will wait and show it after the first episode of Vinyl on the 14th.

I found a podcast that was taped last night with Jason Bateman and Benioff and Weiss called Scriptnotes (to be fair and give credit where credit is due, I found it via Uproxx). The Game of Thrones stuff is interesting. The guy who runs the podcast was actually one of the few people who saw the original pilot and he talks about that. Interestingly enough, D&D touch on just yesterday being in the writer’s room for S7 and changing a 4 person throne room scene to a huge 1000 extras in the streets of King’s Landing in Dubrovnik scene. They actually mentioned Dubrovnik so that stood out to me. They also talked about currently working on the outlines for season 7. The only thing that stood out was they talked about someone misspelling the word “mercenary.” The last part is them matching up Game of Thrones characters to current presidential candidates. It’s a good listen and the D&D convo starts just about 30 minutes in until almost the end (about 16 minutes total)

As I’d guess is the case with many of the others who have been suggesting a trailer during the Vinyl premiere for quite a while, I think it’s a logical move. They would have so many more people tuning into the premiere just to see the trailer, and if they can retain even a small portion of those viewers, the decision will prove to be a good one. Additionally, Vinyl will be airing on the same day and same time as GoT will be, so why not try and get viewers to start tuning in on Sunday’s at 9pm a couple of months early. Finally, it cannot have escaped the attention of HBO GoT fans fell in love with Birgitte Hjort Sorensen, however brief her appearance was. I know as soon as I heard she would be in a featured role on another HBO show, I’d tune in, at least to the first episode, just to see her. I’d be shocked if I was alone in that.

All that said, to reiterate what was said on another thread, if we don’t get that damned trailer on February 14th, we riot!!!

Thronetender: I kind of thought they would release the trailer before Super Bowl so fans getting together to watch the game would hype the trailer as well. Word of mouth, and all that.They probably will wait and show it after the first episode of Vinyl on the 14th.

in fact things works exactly the other way around. The trailer have to be released at at least 1 week before or after the superbowl, not closer. You see, it will kill the hype because they will be talking and be hyped by the superbowl.

As I’d guess is the case with many of the others who have been suggesting a trailer during the Vinyl premiere for quite a while, I think it’s a logical move.They would have so many more people tuning into the premiere just to see the trailer, and if they can retain even a small portion of those viewers, the decision will prove to be a good one.Additionally, Vinyl will be airing on the same day and same time as GoT will be, so why not try and get viewers to start tuning in on Sunday’s at 9pm a couple of months early.Finally, it cannot have escaped the attention of HBO GoT fans fell in love with Birgitte Hjort Sorensen, however brief her appearance was.I know as soon as I heard she would be in a featured role on another HBO show, I’d tune in, at least to the first episode, just to see her.I’d be shocked if I was alone in that.

All that said, to reiterate what was said on another thread, if we don’t get that damned trailer on February 14th, we riot!!!

I was going to check out Vinyl anyway, but the trailer really would boost ratings big time. The Vinyl premiere is 2 hours, so I think they’d have it lead into the premiere then after it.

Considering that GoT is the next big show after Vinyl and their flagship Sunday/9pm timeslot, a trailer should be coming sometime this month anyway. Having it with Vinyl just seems like a great move all around.

It would make more sense for the trailer to be the lead in to the Vinyl premiere so people stay tuned and check the new show out. If it is after the premiere then people could just skip Vinyl and tune in at 11pm (Vinyl premiere is 2 hours).

I’m about the point where I’m considering sacrificing a baby, too the gods of television, trying too appease HBO into releasing a trailer…

This show is top of the line in every category but stands head and shoulders above any and all TV produced shows when it comes to the visual effects.

Think of all the work that goes into all these scenes. Producing this show must be so complex alone, without even mentioning the visual effects that bring the fantasy world of Westeros to life.

This is probably why trailers take so long because the meat of the trailer will take weeks for the FX team to finish but it is always well worth the wait.

Can’t wait to see season 5 in 1080p, in its full glory. =)

I spent the last hour watching VFX videos on YT and even Season 1 had magnificent VFX. I like the set extensions the best. It is amazing how much they add to the sets whether it is castles, mountains, weather, etc. It is beautiful.

Jack Bauer 24: It would make more sense for the trailer to be the lead in to the Vinyl premiere so people stay tuned and check the new show out. If it is after the premiere then people could just skip Vinyl and tune in at 11pm (Vinyl premiere is 2 hours).

Wouldn’t that be something they would announce you think ? Or will that only be for the people who tune in for Vinyl ? To get more people to watch I would hope they announce it sometime this or next week if it does premier on the 14th.

But HBO shows tend not to run the full hour so if they have it run after, say at 9:52pm or something, I think people would just watch and wait. I plan on watching Vinyl either way so makes no nevermind to me but if I were HBO, I’d run it after.

Very, very interesting. So they’re already outlining season 7 atm! Wow!

They will probably run a trailer teaser right before Vinyl, and the full trailer after Vinyl.

Jack Bauer 24: I spent the last hour watching VFX videos on YT and even Season 1 had magnificent VFX. I like the set extensions the best. It is amazing how much they add to the sets whether it is castles, mountains, weather, etc. It is beautiful.

Agree – it’s fascinating to watch the complete process, from a scene of the original building, to adding the green screens then seeing what they fill in. Watching the video of how Drogon and the extras were added to the Daznak’s pit scene literally gave me goosebumps; rewatching Dany get the inspiration to hop onto Drogon’s back, then climb on and fly out of there, to that rising music was worth the time, then and now.

Ye gods, I was never a fan of anything like I am of GoT, even in my teens. I think it’s more fun now.

LOL as we all drone “gift for the gods, gift for the gods, gift for the gods”

Nymeria Warrior Queen: Finally, it cannot have escaped the attention of HBO GoT fans fell in love with Birgitte Hjort Sorensen, however brief her appearance was. I know as soon as I heard she would be in a featured role on another HBO show, I’d tune in,

She’s in Vinyl? Hmmm. I guess I will tune in then. I was on the fence.

Yep, she’s listed as part of the main cast.

Matthew The Dragon Knight: Wouldn’t that be something they would announce you think ? Or will that only be for the people who tune in for Vinyl ? To get more people to watch I would hope they announce it sometime this or next week if it does premier on the 14th.

Yeah I think that if they do air the trailer with Vinyl they will announce it next week. If they don’t announce anything by next Friday (February 12th) then I think the chances of the trailer are slim.

Laura: But HBO shows tend not to run the full hour so if they have it run after, say at 9:52pm or something, I think people would just watch and wait. I plan on watching Vinyl either way so makes no nevermind to me but if I were HBO, I’d run it after.

I would tend to agree with that, but the Vinyl premiere is 2 hours. I think they’d want to air it earlier than 11.

Game of Thrones has, by far, the best special effects on TV right now. Congratulations for these well deserved awards!!

Has anyone read through the HBO schedule and found anything GoT-related? I had a look at future Sundays and a few other random dates, but I spotted no specials or day-in-the-lifes, like we had last year. It’s a bit disappointing. But powered with hype, we soldier on.

Me as well. Just for the “I fooking ‘ate Thenns” lady” can’t wait to see her act once more. Besides that, I actually believe that Vinyl may have some legs with great music and theme. Or maybe that is just my 60′ hippy kickin’ in.

Unfortunately, repeatedly refreshing this website does not produce a trailer. Am I doing something wrong?

I found a podcast that was taped last night with Jason Bateman and Benioff and Weiss called Scriptnotes (to be fair and give credit where credit is due, I found it via Uproxx). The Game of Thrones stuff is interesting. The guy who runs the podcast was actually one of the few people who saw the original pilot and he talks about that. Interestingly enough, D&D touch on just yesterday being in the writer’s room for S7 and changing a 4 person throne room scene to a huge 1000 extras in the streets of King’s Landing in Dubrovnik scene. They actually mentioned Dubrovnik so that stood out to me. They also talked about currently working on the outlines for season 7. The only thing that stood out was they talked about someone misspelling the word “mercenary.” The last part is them matching up Game of Thrones characters to current presidential candidates. It’s a good listen and the D&D convo starts just about 30 minutes in until almost the end (about 16 minutes total)

Hi Laura. I listened to this earlier today and found it quite a fun listen in. Also a little surprised at how far they are already with planning season 7. IIRC they have the outline done and each episode already blocked out with index cards and the folk who will write/direct listed. Now they are going to get together with those folk and flesh out the episodes themselves. Very interesting process. I was VERY happy that no one was a total ass clown by asking something about Jon Snow!!!

I think you forgot to kiss the Blarney Stone; click your ruby glass slippers together three times; pick a shamrock; rub Aladdin’s lamp; do the “I Dream of Jeanie” arms crossed head bob; rub your rabbits foot; wish on a shooting star; sacrifice an animal on an alter; kiss a fool; did you break any mirrors lately? cross paths with a black cat?

I think that might cover the main things you may have missed! 😀

JCDavis: Hi Laura.I listened to this earlier today and found it quite a fun listen in.Also a little surprised at how far they are already with planning season 7.IIRC they have the outline done and each episode already blocked out with index cards and the folk who will write/direct listed.Now they are going to get together with those folk and flesh out the episodes themselves.Very interesting process.I was VERY happy that no one was a total ass clown by asking something about Jon Snow!!!

Craig did ask them about Jon and Beinoff said he’s dead.

If you’re hoping music from the 60’s will be featured, you may be disappointed, as it sounds like it’s set in the mid-70’s (the description mentions the dawn of punk and disco).

Jack Bauer 24: Yeah I think that if they do air the trailer with Vinyl they will announce it next week. If they don’t announce anything by next Friday (February 12th) then I think the chances of the trailer are slim.

I would tend to agree with that, but the Vinyl premiere is 2 hours. I think they’d want to air it earlier than 11.

Oh yeah, hmmmmm. Maybe they won’t show it until the following week when Girls premieres. *dodges tomatoes being thrown at me*

Man oh man though, this wait right now is brutal. But at least the ticking clock is down about 1/3 from where it started. And well, that new trailer for Me Before You came out today and I got to see Dany AND Tywin in the same movie…:)

Has anyone read through the HBO schedule and found anything GoT-related? I had a look at future Sundays and a few other random dates, but I spotted no specials or day-in-the-lifes, like we had last year. It’s a bit disappointing. But powered with hype, we soldier on.

Looks like nothing is planned. The Day in the Life special was February 8th last year and we aslo had the trailer and the IMAX Experience by then.

The HBO schedule goes to March 16th right now, which is 6 weeks out. The schedule up to April 24th should be up around March 7th, so we should know for sure if anything is planned by then.

The only one that come close is the expanse. Also the expanse sets are on par with got’s too.

Laura: Oh yeah, hmmmmm. Maybe they won’t show it until the following week when Girls premieres. *dodges tomatoes being thrown at me*

Nooooooooooooooooooo!!! I can’t sit through an episode of Girls…not even for a GoT trailer.

ps – I would have thrown a steaming bag of poo, but I like your avatar and posts too much.

Man oh man though, this wait right now is brutal. But at least the ticking clock is down about 1/3 from where it started. And well, that new trailer for Me Before You came out today and I got to see Dany AND Tywin in the same movie…:)

alins: The only one that come close is the expanse. Also the expanse sets are on par with got’s too.

and I love its esthetic and visuals, but you still can still feel the green screen (not that it disturbed me cause it was very well used). GoT’s effects are in another league, truly.

Weiss: That guy’s going to the bathroom Interviewer: Well, I’ll keep them from leaving… so is Jon Snow alive or what?

audience breaks into raucous laugher and applause

I love listening to this stuff though. D&D tend to regurgitate a lot of stories (haha tell me the one again about what question you had to answer for GRRM in order for him to entrust the series to you…) but this had a couple new things. And they did say they were done writing all of the index cards for season 7, which then get translated into a 140-160 page outline, which then gets translated into scripts. And today, they were going to some studio somewhere to work on sound for S6. I think they probably get maybe 2 weeks off for the holidays here but otherwise they are working all year long either on the upcoming season or the one after. It must be a maddening schedule so many thanks to them for enduring it all and even signing on for more of it!

Interviewer: Well, I’ll keep them from leaving… so is Jon Snow alive or what?

I love listening to this stuff though. D&D tend to regurgitate a lot of stories (haha tell me the one again about what question you had to answer for GRRM in order for him to entrust the series to you…) but this had a couple new things. And they did say they were done writing all of the index cards for season 7, which then get translated into a 140-160 page outline, which then gets translated into scripts. And today, they were going to some studio somewhere to work on sound for S6. I think they probably get maybe 2 weeks off for the holidays here but otherwise they are working all year long either on the upcoming season or the one after. It must be a maddening schedule so many thanks to them for enduring it all and even signing on for more of it!

I love listening to stuff like that too. The creative process is fascinating to me and yeah they said they were doing some audio work for Season 6 today

and I love its esthetic and visuals, but you still can still feel the green screen (not that it disturbed me cause it was very well used).

yeah, but the amount of CGI the expanse uses makes it very impressive. Also some of the cgi scenes does look kind of fake, but most of them do look fucking real. But when it comes to sets I think it is on par with GOT.

In my opinion, when it comes to production level, GOT and the expanse are by far the best in history of television and truly the only ones that give you that feel of a blockbuster movie.

The CGI in The Expanse is good, but it is more limited to space and aircraft. GoT uses it for Castles, weather, dragons, magic, duplicating extras, scenery, etc.

HBO is much greater than Syfy though, so the budget is larger and equipment top of the line.

I can’t sit through an episode of Girls…not even for a GoT trailer.

ps – I would have thrown a steaming bag of poo, but I like your avatar and posts too much.

Phew, dodged a bullet there! And aww thanks for the compliments! I have my avatar on a shirt and it’s my favorite article of clothing! 😀

Yesss!! I agree!!! The Fandom is very lucky to have these talented professionals so dedicated to their tasks!

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