“Then very quickly afterwards people would rush in and put them out, but a lot of that stuff was practical.” However, the stunt actors had to react to a creature that wasn’t there. “They did some of the biggest stunt burns in history with 30, 40 men all at once, exploding in fire… and they were all thrashing their arms around and acting,” says Schelesny.

Schelesny admits that the computer generated dragon wouldn’t be nearly as impressive without the wonderful accompanying stunt work. Image Engine recently posted their visual effects breakdown on Vimeo, and the combination of green screen with Emilia Clarke, practical effects with the exploding lines of soldiers, and the completely digital dragon is truly something to behold. Known as “the loot train sequence” to the crew of Game of Thrones, the scene shows Daenerys riding on Drogon’s back laying waste to the Lannister troops as they fight to make their way east past the Dothraki cavalry. Although conquest had to take a back seat to a much greater threat by the end of season 7, few confrontations were more memorable than the attack of Drogon in episode 4, “Spoils of War,” which required a massive undertaking by the visual effects team at Image Engine Design, Inc. For Game of Thrones fans, it may seem like the political maneuverings that give the show its name all lead to specific turning points for people like Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen, who have had to overcome great obstacles to get where they are today.

Drogon game of thrones