Game of Thrones has always had impressive special effects. As the show’s gone on and the supernatural elements have become more prominent, they’ve kept improving, and they were never better than during Season 6. Which one was the best? Read our takes, tell us yours, and vote in our poll!
DAN: Game of Thrones Season 6 was resplendent with terrific special effects, particularly in the final two episodes. Dany’s aerial bombardment of the Masters’ ships and pretty much all of the Battle of the Bastards will likely be SFX touchstones for years. When is TV going to look that good again?
But the show also deserves credit for the smaller moments. For example, the reveal of Melisandre’s true age was very well done. I imagine the production used techniques similar to those used during Cersei’s Walk of Shame: appending Carice van Houten’s head onto a different actress’ body. Add in some heavy makeup, and you have a memorable, eerie visual.
The best thing about the effect is how unobtrusive it is. It’s obviously a special effect, but it doesn’t draw attention to the fact that it’s a special effect. That’s something that can never be true of dragons or giants. And like many good effects, it lets the non-computerized aspects do the heavy lifting. Yes, most everything about Van Houten in this moment is altered, digitally or otherwise, but her eyes, fierce and intelligent, are recognizably her own. Even through all the artifice, we recognize Melisandre at bottom. If I can go wide for a moment, the special effect uses artifice to get to the truth. Deep.
What did you guys think took the special effects crown for Season 6?
ANI: For small moments, my vote would go to Tyrion unchaining Rhaegal and Viserion. But although the CGI crew deserves credit for making me think those were real dragons, it’s Peter Dinklage’s acting that really sells the scene.
No, when it comes to CGI, there’s only three real choices: the Cave Battle, the Battle of the Bastards, and the destruction of the Sept of Baelor. Of those three, I’m going with the third choice: King’s Landing’s own version of 9/11. Because seriously, did you see the Sept explode? Did you see that bell bounce down the alleyway? Did you see the surrounding neighborhood of SeBa wiped out as collateral damage? Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I give you: Exhibit A:
(Admit it, you just want to watch this scene over again anyway. At least, I sure did.)
I rest my case.
RAZOR: While explosion at the Sept of Baelor is probably one of the best special effects from Game of Thrones Season 6, I’ll go with something much grittier. In episode 609, “Battle of the Bastards,” we saw Jon Snow face down an incoming cavalry charge from Ramsay Bolton’s army. And while Kit Harington actually stood against real men on horses as they rode at breakneck speeds towards him, the special effects team was there to back him up.
As you can see below, it wasn’t just the first charge that the amazing Game of Thrones SFX team had the privilege of working over. The entire battle, while based on real interactions, was buffeted by heavy CGI. From Jon knocking a man from his mount with Longclaw to Wun Wun swatting a horse away with one massive hand, the CGI and special effects in “Battle of the Bastards” were on point.
COREY: OK, so unlike Razor I actually read the instructions, and saw that the Battle of the Bastards was broken down into separate portions, so allow me to make my case for the portion I believe to be the best.
To me, the part that kept raising my blood pressure was Jon being caught in the middle of the battle “in a long, unbroken take.” Yes, Jon staring down the cavalry charge was quite impressive, especially considering that it involved actual horses. But that long unbroken take was a thing of beauty.
Not only were the CGI effects masterful and perfectly blended with the practical effects, but the moment encapsulated the chaos of a battle in a way we rarely see, be it on the big screen or the small. And while we’re comparing, that long take was one of the few shots in the series that looked like it belonged in a movie. I will pit that shot against any action/war scene in the history of cinema. It will hold up. That’s a mark of a great special effect, when it can stand toe-to-toe with its much bigger, more expensive cinematic brethren.
That unbroken take got the audience’s pulse racing, with body parts, horses, mud, and all kinds of other debris flying everywhere. It had to have been an absolute nightmare to coordinate on set. The explosion of the Sept and the White Walkers invading the cave were certainly not shabby, but I think the complexity of this shot sets it above the others.
Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/09/16/small-council-best-special-effect-game-thrones-season-6/
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