“Battle of the Bastards,” the title of episode nine from this past sixth season of Game of Thrones, featured a visually breathtaking skirmish that’s been hailed as the greatest battle sequence to date. But just how did they create that epic confrontation in Winterfell? This look at the FX involved will amaze you.
Director Miguel Sapochnik had a Herculean task for the penultimate episode, which included 600 crew members, 500 extras, 25 stuntmen/stuntwomen, 70 horses, and approximately 160 tons of gravel. But for those who watched the episode last month, most would agree that the 25-day shoot most definitely hit the mark.
Written by series creators D. B. Weiss and David Benioff, the epic confrontation was inspired by actual historical battles. Weiss reveals their inspiration for creating this massive strife,
“We went back to the Roman fight against the Carthaginians in the Battle of Cannae where the Romans got caught in an encirclement by Hannibal and just slaughtered to the man. We used that as our model.”
Benioff added, “The “Battle of the Bastards” becomes incredibly compact. All these men, all these combatants, crammed into this incredibly tight space on the battlefield. You read accounts of the battles in the Civil War where the bodies were piled so thick it was actually an obstruction on the battlefield.”
The FX team is one of the best and this featurette gives you a behind-the-scenes look exactly how the digital process achieved the results it did. And it’s a breathtaking marvel of animation, layering, and composition.
Just. Wow. As sweet as that video was, it’s not making us any less anxious about season seven’s debut. Don’t forget… San Diego Comic Con only two weeks away and there will be news forthcoming regarding next season. Until then, here’s a great behind-the-scenes featurette from episode ten, the finale of season six.
https://youtu.be/rzOpXpMgEzU
