Making a phenomenal return to the screens with its seventh season, the modern cult classic Game of Thrones boasts absorbing visual effects brought to life by Iloura.

The action in HBO’s Game of Thrones increasingly intensified this season, with rapidly advancing storylines featuring escalating threats, new alliances and much-awaited reunions. In episode four ‘The Spoils of War,’ Daenerys and her Dothraki horde engaged the Lannister army in a fiery fray brought to life with help from visual effects by Deluxe’s Melbourne-based studio Iloura.

Reteaming with VFX Supervisor Joe Bauer and  VFX Producer Steve Kullback, Iloura VFX Supervisors Glenn Melenhorst and Josh Simmonds led Iloura artists in crafting the visuals. Melenhorst, who was recognised with an Emmy Award for VFX work on season six’s ‘Battle of the Bastards’ episode, reflected on the team’s work on season seven:

“Game of Thrones is such a special phenomenon; we’re thankful for being a part of it, and proud of the incredibly talented team at Iloura for rising to meet every challenge.”

To achieve the required detail and scope of the crowd work, Iloura built tools to enable custom animation for close-ups and tightly choreographed action with full cloth and hair simulations. The enhancements also helped artists refine assets without having to continually rebuild, and achieve several epic aerial shots, passing through clouds of FX smoke and revealing vignettes of the battle from the vantage point of Daenaerys mounted on her dragon, Drogon, an asset animated by Image Engine. In many cases, the aerial shots, which served to provide a clear view of the unfolding struggle below, were created from scratch using set scans and matte paintings as a base. See a behind-the-scenes video showing Iloura’s work on ‘The Spoils of War’ below.

“Our aim was to ensure exciting and unified sequences that stayed true to the renowned Game of Thrones aesthetic,” – Josh Simmonds.

Passionate about producing the best impact on screen, Iloura houses a collective of award-winning animation and VFX artists who are motivated by creativity and technical innovation. Their impressive portfolio includes high profile international productions such as Ghost in the Shell, The Leftovers, Deepwater Horizon and Ghostbusters.

Game of Thrones ‘The Spoils of War’ was supported through Film Victoria’s Production Incentive Attraction Fund – Post-production, Digital and Visual Effects.

For more information on Victoria’s production businesses and Film Victoria’s incentives, contact:
Joe Brinkmann
Manager Incentives and Investments
[email protected]
www.film.vic.gov.au