The battle (or massacre) at Hardhome in the fifth season of Game of Thrones ranks among one of the most visually impressive action set pieces ever seen in a television show. Coming from Game of Thrones that's truly saying something, as the show has depicted many a battle over its five seasons.
None of them are quite like Hardhome, however. Taking place in the cold, desolate north, the battle for the wildling village played out as desperate, foreboding and downright terrifying at times.
We all have visual effects firm El Ranchito to thank for that. They've released a behind-the-scenes look at how they brought the fight for survival to life and it's nothing if not impressive.
There are of course the obvious additions in the form of hundreds of digital extras being added. In the show we get to see only a small part of Hardhome proper, but the wildling encampment extends far past the walled-off area where much of the battle takes place. Those backgrounds are painted in, with various mountains and snowy peaks added behind the actual set to create world we see on screen.
One of the biggest visual effects that you might not even realize is an effect is the color correction. The before and after shots really are surprising, as El Ranchito adds a pale, bluish tend to the scenes that help to visually convey the overwhelming presence of the Others and their wight army.
There are of course a number of other impressive visuals detailed as well. The CGI wights that storm the "towns" walls, the skeletal warriors that attack Jon Snow, and of course the digitally created giant Wun Wun, who smashes his way through dozens of wights over the course of the battle.
Game of Thrones (HBO) - Hardhome (VFX Breakdown) from El Ranchito Imagen Digital on Vimeo.
HBO already released a behind-the-scenes look at the battle shortly after the episode aired, but for an episode of this size, it's always nice to go even further behind the veil to see how television magic is made. El Ranchito certainly turned in some stellar work, work that can be even better appreciated when you get to see all the work that went into making scenes like this a reality.
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