By TREVOR HOGGImages courtesy of Pixomondo and HBO.Commencing with Season 2, Pixomondo has been associated with Game of Thrones, and this relationship carried over to the spin-off series House of the Dragon, culminating in a full-scale dragon battle referred to as the Dance of the Dragons. Overseeing the eight-episode contribution that consisted of 600 shots with 150 of them featuring the title creature was HBO Visual Effects Supervisor Dadi Einarsson, who was determined that the dragons be realistic and their distinct personalities and size differences were emphasized.The challenge wasnt just creating complex, organic creatures with muscles and loose skin reacting naturally; it was also about ensuring the audience could emotionally connect with them, states Sven Martin, VFX Supervisor at Pixomondo. This way, when the story demands, viewers can truly feel the loss of these big pets. From a visual standpoint, Dadi was committed to grounding the effects in real-world behavior. He avoided impossible camera movements and made sure to silhouette the dragons against bright skies, just as you would if filming them in the real world. This attention to detail helped seamlessly integrate the visual effects shots with the surrounding live-action photography, enhancing the realism of these awe-inspiring creatures.Actress Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen) sat on motorized buck to simulate riding a dragon. Final composite of Rhaenys Targaryen riding Meleys to battle, combining footage of the actress with a digital environment and dragon.[The Battle of Rooks Rest] scene features intricate aerial combat between three dragons while a massive army lays siege to a castle below. We worked closely with director Alan Taylor and [VFX Supervisor] Dadi Einarsson to visualize the scale of the battle and choreograph the dragon movements, ensuring the sequence aligned with Alans epic vision for the scene. This sequence required extensive techvis for the dragon-riding scenes and battles, which involved significant visual effects elements. This process helped plan the shoot and ensured smooth integration of CGI with live-action.Matt Perrin, Senior Visualization Supervisor, PixomondoWhen mapping out the major tasks, the most ambitious one was the Battle of Rooks Rest in Episode 204. One of our key priorities was ensuring the dragon rigs were efficient enough for the animators, allowing them to work fluidly even when handling scenes with three massive dragons, Martin remarks. We also knew that during aerial dragon battles, we would need to rely more heavily on CG fire rather than practical elements. Controlling fire simulations, especially at high speeds, over long distances, and with dragons spiraling through the air, while accounting for the effect of their wing flaps on the flames, was a critical focus early on. Additionally, we anticipated that the dynamic, agile camera work would require a fully CG replica of the original shooting location. To achieve this, we began by building the environment based on a LiDAR scan and aerial photography, ensuring a seamless integration of visual effects with the live-action footage.Plate photography of actor Tom Glynn-Carney in front of a bluescreen and a blue dummy head to frame where the dragon will be when added in post. Final VFX shot of King Aegon Targaryen preparing his dragon Sunfyre for battle.Only minor adjustments were made to Vhagar and Syrax, but extensive sculpture and texture work was required on Meleys, which was modeled by MPC in Season 1. As Meleys was featured more prominently in Season 2, often in bright daylight and undergoing several stages of wounds and damage, we needed to enhance her detail, Martin explains. Our art department used photo references of red lizards to overpaint images, ensuring large portions of these photos remained intact to avoid an overly painterly or artificial look. In fact, some of the perfect references were found in a local pet shop, where I stumbled upon a dark red lizard that matched our vision. Since Sunfyre was barely seen in Season 1, we created his model from scratch, investing considerable time in sculpting, texturing and shading to ensure he lived up to his title as the most beautiful dragon in Westeros, as described in the books. Throughout production, Ryan Condal [Executive Producer/ Showrunner] and Dadi Einarsson worked closely with us to fine-tune Sunfyres look, balancing his golden beauty without pushing too far into the realm of fantasy so he would still feel grounded in the scene alongside other dragons. Additionally, we introduced several new dragons in Season 2, including the new mysterious wild dragon, Tessarion [also known as the Blue Queen], a new baby dragon named Stormcloud, and a revival of the original baby dragons from Game of Thrones.Plate photography of soldiers and battlefield. Final VFX shot of dragon Meleys wreaking fiery havoc on the battlefield, with Rooks Rest Castle in the background.Several key sequences required previsualization with the focus primarily on the dragon flight scenes. Notable examples include Daemon and Caraxes journey to Harrenhal and Moondancers chase across the Crown Lands, remarks Matt Perrin, Senior Visualization Supervisor at Pixomondo. The most complex sequence we previsualized was the Battle of Rooks Rest. This scene features intricate aerial combat between three dragons while a massive army lays siege to a castle below. We worked closely with director Alan Taylor and Dadi Einarsson to visualize the scale of the battle and choreograph the dragon movements, ensuring the sequence aligned with Alans epic vision for the scene. This sequence required extensive techvis for the dragon-riding scenes and battles, which involved significant visual effects elements. This process helped plan the shoot and ensured smooth integration of CGI with live-action. The time spent designing and technically deconstructing the sequence for shooting proved worthwhile, as the final result closely matched the previsualized version.Playblast of Meleys, showing some of the controls from the dragon animation rig.Refined beyond typical levels was the previs animation for Caraxes and Moondancer. This animation helped define the motion of the cameras and dragon flights, informing the programming of the motion-control camera rig and the multi-axis gimbal buck rig, Perrin states. Guided by previs, the team was able to execute precise, repeatable movements, especially in action-heavy dragon fight scenes! This ensured that the final footage of these dragon sequences closely matched the vision established during previs, resulting in highly dynamic shots that seamlessly blend practical elements with CGI.[T]he previs animation for Caraxes and Moondancer] helped define the motion of the cameras and dragon flights, informing the programming of the motion-control camera rig and the multi-axis gimbal buck rig. Guided by previs, the team was able to execute precise, repeatable movements, especially in action-heavy dragon fight scenes! This ensured that the final footage of these dragon sequences closely matched the vision established during previs, resulting in highly dynamic shots that seamlessly blend practical elements with CGI.Matt Perrin, Senior Visualization Supervisor, PixomondoPlate photography of actor Ewan Mitchell looking on at the destruction post-fight. Final VFX shot of Aemond Targaryen looking at the crash site of Sunfyre, with additional smoke and fire to underline the post-apocalyptic feel of the battles aftermath.A huge amount of interaction and sharing took place between previsualization, technical setup, virtual production and the post-production visual effects team. We built virtual replicas of the stage and rigs that we would use on the shoot, states James Thompson, Virtual Production Supervisor at Pixomondo. That meant that we could easily build and reconstruct the moves for the dragons and the cameras from the CG into the real world. For the virtual production, this data was fed through our real-time system to trigger the rigs, lighting and any other elements running on the LED wall on set. A lot of the elements we used on the LED panels came from the previs, like the shadows created from the wings of the dragons. The animation data from the previs was solved, interpreted and used to run the buck rig and the robot that the camera was mounted to. For post, if needed, we were able to provide data from the shoot, such as corner pin data to help with any re-positioning and tracking of plates back into the shots.It is one thing to create a dragon but quite another to have to add a rider. A critical part making the dragon riders appear to be believable was making sure that when we took the animation from previs and solved it to work on the set with the rigs, that it was deconstructed as little possible, Thompson reveals. We really needed to have the buck with the actor on it move as closely as possible to the character flying in the previs. Sometimes we had to dial back the speeds and range of movement quite a bit to fit within the mechanical limitations of the rigs. Getting this right would mean the actors bodies would endure, as close as possible, the real physical forces of the movements that would be impossible to act out accurately. Other techniques we employed to enhance believability were things like adding cue bloops on the panels for the actors so they would know when to act out a certain performance. We also used eyeline markers so they knew where to look at a given time based on the previs and the current move they were doing on the buck. This combined with the various lighting effects that we added onto the LED walls, such as fire, helped sell all of this.Grayscale model of the bridge to Dragonstone. Full CG environment of the bridge to Dragonstone.A critical part making the dragon riders appear to be believable was making sure that when we took the animation from previs and solved it to work on the set with the rigs that it was deconstructed as little possible. We really needed to have the buck with the actor on it move as closely as possible to the character flying in the previs. Sometimes we had to dial back the speeds and range of movement quite a bit to fit within the mechanical limitations of the rigs. Getting this right would mean the actors bodies would endure, as close as possible, the real physical forces of the movements that would be impossible to act out accurately.James Thompson, Virtual Production Supervisor, PixomondoCarried over from Season 1 were the assets for Dragonstone and the Grand Sept. One significant change was the decision to shoot Dragonstone Island in a new location, a quarry that wasnt even near the sea, Martin notes. However, it provided a natural base for the castle and had a mountain behind it that we transformed into Dragonmont. Since the original location in Spain was no longer available, and with far more exterior scenes around the castle in Season 1, production chose a real location where we could digitally add missing elements, like the iconic zig-zag bridge and the crescent-shaped island with its gate. I appreciated this approach, as these new plates gave us the ideal foundation for seamlessly blending our CG extensions. Using a scan of the location, we modified the castle to fit its new setting and incorporated a set-build for the entrance, which hadnt been prominently featured before. The Grand Sept, originally a real-time asset used on the LED stage in Season 1, was also adaptable for the traditional Maya pipeline since it had been meticulously built. Driftmarks drydock was a 3D extension of the backlot set, complete with additional ships under repair. Meanwhile, The Eyrie and its surrounding alpine landscape were created using 3D geometry and concepts provided by the art department.Final VFX shot of Rhaenys Targaryen flying dragon Meleys across the sea to battle.Previsualization of Rhaenys Targaryen flying dragon Meleys towards battleFor shots of the dragon riders, the actors sat on a motorized buck and were filmed with a motion-control camera, both of which were driven by the motion data from the previs. Pixomondo devised a new system that allowed for live comps of those buck-plates over the previs on set so the filmmakers could get a better sense of what the final shot will look like while shooting.[T]he greatest challenge is ensuring the emotional depth isnt lost amidst the technical demands. The story of the riders and their dragons, their conflicts and the impact on them was always a central focus. For instance, when Meleys succumbs to her demise at the end of the sequence, we worked closely with [VFX Supervisor] Dadi [Einarsson] to perfect her performance, paying meticulous attention to the timing of her eye blinks and the subtle details as Vhagars jaws close around her. The intricate skin simulations and the depiction of blood channeling between her scales were the finishing touches, enhancing the emotional weight of the scene.Sven Martin, VFX Supervisor, PixomondoAmong the complex shots to execute were the numerous aerial ones featuring two to three dragons fighting over a fully CG battlefield. One particularly challenging shot involved Vhagar stomping through the battlefield in slow motion after a crash-landing, which caused an explosion of ash, dirt and smoke, Martin states. The original plate was shot in bright sunlight and needed to be transformed into a drastically different environment. This required integrating CG soldiers, interactive smoke, ground simulations with exploding dirt and crushed soldiers into the scene. The compositing team faced significant challenges with extensive rotoscoping and dimming the sunlight to achieve the desired effect. In such a technically complex sequence, the greatest challenge is ensuring the emotional depth isnt lost amidst the technical demands. The story of the riders and their dragons, their conflicts and the impact on them was always a central focus. For instance, when Meleys succumbs to her demise at the end of the sequence, we worked closely with Dadi to perfect her performance, paying meticulous attention to the timing of her eye blinks and the subtle details as Vhagars jaws close around her. The intricate skin simulations and the depiction of blood channeling between her scales were the finishing touches, enhancing the emotional weight of the scene.Bluescreen resembling a staircase allows for proper beach interaction between rider and dragon.Digital doubles were necessary to get the proper scope of the crowds.Devastation was digitally augmented to the pristine landscape.Adding further complexity to the aerial battles was having to simulate dragon fire. The rapid movements and high speeds of the dragons made it difficult to ensure that the fire behaved physically accurately, Martin remarks. The simulations needed to align perfectly with the real flamethrower elements captured by the special effects team. Additionally, we had to account for sparks when the fire hit the opposing dragon and integrate smoke to enhance the visual complexity. We opted for simulated wounds rather than pre-sculpted ones to allow for last-minute animation adjustments. Using Houdini, we simulated dragon claws ripping through the skin, causing inner fat and flesh to push out while blood gushed from the newly created wounds. For the flying scenes, we used digital wisps and clouds to enhance movement and parallax against the distant ground or ocean. Instead of traditional cloud renderings from Maya or Houdini, we rendered volumetric clouds and skies in Unreal Engine. This approach enabled us to make extremely fast adjustments to speed, position and lighting. Dadi Einarsson and HBO VFX Producer Thomas Horton and the rest of the HBO production team fostered a collaborative environment. Their deep understanding of our complex workflows and their appreciation for the dedication of everyone at Pixomondo made the process not just enjoyable, but a wonderful ride or better said, dance.