HBO’s Game of Thrones continues to blow my mind, and I can’t get enough of the winged balls of awesome that are Deanery’s dragons.

I for one think the next best thing to being there is watching them be there– courtesy of some seriously high-end visual effects. Fxguide co-founder Mike Seymour is here to feed your imagination further with a glance behind the Wizard’s curtain, sharing some of the cool work that went into the dragon’s development, animation and integration to the live action plate photography in Game of Thrones. Check this, and be amazed:

I’m especially appreciative of the R & D that goes into developing the dragon’s characters & personalities; ‘teenage’ awkwardness, semi-dependence on Deanerys as thier ‘mother’ figure, etc. Brilliant stuff, indeed. Digital wind tunnel simulations, water simulations and of course, referencing real-world creatures help imbue a sense of believability to the digital creatures. All that, and I totally dig flipping a fish into the air and giving it a flaming BBQ before swallowing it, mid-air. Awesome. Sign me up for more with flying blast furnaces, any time.

It’s the little stuff that makes the larger picture work so well, isn’t it? Enjoy, and be sure to drop in at fxguide for more visual effects know-how.

Excelsior!

– M

Linkage:  http://www.fxguide.com