Game of Thrones

Five episodes on HBO from 2014-2016

Visual Effects / Matte Painter

Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and concluded on May 19, 2019, with 73 episodes broadcast over eight seasons. Set in the mythical continents of Westeros and Essos, several powerful families fight for control of the Seven Kingdoms. As conflict erupts in the kingdoms of men, an ancient enemy rises once again to threaten them all. Meanwhile, the last heirs of a recently usurped dynasty plot to take back their homeland from across the Narrow Sea.

A good matte painting is full of memories, telling stories about the past. The credibility of Game of Thrones is critically dependent on a scrupulous compliance with this law, because the plot is based on a complex and above all, on an old world.

Because of the numerous plot threads, there are a lot of relocations in Game of Thrones. The cuts lead from moment to moment in the snowy north of Westeros, to Qarth, the desert city—and then to the Mediterranean-like King’s Landing. Thereby, the matte paintings play a particularly important role: they contribute enormously to the establishment of the settings.