WARNING: ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 6 Spoilers Ahead!
Apparently, the most satisfying death that ‘Game of Thrones’ has (arguably) ever given us could have been a lot more gruesome. I, of course, am referring to the death of Ramsay Bolton at the hands of his dogs at the end of the ‘Battle of the Bastards‘ episode. As explained by Image Engine Visual Effects supervisor Mat Krantz:
“They shot the scene with multiple takes. They did a pass of the dog on green screen, then Ramsay on green screen, and then we also had a background plate, which we put together.”
Apparently the original intention, as exhibited by the animated CGI jaw created for Bolton, would have been for the dogs to attack and rip his face apart, tearing off his jaw and revealing the flesh between Ramsay’s skin and gums. Apparently, it was deemed too gruesome even by the standards that ‘Thrones’ has and the scene was made less violent, which is kind of a shame.
And of course, there were far more deaths than just Ramsay Bolton this past season, all of which the visual effects team struggled to make interesting and realistic. Apparently, there were 72 on-screen deaths, including 22 by sword, 14 by slit throat, 1 by pike, and of course, 1 by dogs. According to composition lead Edwin Holdsworth:
“Some shots were really specific, like someone getting their head smashed directly against a wall. To get the look right for that we filmed real meat being smashed. We used the same technique for shots where one character has their hand pulled apart. The best way to match the level of gore needed was to pull some meat apart, and use that in the comp. It all felt more realistic that way!”
Do you wish they had left in the more gruesome death for Ramsay Bolton, a character who fans, more likely than not, would have been ok with watching die a grisly death? Or do you think they made the right choice? Share your opinion on the matter in the comments below!
Also, feel free to check out all the deaths and environments created by Image Engine for ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 6 below!
Source: Variety
Nick is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, who belongs to the privileged few who enjoyed the ending to ‘Lost.’ For more of Nick’s thoughts and articles, follow him on Twitter.
