Visual Culture Example: Game of Thrones Intro

Being a fan of fantasy, whether in books, television, or movies, I have found the opening credits sequence to the TV show, Game of Thrones, to be visually compelling since the first time I saw it. With three-dimensional elements changing and growing, appearing from a flat plane, as the camera pans across a map of a fantasy world, mechanical visual elements keeps the audience's interest throughout the lengthy introduction. Additionally, these credits changed throughout the series run based on what was happening in the "world" during the episodes. The original intro alone was impressive, but the changes that frequently had to occur to keep the map current during the series make it even more of a marvel to watch.

I can only begin to guess at how this intro was created, but I imagine a program similar to Blender was utilized to make the three-dimensional models of the cities. It also could have been used to cast light across the mechanical models on the map, emphasizing their dimensionality. I am unfamiliar entirely with all that Blender, and similar programs, have to offer, so I do not know if it can create a film-like panning that was necessary for traveling over the map, but if not, a program like After Effects was probably used. Though both Blender and After Effects could have been used to create this sweeping mechanical map, I imagine HBO utilized different programs that were probably even more specialized and expensive!