TV show opener: Game of Thrones

Concept

HBO’s Game of Thrones is an enormously successful TV series based on a series of epic fantasy novels (A Song of Ice and Fire) written by George R. R. Martin. The opener of this TV series is also a recognized outstanding work, which won Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Design.

At first, the production team did not want to create something that’s been done before like what audiences have seen in Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. Although those things are wonderful, they aimed to do something different.

Finally, the opener shows “a fiery astrolabe orbits high above a world not our own; its massive Cardanic structure sinuously coursing around a burning center, vividly recounting an unfamiliar history through a series of heraldic tableaus emblazoned upon it. An intricate map is brought into focus, as if viewed through some colossal looking glass by an unseen custodian. Cities and towns rise from the terrain, their mechanical growth driven by the gears of politics and the cogs of war. From the spires of King’s Landing and the godswood of Winterfell, to the frozen heights of The Wall and windy plains across the Narrow Sea, Elastic’s thunderous cartographic flight through the Seven Kingdoms offers the uninitiated a sweeping education in all things Game of Thrones.” (http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/game-of-thrones/)

Design

The basic design of the opener consists of a 3D map of the world, with the continents located on the inner surface of a sphere. At the center of the sphere is a light source, effectively a sun surrounded by an astrolabe-like arrangement of rotating rings. This concept design based on a hypothetical megastructure called Dyson sphere which was first described by American physicist Freeman Dyson. This Dyson sphere-like layout determines the positional and lighting relationships between all objects in this scene.

Furthermore, the design style for all these objects, including the sun, astrolabes, continents, castles etc., is trying to make these objects look like physical objects (handicrafts). Followed this purpose, everything seems to be made of wood, metal, leather, fabric, all natural materials. Meanwhile, each object has unique tone, color, gloss and texture which based on its material.

Specifically, the design style of buildings referenced Leonardo’s machines (according to interview from the director), the way the entire city emerge from the ground looks like mechanism. When the gear begins turning, moving other cogs, and then you can see buildings start rising out of the ground with great details.

(http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/game-of-thrones/)

Edit/Animation

The edit style of the whole sequence is dynamic. The camera keeps moving the whole time, and there are hardly any still ones through the whole video. Although this opener was created by using 3D software such as Maya, it still looks like shooting practically with a real motion controlled camera inside the sphere. Each movement of the camera is so accurate that make it looks more real. Furthermore, even when camera is zooming in, it looks like the camera is switching lens to adjust focal length to see more clearly. As a result, the whole idea makes this opener getting more real, taking audiences on an unparalleled epic fantasy journey.