Watch this remarkable special effects reel for “The Spoils of War”

To me, the high point of of Game of Thrones season 7 came in the fourth episode, when Daenerys Targaryen, mounted on Drogon, led her Dothraki calvary in an attack on a Lannister supply train. We’d been waiting for years to see a dragon let loose on the battlefield, and this episode didn’t disappoint.

Iloura, one of several special effects companies that contributed to season 7, has posted a video breakdown of the work they did on this remarkable battle, with a lot of emphasis on how they brought Dany’s Dothraki soldiers to life. Check it out below:

As impressive as the more bombastic effects are (the fire, the horses, Drogon himself), it’s always fun to see the smaller things you wouldn’t necessarily think involved special effects. Yes, obviously the dragon isn’t really there, but as the video shows us, there are parts of the landscape that were inserted after the fact. Also note that when Bronn stabs a dude during his frantic run towards Qyburn’s scorpion, the blood is digitally inserted. It makes sense — considering how long that take was, it probably would have been cumbersome to outfit the Dothraki extra with a new blood pack for every take — but it was so seamless I didn’t think about it.

To see more special effects reels — including behind-the-scenes looks at the Greyjoy sea battle, the fall of the Wall, and more — head here.

Next: Richard Dormer (Beric Dondarrion) on filming the battle beyond the Wall

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