Video: HBO explores the magic of Game of Thrones prosthetics
What do the Night King, the Children of the Forest, and Jon Snow’s corpse have in common? The incredibly talented and dedicated Game of Thrones prosthetics team brought them to life. Each prosthetic artist has to spend hours getting actors ready before every shoot, then more hours when it’s over removing the makeup and other pieces.
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HBO has released a video that shows how the sausage gets made. Check it out:
“I don’t think people are quite aware of how extensive [the prosthetics process] is,” explains prosthetic designer Barrie Gower. “It’s such a complex department, and the build that goes into these things is quite time-consuming.”
The process begins with each actor coming into the studio to have molds taken of their face and head. Actors like Vladimir Furdik who plays the Night King, obviously has to spend a lot of time getting his face and horns applied. But, as Gower says, “It’s lovely to see all our hard work and all these things we’ve built, actually make it to the screen a the end of the day.”
The tale grew in the telling, as did the prosthetics team. In season 4, Gower’s team only had to deal with about six wights, but by season 5 they had to prepare 50 for their closeups in “Hardhome.”
"Just an average prosthetic makeup, we usually say, is about four to six weeks to build. We have so many patient actors that sit in our chair for like four or six or eight hours at a time. So, by the time we usually step on set to do a rehearsal, we’ve already pretty much done a full day’s work."
To hear Gower tell it, he and his team were “gutted and distraught” when they found out there were only 13 episodes left. “But I think it’s a real testament to the guys that they stuck to the word and they’re basically finishing the franchise when it should naturally end.”
And how about that end? “The end is nigh, but I think it’s gonna be a big end.”
I can’t wait to see what Gower and his team have cooked up. Game of Thrones returns for its eighth and final season on April 14.
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