--- description: A bigger budget, to start. title: Here's How 'Game of Thrones' Shot That Dragon-Riding Scene image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf1eee55d9b8516fa/698853978e0601515d460dcb/gameofthrones15_189.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's How _Game of Thrones_ Shot That Dragon-Riding Scene by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 9, 2015 1:16 AM CUT  HBO by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 9, 2015 1:16 AM CUT **Warning: Spoilers from** [**Sunday night’s episode**](http://time.com/3911930/game-of-thrones-watch-dance-of-dragons/ "undefined") **ahead.** _Game of Thrones_ fans were impressed by Sunday night’s episode that involved, among other accomplishments, a massive fight scene that ended with Daenerys Targaryen escaping from an arena [on the back of a dragon](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/08/game-thrones-dany-rides-dragon "undefined"). Just how did the show pull of such a scene? According to _Entertainment Weekly_, a bigger budget was part of its success. As actor Kit Harington speculated, “I think \[HBO\] realized to keep people engaged with this show, the big setpieces have to be bigger than the ones before.” Increased funding was needed not only for the hundreds of extras in the fight scene, but also to make the dragon’s flying and fire-breathing look realistic. Actress Emilia Clarke says her great escape was shot in a studio on top of a “green \[device\] shaped like a dragon’s back on hydraulics.” [Read more at _Entertainment Weekly_.](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/08/game-thrones-dany-rides-dragon "undefined") ### See The Real-Life People Who Inspired Game of Thrones Characters  From left: Cersei and Margaret of Anjou HBO; Getty Images  From Left: Khaleesi and Queen Elizabeth I. HBO; Getty Images  From Left: Melisandre and Bloody Mary Helen Sloan—HBO; Getty Images  From left: Talisa Stark and Anne Boleyn. Helen Sloan—HBO; Getty Images  From left: Brienne of Tarth and Joan of Arc. HBO; DeAgostini—Getty Images  From left: Henry VIII and Robert Baratheon. HBO; Getty Images  From left: Joffrey and Caligula. HBO; De Agostini—Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3913737/game-of-thrones-dragon-riding/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3913737/game-of-thrones-dragon-riding/"},"headline":"Here's How Game of Thrones Shot That Dragon-Riding Scene","datePublished":"2015-06-09T01:16:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:03:09.027Z","description":"A bigger budget, to start","url":"https://time.com/3913737/game-of-thrones-dragon-riding/","keywords":["Television","HBO","game of thrones"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf1eee55d9b8516fa/698853978e0601515d460dcb/gameofthrones15_189.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf1eee55d9b8516fa/698853978e0601515d460dcb/gameofthrones15_189.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Game-of-Thrones-S5-E9","caption":"Game of Thrones Daenerys Drogo dragon","creditText":"HBO","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3913737/game-of-thrones-dragon-riding/","name":"Here's How Game of Thrones Shot That Dragon-Riding Scene"}}]}] ```