How 'Game of Thrones' Shot That Dragon-Riding Scene

June 8, 2015 9:16 PM EDT

Warning: Spoilers from Sunday night’s episode 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.

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.”