Game Of Thrones Episode 4: Why This Character Had To Be Inserted Into Their Death Scene With CGI

"There was no way to hide that."
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Warning! This article contains spoilers for the most recent episode of Game Of Thrones.

Game Of Thrones had to digitally insert the character of Missandei into her own death scene, it has been revealed.

Producers went to unusual lengths to ensure the fate of Daenerys Targaryen’s adviser did not leak prior to the fourth episode of season eight debuting in the US on Sunday night.

Fans of the show watched in horror as Missandei became the latest character to meet a grisly end, being executed under the orders of Cersei Lannister in scenes taking place on top of the walls of King’s Landing.

The location meant filming took place high up, and bosses were concerned that it meant paparazzi would be able to snap photos and leak news of her death to the press.

Missandei met her maker in this week's Game Of Thrones
Missandei met her maker in this week's Game Of Thrones
HBO

A visual effects worker on the show has revealed that producers therefore shot much of the action in a studio before editing actor Nathalie Emmanuel into the scene later on.

Speaking in a behind-the-scenes clip, Stefen Fangmeier said: “The set was incredibly visible from the surrounding area, and the big concern for this season more than ever was the secrecy of the plot.

“We wouldn’t want to give away that Missandei is executed. Having her stand up there 40 feet high, there was no way to hide that.

“So later on we were adding her in there oftentimes as a digi-double, but for the close-up work we shot her separately on stage to composite her on that location, so we could put it together and it’s seamless.”

While the Game Of Thrones team were at pains to stop spoilers leaking during filming, it seems they haven’t been quite as careful in the lead up to the episodes airing.

The entirety of the second episode appeared on Amazon Prime Video in Germany ahead of schedule, while spoilers about key deaths in the third and fourth instalment were also shared online ahead of broadcast.

Fans have since been left fuming after a minute-long preview of a scene from the penultimate episode leaked, which some have noted could hint at how the series ends.

The show has also come in for some criticism from fans in the last few days over their lack of attention to detail, which saw an errant Starbucks cup made its way on screen during the most recent episode.

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