The incredible before and after visual effects of the best fight scene from 'Game of Thrones' season 5

Every season, "Game of Thrones" manages to top itself with an increasingly breathtaking battle sequence. Season five included a stunning showdown with the White Walkers in "Hardhome." The sequence did not dissapoint.  

The Hardhome battle was a visual effects marvel, and one of the highlights of the season. 

Along with a video released by HBO last month, El Ranchito Imagen Digital, one of the companies responsible for the show's visual effects, released a very thorough breakdown of the battle, showing how much green screen came in handy.

Here is a shot that lays out the scope of the soldiers:

In reality, there was a lot less people there, and a lot less snow:

A lot of the details were created with the computer. At first, the landscape was a bit more bare bones:

Watch as a tennis ball on a stick becomes a giant:

One of the most impressive parts of the scene is watching Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) literally shatter a much-feared White Walker with one blow:

Before that awesome VFX ice shattering, it was a little less dramatic:

At one point, a  mix of living and dead jump off a giant cliff:

The tumble looks a lot less risky without the CGI: 

Check out the video below:

 

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