Most of us know
what a dragon sounds like,
but they don't actually exist.
And none can stop me!
So, how does Hollywood know
how to make them sound?
Dracarys!
Just like visual artists, sound designers
take inspiration from the world around them.
The sounds for creatures like dragons, dinosaurs,
and even Chewbacca are based on real-world animals.
A sound designer may use sounds from lions,
elephants, cats, and even tortoises
to create the sound for just one dragon.
They'll layer sounds together to create the sound
of a non-existent creature.
So, my dogs are in the second episode
of season five.
There's a scene that's very intimate
and you hear these like beautiful little nasal whistles.
Okay, that was my dog, Angel.
She's in a lot of Drogon's stuff
and obviously in the wolves.
So, I took that sound and put it in there.
Paula Fairfield is a sound designer
for "Game of Thrones."
Over the last five seasons, Paula has carefully crafted
the sounds of Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion.
She even used the vocal screams of fans
to create the sound generated by Viserion's icy breath
in the season seven finale.
The final sound design
of a scene is complex.
It masks the individual sound effects so the viewer
can't identify the sources.
But, we can build our own simplified version
of a dragon's sound.
Combine some alligator,
a little elephant,
horse,
add a pig
and you've got the sound of a dragon.
But, these are complex creatures.
Dragons do more
than just roar and breathe fire.
Sound designers also use sound to craft a performance
for the dragon.
Just like Daenerys, Drogon needs to act and perform.
Sound designers take emotional cues from animals
to influence the sounds they create.
I was really proud of the fact
that you can always hear from the time he was,
you know, a toddler to now you can hear
the essence of him in his voice.
You recognize him as Drogon.
And I see them as like your puppy dog.
I mean, we have grown up with these puppy dragons
in our world, right?
And, I think that's why there is so much love for them.
I've tried to bring my love of that into the show.
Each dragon is unique and sound designers
are always trying something new.
In "The Hobbit," director Peter Jackson
used Benedict Cumberbatch's original performance
as Smaug to influence the sound design of the dragon.
Many of the pauses, hisses, and vocal affectations
came from Cumberbatch.
So, tell me, thief,
how do you choose to die?
These details help make Smaug
incredibly impactful and memorable.
And, in the "How to Train Your Dragon" series,
sound designer Randy Thom used different types of sounds
for each species of dragon
giving each type of creature their own unique sound.
Dragons and other fantastical creatures
add a larger-than-life element to stories.
The most memorable dragons leave space for the sound
to have an emotional effect on the viewer.
Without the incredible sound design,
"Game of Thrones" and "How To Train Your Dragon"
may not be as memorable.
They're beautiful aren't they?
Wasn't the word I was thinking of,
but,
but yes, they are.