Although he imagines not only scenes, but universes full of magic and could have lived in any metropolis in the world, Robert Șimon, the Romanian artist who significantly contributed to the creation of some epic battles in “Game of Thrones”, chose to live in Sibiu, close to his parents.
In the “Game of Thrones” series, Robert Șimon worked as a concept artist in the area of visual effects, environments and action sequences, contributing to the visual definition of some key moments from the last seasons. His work was part of the complex process by which the epic battles and scenes in this production were visually constructed before they were actually realized on screen.
His contributions include visual concepts for the Wights, their armor and environments, as well as the dragon Viserion in his reanimated form, as well as major battle sequences including “The Battle of the Bastards”, “Loot Train Attack” and the attack on King’s Landing in the final season.
These were developed in collaboration with the visual effects and production teams in an international flow where the conceptual design underpins the final visuals.
For this activity, the Romanian artist, who paints in oil in his free time, was part of the team awarded with a Primetime Emmy, a distinction awarded for outstanding special and visual effects, in a series that collected a total of dozens of international awards.
From an “antique” computer, to fantasy games and special effects
However, Robert Şimon’s career began many years ago, far from the big studios.
The passion for drawing and for fantastic worlds was formed since childhood, when he imagined characters and scenarios inspired by the fantasy area, but also by the fascination for dinosaurs. The decisive moment came with the first computer received at home, a Pentium 1, which became the starting point for experimenting with digital art. Although it seems hard to believe now, the hard drive of such a computer could store less data than now goes on a CD.
“When I was 16, my parents bought me a computer. It was a Pentium 1, with 16 MB of ram and a hard drive with a capacity smaller than that of a CD. Photoshop had already been around since the ’90s, but before that I discovered PaintShop Pro. It had the same basic tools. I started making all kinds of characters I invented, but this time I was making them entirely digitally. They were from the dark medieval fantasy area, because that was the theme of Spawn magazine. Skeletons in armor, Conan the Barbarian, but the zombie version, etc., the artist told for Scene 9.
Later, Robert Șimon attended the Arts High School in Târgu Mureș and studied graphics for a while in Cluj-Napoca, but most of his training was self-taught, through constant practice in concept art and digital illustration.
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Over time, he worked in the video game and film industry, with titles such as Killzone: Shadow Fall, Sudden Strike 4 and God of War: Ragnarök in his portfolio, where he combined Norse mythology with Romanian architectural influences, including from the Maramureș area.
How he got on the “Game of Thrones” team
The path to major film productions was an unexpected one, with the “Game of Thrones” series being the first project of its kind.
“The transition to the film came through a recommendation. When I was working in Budapest, everyone I went out for a beer with was discussing Game of Thrones. I didn’t watch the series and I felt left out. I started watching, but I didn’t catch it. After about two years, Tobias Mannewitz, art director on concept art for “Game of Thrones”, invited me to work with him. That’s when I started watching more seriously.” the artist confessed.
Robert Simon started working effectively with the team from season IV, spending periods of three to four months a year in Belfast, within the concept art and visual effects department.
There, alongside other artists and supervisors, he contributed to the visual development of scenes, fire, environments and destruction sequences, which were later transformed into final images by the VFX teams.
Although he was not involved in the actual creation of the characters or creatures as a primary department, his work was instrumental in defining the visual appearance of many elements of the series, from armor and environments to battle sequences.
He stayed in the country, close to his parents
After the “Game of Thrones” experience, Robert Simon continued to work on major international projects, including in the Netflix production area, where he developed concepts for complex scenes and sci-fi universes. In parallel, he also remained active in the video game industry, a field in which he continues to combine cultural and aesthetic influences from different areas of the world.
Despite the huge opportunities to live in any metropolis in the world connected to his field of activity, the artist chose to return and settle in Sibiu, a city he appreciates for its architecture, but above all for the fact that it is close to his parents.
