House of the Dragon

The Problem

Creating a Custom Landmark Lens for HBO's House of the Dragon posed several challenges. The landmark needed to be three meters tall, and the ideal location had to be both popular in Memphis and fitting for a dragon. In addition, the task involved optimizing large film assets provided by HBO and Snap for a mobile AR experience and animating those assets for seamless integration

The Solution

The majestic Memphis sign at Mud Island was chosen, inviting adventurers to embark on a journey to discover the dragon at the end of their quest. By carefully optimizing and animating the assets, a thrilling experience was crafted where users could witness the dragon soaring around the sign and command it to land for a fun photo op, truly bringing the magic of House of the Dragon to life.

Digital Precept

AR Creator // Oct 2022

The Process

Embarking on this enchanted House of the Dragon AR filter journey, Snap offered a choice of dragons in various colors - blue, charcoal, green, and red. I selected the blue dragon as it perfectly represented Memphis, resonating with the city's river, sports teams like Memphis Tigers and Grizzlies, and its vibrant blue spirit.

With Snap's approval of the initial concept, a majestic experience was envisioned where the dragon would fly around the Memphis Sign, with an option to land, roar, and eventually soar away, providing users with a unique photo op alongside the roaring dragon.

The Mud Island Memphis sign was scanned to bring this vision to life, creating a geolocation mesh to be imported into Lens Studio - Snapchat's AR filter software. The biggest challenge faced during this quest was optimizing the massive film asset file, as the total Snap file had to be under 8 MB. Through skillful compression of textures and animation, the asset was optimized without compromising its breathtaking beauty.

Once the asset was ready, a test run at Mud Island ensured the experience worked flawlessly on location. Finally, the completed file was sent to Snap, and the enchanting House of the Dragon AR filter took flight on HBO's Snap account, delighting users with its magical presence.