10 Amazing Movie Practical Effects And How They Did It

When in doubt, use Ridley Scott's kids to stand in...

By Matt Dawson /

Every one of us has been sat in a cinema and has been blown away by the spectacle in front of us. Whether it's beautifully imagined landscapes, perfectly choreographed actions sequences or exquisite cinematography, we go to be dazzled. We go to SEE.

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Nowadays, CGI pushes the boundaries of what is possible in movies, with those levels of spectacle dialled up even further, but that doesn't mean practical methods are dead. In fact, films that rely more on that older, purer type of film-making now feel even more special and even more worthy of praise.

And even in the age of CGI, some stunning sequences have been achieved that way - and here's how...

10. Inception- The Corridor Fight

Christopher Nolan is well-known in Hollywood for his views on digital effects in modern cinema. And while he may use CGI to enhance an effect if there is no other way, but he has openly stated he will shoot everything he possibly can in camera, even to the extent of building extremely elaborate sets to do so.

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Inception was no exception. Most of use would have suspected the use of green screens and computers to achieve the stunning corridor fight, but we would be wrong. Nolan actually had the corridor build on a rig that allowed the entire set to be rotated at will.

This allowed Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the stunt team to actually move as though gravity really were changing around them, and the result is one of the most mind-blowing effects in cinematic history.

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