10 Amazing Movie Practical Effects And How They Did It

2. 300- The Spartans Attack

Full disclosure up front, this one is a bit of a cheat. There is CGI involved in this, however it is likely not in the manner or scale that you would assume.

When the Spartans first break formation and attack the Persian army, we are treated to a brilliant sequence which switches seamlessly between regular speed, slow motion, wide angles and close ups in order to really explore the action taking place. Director Zack Snyder sought to make the film look and feel like it's comic book source material.

So what is CGI in this scene? Only the background and the transitions, everything else was real. The scene was shot on a stage using 3 cameras of different focal lengths. Every hit, thrust and step was taken in real time. CGI was then used to fill in the background, and to make the transition between cameras appear flawless.

Behind the scenes footage shows the entire sequence being acted in one continuous take, it is almost entirely Snyder's choice of focal length and use of specialised slow motion cameras that create this effect.