10 Things You Didn't Know About Inception
8. The Movie Has A Surprisingly Low Number Of Special Effect Shots
Inception feels like a big, CGI-infested blockbuster of the highest order, so it might be surprising to learn that - in actuality - it scores pretty low on the, "Hey, how many special effect shots did they use in this film?" scale.
Blockbusters that are heavy on special effects - films like The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers - will generally use upwards of 2000 special effects shots. Despite all those shifting skyscrapers and spinning corridors (oh, and the train), Inception used just 500.
If it could be built, Christopher Nolan refused to take the easy route and opt for special effects, insisting on practical methods where possible.
It's amazing that Nolan and his team achieved a film of such epic proportions using a relatively small number of special effect shots. That's not to say that Inception was cheap to make - at $160 million, it certainly wasn't. Still, Nolan's dedication to old school practical effects made for a far more immersive film.