20 Behind-The-Scenes Shots That Make Films Look Stupid

2. Tiny, Tiny Helm's Deep

Peter Jackson's first jaunt to Middle Earth was such a success not only because it was faithful to JRR Tolkien's books, but also because it managed to make the world as rich and visually compelling on screen as it was on the page. By using the New Zealand countryside, making actors climb up real mountains and building a real-life Hobbiton, Middle Earth felt like an actual place. Which certainly helped in grounding all the huge battles and the like, which were mainly pulled off with a combination of a lot of extras in orc make-up and a degree of CGI. Oh and a lot of miniatures, as this back stage shot of Helm's Deep reveals. That huge, epic scope gets shortened by a rather huge degree when a giant woman's wandered into to spray paint on a loose piece of grass.