How’d They Do That? is a monthly column in which Meg Shields unpacks moments of movie magic and celebrates the technical wizards who pulled them off.
If you’re new to reading this column, we suggest starting with these entries:
By Meg Shields
Live, die…repeatedly strap yourself into a metal articulated exoskeleton that weighs 85 lbs.
By Meg Shields
My god, it’s full of stars! And innovative slit-scan photography!
By Meg Shields
A stunt so nice they showed it thrice. Here’s the story behind Jackie Chan’s legendary leap.
By Meg Shields
“If ever you want to blow up a head, I advise using kosher salt. But don’t do this at home.” – special effects artist Gary Zeller.
By Meg Shields
You know what doesn’t help an already challenging multiplane camera set up? An earthquake.
By Meg Shields
Everything in ‘Days of Heaven’ was accomplished in-camera. And yes that includes the locusts.
By Meg Shields
Here’s how cinematographers accomplish the disorienting trick also known as “the ‘Vertigo’ effect.”
By Meg Shields
One of the rare sound effects as iconic as its accompanying visual effect.
