37 Behind-The-Scenes Movie Tricks That Prove Movies Are Magic

Movies are magic. Not the dark sorcery that causes kids to go to college to study Sociology or Creative Writing, but magic nonetheless. These behind-the-scenes movie tricks prove your eyes can’t be trusted. Film is all about tricking your senses into believing you’re actually seeing Thanos commit genocide or actors feel genuine emotions.

A magician uses sleight of hand and smoke and mirrors to make the audience see what they did not see. Movie directors use the same techniques to make it feel like you just saw Keanu Reeves stop bullets with his hands.

Here are the coolest behind-the-scenes secret techniques directors used to make their movies great:


1. Color correction and some dolly shots make The Matrix (1999) look better than this lobby they shot in.

Behind-the-scenes movies tricks, illusions used in movies, special effects, cool, interesting, film trivia, photos revealing the magic of cinema
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2. Dentures made Brando have jowls in The Godfather (1972)

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3. If you’re using real glasses in the shot, make sure the reflection isn’t a bunch of people filming a movie. From Knives Out (2019).

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4. I was shocked to find out Life of Pi (2015) didn’t use any actual pie while shooting.

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5. It took a lot of equipment that I don’t understand to make Thanos look natural onscreen.

Behind-the-scenes movies tricks, illusions used in movies, special effects, cool, interesting, film trivia, photos revealing the magic of cinema
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6. Titanic (1997) was filmed in a pool.

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7. Avengers: Engame (2019) looked like the inside of a computer when they were shooting.

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8. I’m ready for my closeup, guy who made Men In Black (1997)

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9. Most of the original Star Wars used models, but so did The Phantom Menace, a movie we try to forget ever happened.

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10. It took a lot of work in Avengers Engame (2019) to make Mark Ruffalo look bigger than fat Thor.

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11. Now you finally know what was in the box in Pulp Fiction (1994).

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12. The end result in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) was cute.

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13. The car in Baby Driver (2017) needed to be driven by the crew, not the actors! It’s something I don’t even think about while watching all the vroom, vrooms! I’m an idiot.

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14. They needed Bane to make the CGI dog in The Call Of The Wild (2020)

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15. The live-action version of Mulan was semi-animated.

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16. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) took a lot of work in post to make it look good.

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17. Not that many people could actually fit on Shutter Island (

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18. The raptors from Jurassic World (2015) looked like Packers fans before they got some love from computer animators.

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19. The Invisible Man (2020) needed a real human body in there at one point.

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20. The great dog acting in I Am Legend (2007) was fake.

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21. POV: you’re a person watching E.T. (1982) get filmed.

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22. Most of a fake submarine was needed for the filming of The Hunt For Red October (1990)

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23. Seems so much smaller when you look back at Back to The Future Part III (1990)

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24. Sadly, the actors playing Hermione and Ron were drowned during this take and replaced by their body doubles.

Behind-the-scenes movies tricks, illusions used in movies, special effects, cool, interesting, film trivia, photos revealing the magic of cinema

25. The sewer set for It.

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26. Someone got paid to push BB-8 in the new Star Wars movies.

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27. Painted Q-Tips replaced actual people in the crowd scenes of The Phantom Menace (1999).

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28. Blade Runner 2049 (2017) was filmed somewhere more desolate than where the movie takes place, Hungary.

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29. Contrary to popular belief, Michael Jordan did not actually meet Bugs Bunny in Space Jam (1996).

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30. Actor Gary Sinise did not lose his legs for his role in Forest Gump (1994).

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31. The triceratops in Jurassic Park (1993) was made of clay.

Behind-the-scenes movies tricks, illusions used in movies, special effects, cool, interesting, film trivia, photos revealing the magic of cinema

32. The self-drying jacket required many fans below Marty in Back To The Future II (1989)

Behind-the-scenes movies tricks, illusions used in movies, special effects, cool, interesting, film trivia, photos revealing the magic of cinema

33. If you pause The Matrix, you can see how they got this shot.

Behind-the-scenes movies tricks, illusions used in movies, special effects, cool, interesting, film trivia, photos revealing the magic of cinema

34. Godzilla isn’t real. He’s a guy in a suit.

Behind-the-scenes movies tricks, illusions used in movies, special effects, cool, interesting, film trivia, photos revealing the magic of cinema
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35. The Grand Budapest Hotel was not grand, nor a hotel, nor was it in Budapest. Discuss.

Behind-the-scenes movies tricks, illusions used in movies, special effects, cool, interesting, film trivia, photos revealing the magic of cinema

Behind-the-scenes movies tricks, illusions used in movies, special effects, cool, interesting, film trivia, photos revealing the magic of cinema Behind-the-scenes movies tricks, illusions used in movies, special effects, cool, interesting, film trivia, photos revealing the magic of cinema

Behind-the-scenes movies tricks, illusions used in movies, special effects, cool, interesting, film trivia, photos revealing the magic of cinema
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36. Behind-the-scenes on the set of GoldenEye (1995)

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37. The actual size of the ring from Lord of the Rings

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h/t Reddit