23) Clash of the Titans - More wonderful break away props in the Planet. Supes flys through Metropolis with an awful last minute shot of a model Supes flying by a real background plate and a mini Planet building with rear projected windows. Superman lands on flag pole in studio, villains then crash through the wall and fall (not fly) out followed by long shots with dolls of the Supes and Villains. Totally convincing exterior extreme long shot of the glass falling down towards the camera, a miniature totally taken for granted by the audience. Apart from the chase shots with Non, all of the New York Skyline was recreated using miniatures filmed against enormous backlit stills.

24) Zod flies towards a construction site - This was realised as a strategically well planned composite shot. Actor Terence Stamp was filmed against black velvet jumping up and onto a catwalk doubling for the steel framing where he accuses our hero of cowardice. This footage was then taken, Zod was then shot as a doll in flying form on a partially complete miniature set of the steel framing, and as soon as the doll disappears behind the steel gurder, actor Terence Stamp walks out from the right hand side of the pillar (much like a miniature-to-live-action version of Superman's earlier transformation-back-to-Clark-after-saving-Niagara-Falls-boy). Additional scenery such as buildings and construction piping was matte painted and enhanced. For the shot of Superman's head entering the foreground, the image was front projected with Reeve acting infront of a 3M screen. The wall section hanging from the crane was a miniature element. You will notice on careful observation that when Zod lifts the wall section above his head the object eclipses a background floodlight behind him - for total attention to detail, there is an interactive lens flare to show that the light is real and not painted on. This was actually actually achieved by having the lights live on set when Terence Stamp was photographed as a separate element.

25) For reaction shots of Superman before the explosion, automobile traffic can be seen moving in the distance of the background. These were achieved by Derek Meddings use of a conveyer belt that had model cars glued onto it as if it were a road. The camera was mounted up a few metres away from the belt, and the area around it was covered in black velvet. This created an in-camera matte that then allowed for the illusion of traffic to be matted into any of the photographed still plates of Manhattan.

26) Heat-vision achieved as cel animation - The resulting explosion was miniature - note that during the explosion Reeve closes his eyes as if the debris had really interacted with his face.

27) Superman and Non fly over the harbor in clumsy travelling matte form - Supes suffers from green suit syndrome. Nice Zoptic of Non chasing Superman through the streets. (This was the only footage actually shot in New York City during the sequence)

28) Non smacks Supes into the metal shutters via a Zoptic followed by a stunt double hitting the building and then cuts back to Reeve. Superman zooms across the skyline in a traveling matte. Great model work with Empire State building's spire nearly hitting the ground. The intial long shot of the sparking impact and sway of the spire was achieved using Derek Meddings miniatures. All following shots of the skyscraper and spire were models filmed against a rear projected skyline of Manhattan. The Superman model was moved on a monophilament wire. Shots with the threatened Mother and spire together were models filmed as travelling mattes and matted onto live action plates. For shots of Zod and Ursa standing atop the building next to the 'hot' billboard, the actors were filmed on a mock-up of the rooftop that was later enhanced with a matte painting showing the city vista behind and to the side of them.

29) Within this street battle, most of the hovering medium shots of Christopher Reeve used New York City stills for backgrounds which were then combined with the actor using Zoptic. one particluarly good example of this is the high angle shot of Superman flying down towards the street where Zod threatens to blow upthe tanker. Zod returns fire with cel animated heat-vision and real cars blowing up.

30) Great cel animation shows Superman holding a rear view mirror and reflecting Zod's heat-vision back to the villain. The reaction shot of Zod surrounded by a smoking billboard was achieved by flaring the frame in cel animation and then disolving to show the charred billboard.

31) Supes saves the tanker truck with frost breath via in-camera projected dry-ice against a two way mirror at a 45 degree angle and on-set ice (subtle touch to the piece is the slight movement of the tanker's cabin door- a clever, subconciously accepted reactive element).

32) Non pushes Supes into the sewers with a neat little wire shot and break away street. A miniature dummy of Non crashes through the miniature street. Non is then seen in a long shot flying into the building via traveling matte. Live action shot of Non crashing through an office followed by a fantastic miniature long shot of him breaking out of the other side. Ursa tosses a manhole prop, manhole flying across the street and hitting Superman achieved via rushed cel animation. Fun litte shot Supes slaming into the car with wires and semi visible harness. Supes twirls a dummy of Zod around. The long shot from the street of Zod hurling past the skyscrapers and towards the distant neon sign was accomplished on Derek Meddings miniature set.

33) The faultless shot of the exploding coke sign was achieved using a Derek Meddings miniature coke sign and pyrotechniques with a backlit travelling matte of Zod composited over the top that dissolves seamlessly as it terminates in the middle of the frame. Timing here was crucial, as Zod had to dissolve as soon as the screen bursted into a glare of white, giving the illusion that the Kryptonian villain had perished into the fireball and sparks.

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