Surprising Green Screen Photos That Show How Hollywood Actually Works

10. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

Particularly in The Half-Blood Prince, the famous flying sequences in Harry Potter movies expose the less than magical reality of film production. While the flawless flight we see in the finished edit looks more exciting, Daniel Radcliffe's experience on the mechanical rig, hung against a green screen with wind machines screaming around him, seems simultaneously more ordinary and more challenging. Though somewhat more complex and most likely less comfortable, the analogy to a coin-operated child ride outside a convenience store is pretty appropriate. While strapped into intricate equipment, buffeted by synthetic wind, and surrounded by nothing but green screens, the actor had to keep the illusion of easy magical flight. To persuade viewers they were seeing someone flying across the wizarding world was not only physically demanding but also greatly imaginative. The technical intricacy of these sequences and the actor's naturalistic approach highlight how special effects in the Harry Potter series have evolved.