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    HBO Intro - Behind the Scenes

    archivefilms

    3 HN recommenders · recommended in 6 months, 2019–2025

    YouTube

    10:38 · 1.3M views · Jul 23, 2007

    A 1983 behind-the-scenes film about making the HBO 'Feature Presentation' starship logo sequence. It shows the handcrafted miniature city, motion-control cameras and practical effects.

    HN recommends it as a look at pre-CGI effects work that looks like CGI but was entirely physical.

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    6 comments from Hacker News

    1. @SoftTalkerJul 2025· in “How was the Universal Pictures 1936 opening logo created?”

      The original HBO "Feature Presentation" intro was shot with minatures and similar sorts of effects, all before digital/CGI existed or was feasible. There's a documentary about it on YouTube this video

      RecommendsView on HN
    2. @jclMar 2023· in “CGI Renders Are Real Photos”

      Reminds me of the making of a pre-CGI HBO intro -- looks CGI but is entirely physical models, motion controlled cameras, and clever compositing: this video

      RecommendsView on HN
    3. @BluecobraNov 2019· in “Sir Rod Stewart reveals his epic model railway city”

      I loved that intro when I was growing up! There's a documentary about how they made it that can be found on Youtube: this video

      RecommendsView on HN
    4. @MarkusWandelSep 2024· in “Max Headroom and the World of Pseudo-CGI (2013)”

      Or this: this video (SD unfortunately but then it is old - impressive amount of model building to achieve something that would be a CGI nobrainer today)

      CitesView on HN
    5. @bitwizeFeb 2024· in “The Netflix Logo with Yarn was a lie”

      Please don't tell me the handcrafted miniature city and practical effects used in the 1983 HBO intro was all a lie too... this video

      CitesView on HN