One scene in Inception leaves VFX artists floored 14 years after its release. Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, his 2010 sci-fi film follows a professional thief who extracts information from targets’ minds using dream-sharing technology, and is tasked with the seemingly impossible mission of implanting an idea into a target’s subconscious. Inception‘s cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Dileep Rao, and Michael Caine.
In the latest episode of Corridor Crew‘s “VFX Artists React” series, hosts Sam Gorski, Wren Weichman, and Jordan Allen were floored by one scene in Inception. Watch the portion of the video below:
The VFX artists reacted to the mirror scene in Inception, and host Jordan Allen broke down how they used practical mirrors on set, including a behind-the-scenes photo that shows how the scene was created. Read a portion of his comments below:
They used practical mirrors. They had two mirrors on set. They were like 15 feet long and two and a half tons in size, massive things. If you’re going to mount a mirror that big, you’re going to need a lot more support than what we’re seeing here, so there’s actually giant steel bars running across the floor that had to be painted out entirely. If you look at Elliot’s feet when he stands over them you actually see that that action is still taking place because you can’t paint out the performance right, but you see that there’s some sort of ghost that he’s standing over. This is the only real tell of what used to be there.
They tracked the motion of the environment in the mirror and used that in order to essentially represent their 3D building of the entire city done through reference photography and by tracking the reflection in the mirror, you also get the organic wobble of that giant mirror as it’s moving. The entire reflection of the city you’re seeing there was digitally recreated and then retract into the reflection of a moving mirror with all of its parallax and everything and wobble and all that stuff.
What The VFX Artists’ Reaction To Inception’s Mirror Scene Means For The Movie
It’s Still Stunning Today
The VFX artists’ reactions highlight how Inception‘s mirror scene, over a decade after the movie won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, is still stunning today. The behind-the-scenes photo, and Jordan Allen’s breakdown, also provide some insight into how Inception‘s mirror scene was created. First off, they began by using practical mirrors on set, which were about 15 feet long and weighed two and a half tons. To support this immense weight, they needed to construct giant steel bars along the base, which then had to be painted out in post-production.
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Additionally, as revealed by the behind-the-scenes photo, the original footage also featured a reflection of Christopher Nolan, the camera guy, and the boom operator in the mirror. In turn, they also had to be painstakingly painted out. Finally, a much more complicated process was used to digitally reconstruct a 3D representation of the city. In addition to being an incredible achievement in VFX, Inception‘s mirror scene is also a powerful and beautiful metaphor for cinema and its ability to create illusions.
Our Take On Inception’s Mirror Scene
It Masterfully Combines Practical Effects & CGI
While Christopher Nolan is known for avoiding CGI, and his latest film Oppenheimer used extensive practical effects with minimal compositing, Inception represents a slightly different approach. The director used practical effects as much as possible, though they were seamlessly integrated with extensive CGI, which is why the movie won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. The movie masterfully blends practical effects, which adds irreplaceable authenticity, with impressive CGI, which enhances the visuals and allows for truly breathtaking sequences like the mirror scene.
Source: Corridor Crew
Christopher Nolan’s 2010 Sci-fi action film Inception follows a thief who enters the dreams of others to steal information and, after being caught, is given a chance to clean his slate by performing an untested concept – implanting an idea within another mind. An ensemble cast is brought together by former target Saito, who seeks to implant the idea of destroying his own company into his father’s mind. In a complex labyrinth of dreams and untested theories at the forefront, survival is not guaranteed in this psychological heist where the stakes are high, and nothing is what it seems.
- Release Date
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July 16, 2010
- Studio(s)
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Warner Bros. Pictures
- Distributor(s)
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Warner Bros. Pictures
- Runtime
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148 minutes
- Franchise(s)
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Inception
- Budget
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$160 million
