hackertube.io

HBO Intro - Behind the Scenes

archivefilms · documentary · Watch on YouTube

Animation & visual effectsFilmmaking & video production

What it is

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.

Why Hacker News recommends it

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

  • 3 people recommended it
  • 3 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2019, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “There's a documentary about how they made it that can be found on Youtube”

    Documentary on how the HBO intro was made.

    Bluecobra, 2019-11 · Recommendation · in “Sir Rod Stewart reveals his epic model railway city”

  2. “looks CGI but is entirely physical models, motion controlled cameras, and clever compositing”

    Pre-CGI intro built from physical models and motion control.

    jcl, 2023-03 · Recommendation · in “CGI Renders Are Real Photos”

  3. “There's a documentary about it on YouTube”

    Documentary on shooting the HBO intro with miniatures.

    SoftTalker, 2025-07 · Recommendation · in “How was the Universal Pictures 1936 opening logo created?”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: hbo intro, miniatures, motion control, pre-cgi, film history

Also recommended by the same people