HBO Intro - Behind the Scenes
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN recommends it as a look at pre-CGI effects work that looks like CGI but was entirely physical.
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.
Recommended by 3 HN commenters across 3 different months, 2019 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Recommends Bluecobra · 2019-11 · on “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]
Recommends jcl · 2023-03 · on “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]
Recommends SoftTalker · 2025-07 · on “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]
Cites EvanAnderson · 2019-12 · on “Windows 10 Desktop: Physically building and photographing the logos (2015)”
I am reminded of the epic HBO "Feature Presentation" intro (insofar as it was physically constructed): [this video]
Cites bitwize · 2024-02 · on “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]
Cites MarkusWandel · 2024-09 · on “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)