When Spider-Man used his web to swing between buildings in the film that bears his name, the real superheroes were the men and woman at Sony Pictures Imageworks who worked on making the illusion believable. The Imageworks crew created 475 effects shots for Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man, released May 3, nearly all of which involved computer graphics and many of which required new CG techniques. Throughout Spider-Man, the star (played by actor Tobey Ma-guire) mutates from an everyday kind of guy into a superhero with super-spider capabilities, which meant the effects crew had to help transport viewers into and out of an illusory world. "We had to help the viewers cross the line between reality and fantasy in a way that doesn't jar them out of the story," says visual effects designer John Dykstra. To do this, the team fabricated three major visual effects: realistic CG environments that would simulate parts of New York City, digital stunt doubles for Spider-Man and his nemesis the Green Goblin, and Spider-Man's web.
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