Rok!t built a CG aerial view of Central Park for the title sequence shot in stereo.

Lee Nelson, Rok!t vfx supervisor, proposed doing the title sequence in stereo when it was first suggested that it be converted like the rest of the film. Testing with two digital SLRs and a very simple rig provided good results, and the director approved the method. "We shot half the sequence with these Canon 1D Mark IV SLR digital cameras with my little rig that syncs the shutters, and the other half with the Genesis cameras using a beam splitter," Nelson explains.

However, he was unable to shoot above Central Park because of President Obama's presence there, so they shot around the park and then stitched together the aerial perspective in the computer using a stereoscopic rig in Maya, Nuke, After Effects and Silhouette for roto.

"Stereo, to me, when you shoot it, is the same sensation as shooting still photography," Nelson adds. "You don't appreciate it until you get it back into your box and you're looking at this beautiful high-res imagery in 3-D."

Bill Desowitz is senior editor of AWN & VFXWorld.