You’ve probably wondered if all those cars destroyed on the movie screen are also destroyed in real life. The answer is yes, but not in the way you would imagine.
INSIDER recently shared a video on YouTube that shows a behind-the-scenes look at how special effects crew actually destroy cars for the purpose of filming movie scenes. It features special effects company JEM FX, which worked on Marvel’s hit Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, among other movies, giving away some secrets of the trade and showing their techniques on practical examples.
According to the professionals at JEM FX, cars are not as easily destroyed in real life as you might think. Thanks to various support elements, modern cars are able to maintain their shape even if, for example, they are flipped on the roof. This is great for safety but doesn’t look quite as good on the big screen.
To get around this, the special effects team usually strips down the car to its bare bones, removing most of the supporting material. They also use several other tricks to make the car as fragile as possible.
The video also contains all sorts of other nuggets, including how cars get to explode in such a spectacular fashion.
“What we’ll do is use devices like a gas bomb underneath the vehicle or to a propane popper and attach it to the vehicle,” explains one JEM FX staff member.
Check out the full story in the video below.
