'The Amazing Spider-Man:' Secrets of Off-the-Wall Visual Effects

The Amazing Spider-Man digital effects supervisor Dave Smith talks to the L.A. Times about using CGI to bring New York City to life in the film. He says, "When we have to go mostly digital is [for] something that’s very impractical to shoot, either on location or in an environment that would be nearly impossible to do. [Using computer-generated imagery,] it’s more convenient because you don’t have to close down New York City or anything like that. But also we get to design the shots with the animation in mind and move the cameras according to the animation, so it gives a lot of flexibility to create dynamic shots."

Read more and see an exclusive behind-the-scenes video here.