Amazing Before And After Images Of The Visual Effects In 'The Great Gatsby'

leonardo dicaprio great gatsby blue screen
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

Mostly everything you see in Baz Luhrmann's update to "The Great Gatsby" is CGI. 

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While some of the film may have appeared to be shot on location in New York, the only minimal filming took place in Sydney, Australia.

Chris Godfrey, the visual effects supervisor on the film, released a before and after reel showcasing the amount of work that went into bringing the film to life. 

From the simple backdrops to entire buildings, most of Gatsby's great American dream was no more than a visual spectacle.

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This recognizable shot of Tom Buchanan's lawn from the opening of nearly every trailer ...

the great gatsby lawn
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

... was nothing more than an empty field without a mansion.

the great gatsby grass
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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And that wide expanse of lush shrubbery in the Buchanan yard ...

the great gatsby shrubs
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

... was nothing more than a blue screen.

the great gatsby shrubbery
http://vimeo.com/68451324 Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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The same goes for Gatsby's fairytale mansion.

great gatsby mansion after
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

It was just that. A fairytale.

great gatsby mansion before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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It took a lot of imagination on set to pretend this blank slate with just a few cars ...

the great gatsby nyc before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

... was the heart of New York City during the roaring '20s.

the great gatsby nyc after
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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See that bridge to the left?

great gatsby road after
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

It was nothing but green screen.

great gatsby road before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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This setting looks most familiar ...

great gatsby industrial before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

... as the valley of ashes DiCaprio drives through to get from West Egg to New York City.

great gatsby industrial after
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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Even the majority of Gatsby's ornate mansion ...

great gatsby mansion after
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

... was nothing more than an elaborate set piece.

great gatsby mansion before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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So it should be little surprise the background surrounding the organ player in Gatsby's home ...

great gatsby organ player after
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

... looked so similar to "The Great Gatsby" album and marketing artwork.

great gatsby organ before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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Not even the trumpet player jammed out in a real night sky.

great gatsby trumpet after
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

He was playing tunes to a blank canvas.

the great gatsby trumpet player before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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Tobey Maguire was never in any real danger on that apartment ledge.

great gatsby apartment after
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

There was a man safely in sight along with a ladder.

great gatsby apartment before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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Those cool car scenes on the bridge ...

great gatsby bridge after
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

... didn't take place on an actual bridge.

great gatsby bridge before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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In fact, there was a fan used to make it appear DiCaprio and Maguire were speeding along.

great gatsby car fan
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

Even the simplest of scenes had a blue screen.

the great gatsby daisy before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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What a difference.

the great gatsby daisy
The Great Gatsby trailer

Part of this dock ...

great gatsby dock after
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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... was the only thing that existed in this scene.

great gatsby dock before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

No need to film out in the open ...

great gatsby leonardo before
Warner Bros. / Vimeo
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... when you can just add a blue screen.

gatsby leonardo dicaprio
Warner Bros. / The Great Gatsby trailer

When Leonardo DiCaprio's Gatsby was looking out at the green light ...

the great gatsby leonardo dicaprio
Warner Bros. / The Great Gatsby trailer
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... he was really looking at blue.

leonardo dicaprio great gatsby blue screen
Warner Bros. / Vimeo

Watch the entire special effects before and after video to Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" below:

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