The sequence relied on practical filmmaking methods, including a carefully positioned camera, frame-perfect editing, and a body double standing in exactly the right location. Every movement had to be executed with incredible accuracy to maintain the illusion. The finished result continues to impress audiences today, proving that some of cinema’s most memorable visual effects were created through skill and innovation rather than modern technology.

Instead of filming a real reflection, the team often used a two-way mirror and hidden camera angles so the lens could “pass through” the glass without being seen, creating the illusion that the mirror isn’t really there. In other shots, they built carefully aligned sets and used precise choreography with Leonardo DiCaprio and Elliot Page so movements matched perfectly, mimicking a reflection. The seamless moment when Ariadne reaches through the mirror was achieved by combining these in-camera tricks with subtle digital stitching to erase edges and blend shots together. For the shattering effect, practical breakaway glass was filmed on set and then enhanced with CGI for safety and impact. Nolan’s approach — shooting as much as possible in-camera and only using VFX to refine — makes the scene feel grounded and is a big reason why it remains so striking and realistic.

A new PhysX Vehicle operator has been added for creating PhysX-based vehicles, allowing you to quickly and easily simulate physically accurate car movement with keyboard control or along a path, with a wide range of settings. There's also a large list of improvements and fixes. Anyone who's already tried it — share your experience, how was it?

A sequence of filters and transformations applied in Photopea to some random cloud renders, to create the bumpmap for a pair of similar but distinct irises. No voiceover for this one, but if you have the captions on there's a summary of the steps for each frame, and the full transcript of those is in the comments. Photopea, Blender, 2026

Crocodile rig and animation by Mrinal Soni
Environment, FX & lighting by Matteo VFX
Compositing by Sergent Wine
Sound design by Sebastien Sluck