This amazing behind the scenes shot of E.T. looking down over the city lights from a hilltop is a shot that was used for many of the promotional pieces for E.T. the Extraterrestrial. These city lights are the same that the gang flies over in their bikes, a sight you too can see if you ever go to Universal Studios Orlando. The team at Industrial Light & Magic had a clear plan to execute this scene best, but we better let them describe it:

“We realized the shot using a combination of a miniature set in the foreground and a matte painting in the background for the city. E.T. was a small puppet mounted to a rod that slid down a track, which gave the appearance that he was walking down the hillside toward the city. A lot of what makes this shot successful is the lighting and composition. The foreground looks a bit foreboding, whereas the cityscape has an almost magical quality about it. Hundreds of twinkling lights beckon him. In a way, it reflects what E.T. is feeling at this point in the story.”