 The development of the best method to show Superman flying was a  long period of experimentation. The methods attempted included  simply catapulting a dummy into the air, a remote control model  airplane painted as the character and simply animating the flying  sequences. The producers settled for a combination of forward  projection and specially designed zoom lenses that could create the  illusion of movement by zooming in on Christopher Reeve (qv) while  making the forward projection appear to recede. For scenes where  Superman has to interact with other people or objects while in  flight, Reeve and fellow actors were put in a variety of rigging  equipment with careful lighting and photography to hide the  equipment.