Where were the Brooklyn scenes filmed?

[Serum]

I've been watching the movie on a continuous loop for four days, now, and every time they're in the exterior of Brooklyn it looks a lot like New York. But after looking at the set photos, it seems the dig wasn't filmed in Brooklyn, although there are scenes of the exterior of the dig where you can see the Brooklyn Bridge and the World Trade Center. The set photos make the exterior of the dig look like it was filmed somewhere out in a rural area. I know most of the movie was shot in an old cement factory, but where were the exterior Brooklyn scenes filmed if not in Brooklyn? Because it looks a hell of a lot like New York if it's not New York...

[Phlibbit]

Most of the exterior "Brooklyn" scenes were shot in downtown Wilmington--even the scene where the dig site is when you see the towers/bridge in the background.

If I remember correctly, David Snyder was sent with a small unit to NY late during filming and they shot a lot of elements that were used to splice in with the Wilmington-shot scenes to add some believability. So it's a combination of North Carolina and New York going on

[Serum]

That's incredible, because I've been to New York and I'd swear they filmed the scenes where they're on the streets there. Downtown Wilmington must be a fairly dense urbanized area. I mean there's even a scene where the Mario Bros' van drives by the Brooklyn Bridge towards the beginning of the movie-- was that filmed in Wilmington? Did they do a cookie-cutter thing and use matte paintings? If so, a lot the budget must have been spent on recreating Brooklyn alone, because it's very convincing.

[Phlibbit]

I think for a few scenes they shot live-action "plates" of NY landmarks like the bridge and then put them in the backgrounds of scenes like the dig site.

[Serum]

I think for a few scenes they shot live-action "plates" of NY landmarks like the bridge and then put them in the backgrounds of scenes like the dig site.

So in other words they cut and pasted bits and pieces here and there to make it look like New York. That must have been a pain, nowadays they'd just do that with CGI or something.