 The Wiz was filmed at Astoria Studios in Queens , New York . The decaying New York State Pavilion from the 1964 New York World 's Fair was used as the set for Munchkinland , Astroland at Coney Island was used for the Tinman scene with The Cyclone as a backdrop , while the World Trade Center served as the Emerald City . The scenes filmed at the Emerald City were elaborate , utilizing 650 dancers , 385 crew members and 1 @,@ 200 costumes . Costume designer Tony Walton enlisted the help of high fashion designers in New York City for the Emerald City sequence , and obtained exotic costumes and fabric from designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Norma Kamali . Albert Whitlock created the film 's visual special effects , while Stan Winston served as the head makeup artist . 
