Another 1970s-era film , David Fincher 's '' Zodiac '' , needed shots to establish the grittier San Francisco of that era . Barron shot digital images of existing city-building textures and then added painted period details in the computer . One such shot features the Embarcadero Freeway alongside the Ferry Building and San Francisco Bay . The freeway had been demolished after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake so MWD digitally rebuilt the structure , viewed from an overhead computer-generated " helicopter-shot " to introduce the City and timeframe . CG lighting techniques were applied for an sped-up animated sequence showing the Transamerica Pyramid being built , establishing the passage of time . Barron researched archival photographs and architectural drawings for the shot
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
Craig Barron