Here's one of the ways they filmed the hoverboard stuff in Back to the Future Part II

Here's one of the ways they filmed the hoverboard stuff in Back to the Future Part II

The director, Robert Zemeckis, definitely misled the public a bit! In a promotional featurette, he claimed that hoverboards were real and had been around for years, suggesting that "parent groups" were preventing toy manufacturers from releasing them. This claim was so convincing that the special effects studio (Industrial Light & Magic, or ILM) received a huge number of calls from parents trying to buy a hoverboard for their kids!

As for the filming, it was a smart mix of classic movie magic and high-tech effects:

The Big Rig: The huge dolly rig you see Michael J. Fox (MJF) standing on in this photo was used for the shots where Marty is just cruising along the ground.

Wired Up: For the moments he was clearly flying, he was usually suspended from wires and harnesses attached to cranes. The team at ILM would then digitally remove those wires in post-production.

Just a Skateboard: For all the close-ups where you only see Marty's torso, Michael J. Fox (who was a good skateboarder anyway) was simply riding a regular skateboard across a super-smooth plywood track to simulate that perfect "glide" look.

Intense Stunt: The final chase sequence was complicated and unfortunately resulted in an injury. One of Marty's female stunt doubles had a serious accident during the scene where she crashes into a pillar, suffering a shattered face and wrist. This actual fall and impact were reportedly left in the final cut of the movie.