Man of Steel was filmed.
Man of Steel (film) . Principal photography began in August 2011 in West Chicago , Illinois , before moving to Vancouver and Plano , Illinois . Critics praised the film 's visuals , action sequences , and Hans Zimmer 's musical score but criticized its pacing and lack of character development . Principal photography . Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed , with actors on set and cameras rolling , as distinct from pre-production and post-production .