Questions tagged [film-techniques]
Questions about styles used through films and shows.
31
questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
20
votes
1answer
1k views
How did they film the nuke explosion in Broken Arrow?
In the film Broken Arrow, a nuclear weapon is set off underground in an abandoned mine.
Here is the scene:
I'm interested in two points in this clip:
First at 0:33, ...
13
votes
0answers
249 views
Use of anachronisms in film intros to surprise the user with the revelation of the actual time period
Sam Peckinpah did this at least twice:
The Wild Bunch: The film opens with an Old West-style bank robbery in progress, but as we see more detail, we notice that several of the bandits are armed with ...
9
votes
0answers
525 views
How was the pressure cooker blast filmed?
In Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), there is a scene where a pressure cooker suddenly blasts in front of two lead actors.
How was this pressure cooker blast filmed? Was there any risk of harm to the ...
7
votes
0answers
153 views
Why do so many films in the 2010s leave the title to the end?
I've noticed the trend of leaving the title to the end especially in almost every single recent Marvel film, several Disney films, and some other action blockbusters. Personally I enjoy the effect of ...
7
votes
0answers
297 views
Wachowski trademarks?
We all know the Wachowskis perfected the now famous Bullet Time in the movie The Matrix. We also know they are on the cusp with the technology they utilize. Are there any production/filming techniques ...
6
votes
0answers
951 views
Why are many movies still filmed using the “scope” aspect ratio (2.39:1) despite film no longer being widely-used?
Question:
Today, in the cinema industry, pretty much all theaters use digital projectors for exhibition. D-Cinema standard calls for the 2K chips (most widely-used) to have 2048x1080 resolution; ...
6
votes
0answers
112 views
Does 35 to 70 mm blow up lose a part of the image?
The Wikipedia article on 70 mm film has a section about the process of converting 35 mm film to 70 mm, or "blow-up".
Since 35 mm and 70 mm have different aspect ratios, does that mean that a part of ...
6
votes
0answers
2k views
How did they get the baby actor in Tootsie to repeatedly turn its head away from food?
In Tootsie, they have a scene where the baby keeps turning it's head away as a spoon is brought close to it's mouth. Usually the only role for a baby in a movie is crying but this seems more complex ...
6
votes
1answer
6k views
Film technique at movie's end: summary of future events
Is there a name for text - mostly at a film's conclusion - that gives a summary of events that follow?
For example, at the end of Savage Messiah (2002) there appears writing on the screen that ...
5
votes
0answers
208 views
Origin of the side-view surprise car crash shot?
The most common form of the surprise car crash shot has the camera inside a moving car, with the frame showing the driver or a passenger in profile and (past them) a side window framing the world ...
4
votes
0answers
57 views
What’s the significance of this extra scope
In “It Comes At Night” (2017), Travis faces hallucinations throughout the movie. Whenever this happens, this second scope kicks in.
This second scope also appears in the pre-climax scene, where Paul’...
4
votes
0answers
2k views
How was the explosives scene shot?
In this picture, it can be seen that Faisal (role in this movie) is running towards the sheep.
Here, he got killed by explosives.
It was a continuous shot with no cuts; I wonder how this scene is ...
4
votes
0answers
204 views
How does the editing of lip-sync take place for non-native artists (especially in songs)?
I was going through this answer here, where @JasonCraig ends the answer with:
Later a huge portion of issues are sorted in the editing table.
So, I wanted to know what are the editing methods used ...
4
votes
0answers
2k views
Textual vs material representation in Blade Runner cinematography
Do the cinematography techniques in Blade Runner use textual representation (image as text) or material representation (image as presence) in order to convey the themes or motifs of the film? I ...
4
votes
0answers
1k views
Why use foreign accents in English language movies when unnecessary?
I've recently watched the movie Child 44, which is set in the 1950's Soviet Union during the Stalin regime. Apart from the fact that the movie itself is not memorable in my opinion, the thing that has ...
4
votes
1answer
147 views
Technical realisation of fade-to-black and freeze frame (analog)
I wanted to know how a fade-to-black was done in the old days (before digital editing and non-linear editing) but could not find any information.
In older movies and TV-productions (analog, before ...
3
votes
0answers
161 views
What's the deal with freeze-framing during opening credits?
I keep meaning to ask this question, every time I see a movie from the period (roughly 1960s through 1980s) where the opening credits are shown superimposed over an opening scene — but, every time ...
3
votes
0answers
340 views
How were the slow-motion scenes in the movie Cashback made?
Cashback (2006) has some famous slow-motion scenes in a supermarket, where the camera moves slowly through a frozen moment, but with a single person acting in normal motion.
Does anyone know how ...
3
votes
0answers
83 views
Does David Lynch's eerie atmosphere (closer to german “Unheimlich”), have a definition and clear origin?
One aspect that all of lynch's films have is that eerie feeling that something is not quite right, but I find that atmosphere to be different from pure surrealism. Did Lynch start this? Or does it ...
3
votes
0answers
97 views
Was there any notable pushback against “dark” (lack of lighting) cinematography?
One of the most common "normal people" gripes I usually hear about TV shows and films is that directors love to shoot "dark" scenes (literally dark - there is not enough lighting to be able to see ...
2
votes
0answers
281 views
Difference between non-linear and multilinear narrative
As stated in Non-linear narrative, Wiki, non-linear means displaying content not necessarily in chronological order, for example parallel timelines, dreams, plot inside plot.
Now, Hyperlink-cinema, ...
2
votes
0answers
38 views
Are the voices of the younger versions of the triplets dubbed by the older actors in This is Us?
This is Us jumps backwards and forwards through the lives of three siblings, their parents and family.
The teen versions of the triplets in particular sound a lot like the adult versions. Is there any ...
2
votes
0answers
185 views
Copyrighted Filming Techniques
The first Matrix film had the bullet time sequence, and people will most likely associate that technique with the movie.
Research into bullet time shows that it was used long before The Matrix (...
2
votes
0answers
186 views
Lighting mismatch in “All the Money in the World”
Was this scene from All the Money in the World shot with green screen? Or any way of combining two different shots?
I feel like the light on the subjects doesn't match the background, I can't decide ...
2
votes
0answers
222 views
How was this Three Stooges scene filmed?
In the Stooges short "Three Hams on Rye," the Three Stooges become part of a play. At the end of the play, they are to each consume cake. Instead of a cake, however, the Stooges accidentally cooked a ...
2
votes
0answers
168 views
How did they shoot the snow scenes in The Hunt?
How did they shoot the snow scenes in The Hunt? Did they use real snow, or is that a specific trick to fake it during the shooting?
1
vote
0answers
123 views
How did Charlie Chaplin accomplish the gear stunts in Modern Times?
How was the famous scene in which Chaplin goes into the machine accomplished? Did they actually build gears for Chaplin to rotate around?
1
vote
0answers
453 views
How was the strangulation scene filmed?
Following an argument with his brother Stevie briefly strangles himself by wrapping a game-pad cord around his neck and pulling it tight.
Stevie is played by Sunny Suljic who was probably 12 at the ...
1
vote
0answers
603 views
In the movie adaptation of George Orwell's 1984, how was the pulling out of Winston's tooth filmed?
In 1984, Winston Smith's tooth is pulled out by O'Brien while he is being tortured. Did they actually pull out the actor's tooth for the scene or was it a visual effect?
1
vote
0answers
133 views
Are movies shot in parallel when there are scenes with a disjoined set of actors?
Assuming there are two scenes which have completely different actors, will they be shot in parallel or does it always work in sequence? I assume that the director has to be present at all shots, but ...
1
vote
1answer
46 views
What is the dog in “Hector and the Search for Happiness” used for?
In "Hector and the search for Happiness", there is a dog that Hector keeps referring to, throughout the movie. The dog has no name, and doesn't appear to be real (either Hector's imagination ...
