331
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How did they make cars fall apart in old movies?
The 'cab' is hinged round the bottom of the box structure, probably released by Keaton at the appropriate moment, and very likely sprung to assist the demolition.
The rest is just balanced on top and ...
- 53.5k
149
votes
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How do actors stop breathing when playing "dead"?
You hyperventilate right before the take, the same technique as for swimming underwater [not highly recommended underwater, but in air, of course, you can change your mind and breathe again at any ...
- 53.5k
124
votes
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How is color determined when colorizing black and white movies?
They don't know. They don't care.
It doesn't matter what were the original colors. As the movie was filmed in black and white, the set, the costumes, even the makeup was designed to look good in ...
- 1,652
86
votes
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Why do mouse cursors never align with actors' hand movements (or always move perfectly straight)?
The reality is that these images are nearly universally added in post production.
Creating a computer environment for a film that the actors can actually interact with is much more time intensive and ...
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86
votes
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Why were movies shot on film shot at 24 frames per second?
According to this site:
In the early days of film cameras were hand cranked, which caused inconsistencies from movie to movie. Even further still, projection houses would speed up frame rates of ...
- 49.6k
83
votes
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How do they film movies that take place in a single season?
Principal photography, where the actors are in front of the camera, usually takes less than 3 months. But principal photography is just one part of producing a movie. The whole process can take a year ...
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81
votes
Alice growing effect in 1972 "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" - how was it done? It's not green screen
The Ames Room, forced perspective, and moving towards the camera.
The left side of the room is much larger and farther away than the right side of the room. Take a look at the same illusion here:
...
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69
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How was the deserted London scene in the movie '28 Days Later' filmed?
Normally, movie producers would obtain permits to shut down roads around city filming locations. However, this is not usually permitted in London (even huge productions like Bond get very limited ...
- 12.6k
61
votes
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How was this shot in Contact (1997) really made?
It's mostly a CGI effect with blue screening / masking, motion tracking etc.
There's a YouTube explanation by the movie's Cinematographer Don Burgess
Also another ...
- 141k
54
votes
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Frozen Jack: Actor or Prop?
This was shot inside a set and Jack Nicholson himself posed for the scene.
Jack Nicholson posing for his final moment frozen in the snow. This side angle reveals the crude bracing system of wood and ...
53
votes
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What if a head shaving scene gets messed up?
It takes a couple of minutes to shave a head, so assuming nothing gets messed up when the initial cut with the shaver is made, any mistakes can just be edited around.
If there is a significant ...
- 2,485
52
votes
What is this type of scene transition called?
It's called an Invisible Wipe, or Invisible Cut.
Using an object or person from one scene to cover the entire screen, then as they move from shot another scene is revealed.
Of course, this is easy ...
- 53.5k
50
votes
How were Opening Titles and End Credits created before Computers?
Usually, if we talk about credits without any movie scene in the background, it was done by using a long sheet of paper or plastic or other material they want with credits written on it. Artists used ...
A J♦
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49
votes
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What mitigation is taken while filming 'raining' scenes
Rain jackets for cameras are available in market. If the rain is artificially created, we just have to focus on the frame we are shooting. We don't need water all over the place, but just within the ...
47
votes
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What is the name of this effect used in Flags of Our Fathers?
It's Vignetting
Wikipedia
Later, the word came to be used for a photographic portrait which is clear in the center, and fades off at the edges. A similar effect occurs when photographing projected ...
- 141k
47
votes
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How was the motorcycle scene in The Matrix Reloaded made?
It was partially CGI.
They used a freeway to shoot this scene and of course, a stunt double performed this. It took three months and 1.4 miles long track to shoot this scene.
From Telegraph(emphasis ...
A J♦
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47
votes
Why is The Mandalorian shot in such a wide aspect ratio?
According to this article:
Cinematographers Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS and Barry “Baz” Idoine and showrunner Jon Favreau employ new technologies to frame the Disney Plus Star Wars series.
[...]
Shot on ...
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46
votes
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Why do many night shots use streets that are wet?
More reflective surfaces give a clearer image. Not only does more reflected light mean a clearer camera image, it also gives a greater sense of the environment, of the space, and of the surfaces that ...
- 7,616
44
votes
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How did they film the walks between the Twin Towers in The Walk?
TL;DR
To film the most of action sequences, they designed a 40X60X12 foot corner of the South Tower and it was redressed for the North Tower.
They created a model only for the rest of the roofs, the ...
A J♦
- 58k
44
votes
How do they film movies that take place in a single season?
To start with a single aspect of this, 'winter'... [others below]
Fake snow is big business.
In the UK, the snow companies are busiest in summer, when it's [theoretically] least likely to rain ...
- 53.5k
44
votes
How is clear dialogue recorded in noisy scenes?
Usually with ADR
Automated Dialog Replacement (ADR) is the process of re-recording dialogue by the original actor (or a replacement actor) after the filming process to improve audio quality or ...
- 141k
43
votes
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How was the red coat in Schindler's List created?
As I mentioned in the comments, movie editing software certainly was available in 1993 (see Jurassic Park for example). That being said however, I was under the impression that Schindler's List was ...
- 1,807
43
votes
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How are tsunamis crashing through cities and wiping out actors filmed?
I'm not sure how they did it exactly. But I can guess how they probably did it: with 3 kinds of shots.
The first kind of shot is entirely CGI:
The second kind of shot is actors on a controlled set, ...
- 23.9k
42
votes
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How was this scene with a zombie getting its head cut off by helicopter rotors filmed?
FX Artist Tom Savini did the FX for Dawn of the Dead. He casted the head and molded it into foam latex and fishing line were added. He pumped blood through Jim's clothes to fake part of his forehead. ...
A J♦
- 58k
42
votes
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Was the 2019 Lion King film made through motion capture?
The simple answer is no, it's not motion captured. But there is even confusion about it being considered live-action or animated for award nominations.
From vanityfair:
Disney’s upcoming Lion King ...
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40
votes
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How is blood coming from the mouth filmed?
Generally they use fake blood capsules for this purpose. A capsule contains enough amount of red liquid which is released when gets broken.
Performers generally keep one or more, if necessary, in ...
A J♦
- 58k
39
votes
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How did they shoot the hostess scene?
They used what most people refer to as a "giant centrifuge". There are multiple sites on the interwebs which explain this.
From Pajiba
The giant centrifuge was built “in the North of England” by ...
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38
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What exactly is a “European style of single-source lighting, which involved the use of incense burners?”
The technique literally uses smoke in scenes to diffuse lighting.
I found this description on the director Alan Parker’s own website:
“The European style of single source, diffused light — dubbed ‘Le ...
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37
votes
Accepted
How do they film someone being stabbed with a weapon that goes all the way through?
It's done on computers.
Sometimes they also use a prop knife, the kind where the blade pops back in when touched.
Some Game of Thrones VFX examples here
...
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible