326
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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 ...
- 52.7k
115
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How was this scene shot without hurting Charlie Chaplin?
Well, I have a theory about how this scene might have been filmed, but I have no sources to confirm this as it is a very old movie.
This rock can be a fake one, because using a real one will ...
A J♦
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70
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Why is the swordfight in The Princess Bride so good?
Cary Elwes's As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride gives a lot of detail about why the sword fight turned out so well. Neither Elwes nor Mandy Patinkin had a sword-...
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Why is the swordfight in The Princess Bride so good?
Other answers have focused on the technical side of the fencing. As you'll no doubt find on YouTube breakdowns, a number of elements of this are clearly not pure combat. Most obviously, if they ...
- 2,868
55
votes
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What is this dog really biting in The Thing?
No, the dog definitely didn't chew a hole in a real fence.
Update: Word of God answer from Producer Stuart Cohen and John Carpenter!!!
John Carpenter:
The fence was made out of edible material. ...
- 11.7k
55
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Do they really crash super cars in action movies?
For Casino Royale, yes and no:
At the time of filming, Aston Martin were still in the final phases of designing the DBS. The scene involving the car crash was devised using an Aston Martin DB9 that ...
- 1,998
45
votes
Did Hugh Jackman really tattoo his own finger with a pen in The Fountain?
It's really, really, really unlikely.
"Cut, reset. First positions please. Going again."
What would they do for take 2? No-one ever gets it in the first take[1]. It's almost certainly a ...
- 52.7k
39
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How do they shoot flaming human scenes?
The stuntman/stuntwoman wears a special flame-retardant suit under their costume. In addition, any skin which is not covered by the suit gets coated with a special gel which is flame-resistant. ...
- 59.4k
39
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Do they really crash super cars in action movies?
It's very broad to say yes or no. But no, they don't. They use shells, stripped down frames, with standard engines, but with the appropriate paneling to make it look like the real thing. The inside ...
- 67.6k
38
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How was this scene in Jurassic World shot?
The director Colin Trevorrow said it was all real. Well, up to the dinosaur part, they haven't figured out how to get around the AHA rules.
The stunts for the kill scene were done by [Zara Young's ...
- 67.6k
37
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How was this scene shot without hurting Charlie Chaplin?
In addition to the fake rock theory by @AJ, it is quite possible that the rock did not travel the entire distance it appeared to. Once the rock disappears off screen, there could have been some ...
- 646
34
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How was the fire stunt done in Cape Fear (1991)?
I can't provide a solid answer with citations on this - but it does look quite possible it was actually DeNiro doing the opening shot of this stunt.
On the insurance aspect, you might have to ask Tom ...
- 52.7k
30
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How was this glass shattering scene shot without getting any injury to the head?
Very simply - don't use real glass.
Movies have long used sugar glass.
Literally, a substance that looks like glass but is just made from sugar & water, heated until it turns into a kind of hard, ...
- 52.7k
26
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Do they really crash super cars in action movies?
Here's a good link regarding the filming for Need for Speed. In Need for Speed at least, they used real cars. Besides Need for Speed, they'll frequently use replicas of the shells of cars to crash. ...
- 631
26
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How was the bear attack scene shot in the movie 'The Revenant'?
Industrial Light and Magic were responsible for creating the CGI bear. Yeah, it's CGI and not in-fact a real bear. They used reference footage from actual bears, even including a bear attack filmed at ...
- 571
26
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How do they shoot flaming human scenes?
For that movie it was probably using a pyro gel. It's a special gel that burns at a lower temperature (800F) and doesn't spread much, so it can be applied more precisely. To protect themselves the ...
- 7,712
23
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How was this scene shot without hurting Charlie Chaplin?
Even if this particular trick is rare, it's conceptually similar to hanging scenes, which are abundant in westerns. In fake hanging, the typical trick is to attach the rope to the hidden harness while ...
- 699
17
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How was this glass shattering scene shot without getting any injury to the head?
There are also commercial silicone and urathane (plastic) products that can be molded into clear glass-looking sheets.
Add in a sound effect and you're done.
- 132k
17
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In National Velvet why didn't they use a stunt double for Elizabeth Taylor?
They did
Alice van Springsteen was the stunt double for Ms Taylor in National Velvet
Her first work as a film stuntwoman came in Will Rogers' last movie, "In Old Kentucky" (1935). A member ...
- 132k
13
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How was this scene shot without hurting Charlie Chaplin?
The key is to watch Chaplin's legs and the rope.
As the rock goes off-screen and the rope is getting close to taut, his knees flex. At that point he clearly jumps into the water, with enough style (...
- 2,868
11
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Why is the swordfight in The Princess Bride so good?
Perhaps not sleeping on the couch, but they did employ the guy considered to be the best in the business.
From Wikipedia - Bob Anderson
Robert James Gilbert Anderson (15 September 1922 – 1 January ...
- 52.7k
10
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How do they shoot a scene in which a character falls downstair?
Well, basically, someone pushes someone down the stairs. While the camera is running. Lately, there is special effects to digitally matte a characters face on a stuntman if they want to go an extra ...
- 67.6k
8
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How was this scene shot without hurting Charlie Chaplin?
Perhaps the rope is loosely fastened to the rock, and detaches when the rock has reached its limit.
- 87
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Are Top Gun 2 dogfights & airplane maneuvers real?
Mostly
According to John Hamm...
“We’re shooting the movie in, I think, 6K,” Hamm explained (via JoBlo) at the premiere of Amazon’s Good Omens. “So it’s incredibly hi-def. The aerial footage is mind-...
- 132k
7
votes
How are injections given without injuring actors?
All three types of techniques are used.
Fake appendages. You can use a real needle in these. Common when the appendage in question will be changed or explode or anything. All practical effects.
CGI. ...
- 67.6k
7
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Why were two people — a body double and a stunt double — used for a character who barely appears in “The Mandalorian?”
Pay-scales.
Simple economics.
The stunt double would cost three times as much as the body double.
If only a day or two of stunts was required and the rest of the time simple walking/standing was all ...
- 52.7k
6
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Do they really crash super cars in action movies?
Others have answered about the specifics of cars being wrecked. But in general, when you are talking about big budget films where the potential box office returns will be in the millions and billions, ...
- 6,096
6
votes
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How are car drag scenes filmed without hurting anyone?
Usually these kinds of stunts are done by some trained stunt men (dupe for the hero), they wear protective gear like lunatic vests. Mostly, you can see car drag scenes on a flat surface, off-road (...
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible