It’s easy to get mesmerized by the striking shots, amazing effects, and cutting-edge visuals that you see in movies. However, it takes a lot of work for movie producers to achieve flawless results. You may find it fun to learn about a few popular takes and the ‘magic’ behind them. Below, you can see the R2-D2 actor (Kenny Baker) eating a sandwich during one of the breaks on set. He looks quite hungry!
Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (1977)
Computer-generated graphics weren’t even possible back in the 1960s. The idea of using a computer to create images was still on the horizon. When it came out, most movie producers didn’t have the budget to hire these people. To offset this, producers and designers had to be creative. This shot below shows a floating pen. Stanley Kubrick told the crew to glue the pen to a sheet of glass, rotating it to give the impression it was free-floating.
2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)
When a writer and producer start creating a movie or scene, they don’t think about how it will be made. That comes later when they’ve already figured out what they want. Some props have to be very tall to create the right effect. During the “Helping Hands” scene in this photo below, there had to be a tall wall with seemingly thousands of hands. The creators ended up making more than 100 pairs of hands with latex.
Labyrinth (1986)
Everyone has heard of Star Wars, whether they’ve seen every movie or not. Though everyone knows the iconic opening credits (In a galaxy far, far away, etc.), did you ever wonder how they filmed them? The below photo is truly amazing! The words were just etched into some glass, and the camera/cameraman slowly pulled back to get the right feel and movement. Stars Wars fans everywhere will be impressed!
Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
With so much work going on behind the scenes, you know there has to be some comical relief. Jaws was one of the most iconic and classic movies of all time, and Stephen Spielberg had to get in on the action. In this photo, you can see Spielberg in the mouth of the giant shark. Of course, he isn’t really being eaten. It’s an animatronic shark – named Bruce – specifically designed for the movie.
Jaws (1975)
You’ve probably heard of them before. Myth-busters like to take apart movies and find all of the inaccuracies. It’s funny, then, what you’re going to see next. The picture below shows a man working on the Star Wars ship, and it is Adam Savage. He’s a famous myth-buster. Since this was a sci-fi movie, he chose to take a day off of disproving myths to be a model maker for these two episodes.
Star Wars Episodes I & II
Sometimes, you need to create a massive scene with tons of people in a place that no longer exists (or never existed in the first place). Model makers can make a 3D stand of almost anything, imagined or real. You see all those ‘people’ in the stands in the next picture? It’s a full house. Michael Lynch, the model maker on set, cut over 450,000 Q-tips and painted them to look like people. Fans were used to make it look like the crowd was moving.
Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace (1999)
Most people would think that the video camera used to make the film would have a zoom feature. They probably do. However, sometimes, bigger is better. As you can see in the photo below, this ring wouldn’t fit anyone, especially a Hobbit. No, it was designed to be used in close-up shots of the prop. You can see that it doesn’t have the intricate carvings around it, but that’s okay.
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (from 2001)
Have you ever wondered about The Matrix? It had so many ups and downs; it’s likely you missed one tiny thing. Of course, it doesn’t take away from the movie, but it’s interesting nonetheless. In this scene, Neo reaches for the doorknob, but they couldn’t hide the camera. The director of photography chose to disguise this mishap with a tie and coat, which is quite similar to the one Morpheus wears. You can see the camera lens if you look carefully.
The Matrix (1999)
Everyone loves a good puppet show, right? That’s one of the reasons why the Muppets were so popular. It’s fun to watch these characters in action, but behind-the-scenes photos make it more interesting. In the photo below, you can see the team working on set. Jim Henson is at the front with all the characters and their handlers behind him. You’ve also got the cameraman filming, so someone else had to take the picture.
The Muppet Movie
You’ve probably wondered how movies depict small or large settings. It’s jaw-dropping how much effort it takes to create one tiny room. In this next photo, you can see a stagehand setting up the stage with the models. It looks like he’s working on the bride right now, but he already finished with all of the other characters. It must have taken hours just to get them seated at the table.
Corpse Bride (2005)
Back in the 1980s, there weren’t digital maps of the whole city. There was barely the internet, and it wasn’t nearly what it is today. Therefore, improvisation had to play a part in the creation of movies. This 80s action movie (seen next) had a scene where police officers looked at a digital map of NYC. However, technology wasn’t that advanced to create the graphics. A real-life model was made by the man in the photo.
Escape From New York (1981)
If you’re a fan of Stephen King, you’ve likely read the book and watched the movie of The Shining. Some call it a masterpiece, and others call it something else. Still, the maze scene was magnificent. Below, you can see the cast and crew. The cameraman is standing over a model version of the maze featured in the movie. Also, note the camera; he had to turn a hand-crank!
The Shining (1980)
In Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, there was a regular-sized bee that terrorized the shrunken children at one point. Instead of taking a live bee and making it appear bigger, the crew created a robotic bee. You can see that this large bee towered above everyone else. The crew had to get on ladders and catwalks to be able to finish making it. That is one mighty large bee!
Honey I Shrunk The Kids
These are only questions that movie creators have to ask, but you may probably be wondering now. It depends on the movie, the creativity of the movie producer, and much more. Since E.T. was pretty short, they used Steven Spielberg sitting on a box to be about the same height. So it looked like people were watching from E.T.’s eyes, he used a camera covered with a cloth and two ‘eye’ holes.
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
Have you ever wondered why actors/actresses get paid so much money? They sit for a lot of makeup and sometimes have to wear crazy, hot costumes. This is the only photo (below) of Bolaji Badejo. He was a Nigerian student who wore the suit and has never had another film role. The costume was incredibly heavy and hot because it was made of latex. Now, you know why he’s shown here sitting down and taking a break.
Alien³ (1992)
Sometimes, behind-the-scenes looks make you wonder if they were having too much fun and might have been a little tipsy. In the photo below, you can see that the platform seems to be leaning, or the photographer wasn’t standing up straight. It’s the platform. Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery are leaning because the contraption they are on is slanted heavily. Don’t worry; they were safe the whole time. However, they might have felt a little strange.
The Hunt For Red October (from 1990)
Have you ever saw scenes that made you cringe? You probably think about the basic humanity of them instead of the cinematography associated with them, but it’s quite entertaining to consider. That movie had a lot of thrills and chills. This isn’t really John Travolta without arms (and a lower half). No, it’s an insert torso that was used for the skin removal scene. It’s pretty lifelike, isn’t it?
FaceOff (1997)
Sometimes, the budget doesn’t call for the actual transportation that is being depicted in the movie. However, without behind-the-scenes photos, you’d never know it. In the photo below, you can clearly see that the crew made a platform that could travel on the rails. It’s either there to show a close-up of someone peering out the window or to get a look at the world moving by. Either way, it looks pretty neat.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Everyone knows about Jurassic Park. It’s a cult-classic that features a Tyrannosaurus Rex, among other terrifying dinosaurs. There are endless behind-the-scenes looks at these animatronic monsters, but this one is quite stunning. You might think the scene shown below is CGI-generated, but it isn’t. Someone took the time to create a life-size T-Rex that could move. It’s on-set, and it probably gave the crew and actors a bit of a scare with its sheer size.
Jurassic Park (1993)
There is no other ship as famous as the Titanic. However, it wasn’t possible to pull it up from the depths of the ocean for filming. What did they do, then? This movie was different than the original, just named Titanic. In this tale, the Russians and Americans are trying to salvage the wreck to save a special ingredient. The photo shows a diver positioning the boat in the right location for filming.
Raise The Titanic (1980)
The age-old question is whether or not to build a shark when you have live ones all over the place. Of course, you don’t want to risk the crew or actors getting eaten. That would be a bad day on set, for sure. What do you do then? You build one, of course! You can see in this picture (below) that two crew members are working hard to create the large fish out of wood and metal.
Jaws (1975)
You’ve all seen the shows and movies depicting a werewolf. When the moon turns full (or comes from behind a cloud), the man has to transform into the beast. Just imagine doing all that in the 1980s! It’s impossible, isn’t it? As you can see from this picture (shown below), becoming a werewolf wasn’t easy back in the day. The main character is in a hole so that the rest of his ‘body’ can be attached.
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Most people think that creating sets is all about work, work, work. While that is true to some extent, it can be quite fun to be on the set, making a particular scene. Though the guy up top in the photo is running to get everything in position, this plane crash scene is quite exciting. Of course, a small plane is being used to save time and money, but you’d never notice when watching the film.
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)
Star Wars fans know that the ultimate weapon was the Death Star. They may not realize just how small it really was. The photo shown below shows this weapon in perspective and not as it was on the big screen. Clearly, George Lucas isn’t afraid of anything! He is so close to touching it. Did he? Probably. It was only a prop on a set because there isn’t really a Death Star.
Star Wars Episode VI — Return Of The Jedi (1983)
You’d think it would be easy to depict the end of the world, but it is surprisingly hard. Even in the early 1990s, most movie producers didn’t have the funds for significant CGI scenes. Below, you can see the crew working hard to put vehicle models on the road. These vehicles look quite realistic until you see the people kneeling down to place them, that is.
Terminator 2 Judgment Day (1991)
No film editor would allow a shot of an alien actor’s shoes in the final cut, would he? Stranger things have happened in the past. Was this a behind-the-scenes look or something in the movie. It’s not easy to run and jump with fake alien feet. They’re slippery and uncomfortable. You can see that it was easier for him to wear his Earthly shoes. However, the caveat is that it is in the film and not a behind-the-scenes look.
Pumpkinhead (1988)
Most movie producers believe that the actors and sets should take most of the praise. However, some movies just couldn’t have been made without CGI and expendable models. Will Smith was neither, so some of the credit went to the computers and crew. This is the scene where Will Smith dodges the alien spacecraft. However, the flames are CGI-generated, and the plane/rocks are just models. About 80% of all the effects were models, like parts of this one above.
Independence Day (1996)
Have you ever seen anyone hang out of a helicopter while it’s flying? It might be fiction, but it makes for great movies. It also costs more than you think, so don’t try it at home. No one will ever forget Arnold Schwarzenegger holding Jamie Lee Curtis while hanging out of a helicopter. Three Marine Harriers (and pilots) were paid $100,736 to be on-site and shoot this scene.
True Lies (1994)
Most movie producers want to depict aliens as being large, green, or otherwise fearsome. However, one creator wanted to do the complete opposite. Men in Black focused on a variety of aliens, but none as adorable as this one. You can easily see that this tiny alien looks sort of cute and is smaller than the crew person’s hand. It makes sense that the alien would be little and living in a human body. It’s less risky for them.
Men In Black (1997)
The Blood Will Gush
Sometimes, you can’t help but go to a movie because of the gore it will show. It’s a thrilling experience, for sure. What happens next might shock you, so beware. Quentin Tarantino thought the scene below needed a meatier effect, so he chose the always-fun exploding blood bag. It was filled with a variety of particles, including strips of latex. You’ll also note the sparks coming from the gun. Overall, it’s an exciting scene.
Django Unchained (2012)
Most people don’t like the sight of snow unless it’s on a television or out their window while they sip a warm beverage. For the making of Inception, a snow fortress had to be built. Does it look like it did in the movie? This photo below shows a large-scale model of the fortress, which is just about two stories tall. You can see that it is partially covering another building and is full of snow.
Inception (2010)
Will Smith is one of those actors that can do it all. It seems he’s in another movie depicting aliens of sorts. Or, could he be fighting a green man? You decide for yourself. Everything about I Am Legend was legendary, even down to the zombie dog that he had to fight. Of course, in this picture, it doesn’t look so scary. Maybe Will Smith is more worried about the green man. Green screens are used a lot in movies so that only what should be seen is shown.
I Am Legend (2007)
Most people just think that a few props are set up and the film goes on. Sometimes, that’s the case, especially if nature is the primary backdrop to show fear or creepiness. Below, you can see that the houseboat scene is being set up. It was the finale, so it had to be good. While the ominous trees and the crashing waves were the main attraction, everything else had to be placed just so.
Cape Fear (1991)
It’s hard to imagine people acting a certain way (such as fearful or in awe) when the creature they’re looking at is a head attached to a human’s hand. A very young Greg Nicotero can be seen in the picture below. He’s manipulating Henrietta’s head to help rehearse for a scene. Now, it doesn’t look so scary, does it? Still, it’s incredible what creativity producers have.
Evil Dead II (1987)
Sometimes, it’s easier for producers and the crew to create part of a creature instead of the whole thing. This was the case in King Kong. Jessica Lange was probably quite scared. What did she see? In the original movie during rehearsal, she only saw the arms of the gorilla. While she was perfectly safe the whole time, it must have been a little creepy to react and respond to an imaginary gorilla.
King Kong (1976)
Most people think they know what is ‘faked’ and what is real in any scene. Was Sean Connery’s look of fear justified or just part of the scene he was acting? The laser cutting through the table was a famous scene in Goldfinger. However, it wasn’t an illusion. Though the laser didn’t cut anything, it’s still nerve-wracking to have something pointed at your body like that. Someone was underneath with a torch cutting from under the table.
Goldfinger (1964)
Back in the 1980s, everyone thought there would be flying cars and time machines. However, you probably wish you could have the special jacket that Michael J. Foxx was wearing. What did it do? Here, you can see a group of men lying at Foxx’s feet. No, they aren’t worshipping his ability to travel through time. They’re trying to get his jacket to do its auto-drying and auto-adjusting effect.
Back To The Future Part II (1989)
It’s uncanny how lifelike a cyborg can be. If you saw the movie, you know that these machines were covered with living tissue. How would that look, though? Below, you can see that a depiction of Arnold Schwarzenegger was created to show him as a cyborg. Half of his skin is gone to reveal the metal beneath. It must be creepy to see your head on a piece of wood.
Terminator 2 Judgment Day (1991) 1
In the beloved film The Goonies, there was a character named Sloth. He was a person who had been dropped as a baby. Of course, the actor playing him did not look that way. It took a lot of patience and time to create the appearance. It started with a prosthetic ‘eye’ to create the sunken appearance of the forehead. A lot of makeup was used, which makes you wonder if any of his friends noticed it was him. Would that be a good or bad thing?
Goonies (1985)
