Directors and actors make filmmaking look easy, but often times the job is anything
but.
It can take the team days – or even weeks – to complete one short sequence that’s
only a fraction of a two-hour running time.
Sometimes, viewers may not even realize how much goes into getting a great film moment
right.
Whether it’s camera tricks, improvisation by the actors, or pulling some strings in
the real world to get that dream location, Hollywood is always willing to go the extra
mile to get what they want for a movie.
Here’s our latest installment of How it Was Shot: 10 Shocking Secretes Behind Your
Favorite Movie Scenes.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Quicksilver stole the show with a slow-motion rescue attempt in the Pentagon during Days
of Future Past, so Bryan Singer knew he had to step it up for the sequel.
In X-Men: Apocalypse, the Quicksilver sequence was far more extensive than the one before.
The speedster has to save everyone in the Mansion, and everything you can think of was
used.
Singer used a sophisticated phantom camera that films 3,000 frames per second, so something
that happens in the blink of an eye takes 15 seconds of screen time.
The camera also moved at 90 miles per hour, and obviously many stunts and special effects
were required.
Fortunately for all, it was a highlight of Apocalypse.
Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino’s gangster opus is full of tense moments, but few can rival the adrenaline
shot Mia Wallace receives.
Frantically trying to save his boss’s wife, Vincent Vega successfully administers it and
Mia is revived.
When it came time to shoot it, Tarantino had John Travolta pull the needle out of Uma Thurman
and reversed the footage in post during editing.
If you watch the screen extra carefully during this part, you’ll notice that a mark on
Thurman’s chest disappears after she gets the shot, an obvious effect of the techniques
used.
The untrained eye can’t tell the difference, and this scene still leaves us on the edge
of our seats.
Saving Private Ryan
Thought to be one of the greatest openings in all of film, the D-Day recreation at the
start of Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan was 30 minutes of pure hell on-screen.
World War II veterans said the director had achieved maximum realism putting it together,
which made it endure with audiences.
Instead of storyboarding the huge sequence, Spielberg let the action dictate his camera
shots, creating an unpredictable and uneasy feel where anything could and would happen.
It’s no wonder Spielberg won his second Best Director Oscar for this film, as he set
the tone for one of the finest Hollywood epics that’s become a classic.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars fans spent all of Episode 7’s marketing campaign wondering, “Where’s
Luke Skywalker?”
They had to wait until the final scene in the movie to find out; Rey finds the Jedi
Master in isolation on the distant planet Ahch-To.
Ireland’s Skellig Michael Island was used for the world, and it’s not the easiest
place to gain access to, in large part due to the island’s status as a UNESCO World
Heritage site.
The Irish Film Board had to work countless hours in order to arrange a limited shooting
window for the team.
Rian Johnson did some filming there for Episode 8, but the production crew had to build a
set on a back lot to get the rest of the scenes.
The Departed
Martin Scorsese’s Oscar winning crime drama is one of the director’s most nerve-wracking
efforts.
There are many scenes in the film in which undercover cop Billy Costigan has to interact
with the vicious mob boss Frank Costello, trying to keep the truth under wraps.
In one moment, Costello is suspecting there’s a rat in his crew and he questions Billy about
it.
Reading the script, Jack Nicholson didn’t think the scene was tense enough and decided
to pull a real gun on Leonardo DiCaprio while filming.
Leo did a great job portraying a character who is always on edge, but sometimes the reactions
were just natural.
The Dark Knight Rises
Christopher Nolan is known for his grand scale, and he didn’t leave anything on the table
during the conclusion for his Batman trilogy.
A key set piece is set at the Gotham City football stadium, which was filmed at Pittsburgh’s
Heinz Field.
Explosive squibs were placed on the field surface to simulate the collapse that’s
seen in the film.
10,000 extras were also called upon, including several Steelers players.
Wide receiver Hines Ward is most prominently featured retuning a kickoff for a touchdown.
It helps that the film’s executive producer Thomas Tull is a part owner of the team and
could pull some strings.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
This heart-wrenching tale isn’t just a bittersweet romance film; it’s also one of the most
visually impressive sci-fi works to date.
With the small $20 million budget, the filmmakers couldn’t rely too heavily on CGI and had
to do much of the production practically.
That includes a sequence where Joel appears as a child in the same scene as an adult Clementine.
Director Michel Gondry used the same forced perspective techniques Peter Jackson employed
on Lord of the Rings, where camera and actor positioning can alter the size of the actors
so they look smaller than they really are.
It’s a neat trick and definitely feels more realistic than digitally shrinking Jim Carrey.
Whiplash
Who knew a movie about drum lessons could be as intense as a war drama?
When your instructor is J.K.
Simmons, learning music can be rough, but Miles Teller was more than up for the challenge.
The actor has been playing the drums since he was 15 and played for real during Whiplash.
He has the blisters on his hands to prove it.
While a visual double was used, all of Andrew’s drumming was performed by Teller to pre-recorded
tracks.
His own drumming accounted for roughly 40 percent of the film’s soundtrack.
He may not cut it for Simmons, but Teller is certainly playing our tempo in this film.
Back to the Future
Marty McFly gets to live out his dream when he rocks the crowd with Johnny B. Goode before
going back to the future.
As talented as Michael J. Fox is, he’s not really doing the performance himself.
Mark Campbell was the one who provided the vocals, and while Fox can play guitar, he
merely finger synched to the chords.
Guitarist Paul Hanson taught him the chords, and then Fox emulated the movements while
filming.
Tim May was the one who played the riff and the rest is history.
Credit to Robert Zemeckis for aligning all those pieces properly, as this became the
moment of the film.
Captain America: Civil War
The third “solo” Captain America film featured the largest ensemble in a Marvel
movie to date, and directors Joe and Anthony Russo made sure they delivered on the action
fans craved.
No doubt, the centerpiece of the production was the now-famous “splash page” sequence
where Team Cap squared off against Team Iron Man at a German airport.
The sequence was shot on Pinewood’s back lot and on location at the Leipzig/Halle Airport.
It involved extensive visual effects, including digital doubles of the actors and extensions
of the setting.
They also used drones to get certain camera angles and had to balance several schedules
of premier talent.
All that hard word paid off in the end.
Those are the behind-the-scenes secrets to just some of Hollywood’s most memorable
scenes.
Are there any we missed?
Which ones are your favorites?
Let us know in the comments below and be sure to subscribe to our channel for more fun videos!