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- For the genuinely romantic depictions of sex on screen, actors and directors can face a myriad of challenges. Film sets are often packed, demanding, and tiring. It's only in the last few years that a specified role to guide and coach actors for love scenes has become mainstream. Intimacy coordinator Ita O'Brien shows how she coaches actors and uses props to make them feel comfortable performing sex scenes in films.
- The fight scenes in "Everything Everywhere All at Once" put a fresh spin on classic kung fu movies. Insider spoke with stunt coordinator Timothy Eulich and fight choreographers Andy and Brian Le about how the movie's most impressive action sequences came together.
- Bringing characters like Spider-Man and Captain Marvel to life on screen requires some real-life superheroes off-screen. Specialized teams and experts carefully plan and carry out the stunts, costumes, and special effects that make iconic films like the Avengers the impressive spectacle audiences love. From actual bus crashes in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021) to detailed makeup and training in "Black Panther" (2018), here's what Marvel movies look like behind the scenes.
- Nicholas Irving, author, and former soldier, rates 11 sniper scenes for realism in movies. Irving rates the realism of classic war movies such as "Clear and Present Danger" (1994), "Enemy at the Gates" (2001) and "Saving Private Ryan" (1998). He breaks down long-range-sniping scenes featuring Will Smith in "Gemini Man" (2019) and Mark Wahlberg in "Shooter" (2007). He also looks at modern-day war movies set in Iraq and Afghanistan, such as "American Sniper" (2014), "Jarhead" (2005), "Lone Survivor" (2013), and "The Hurt Locker" (2009). Irving rates the realism of the weapons used, along with body position, stealth, and environment.
- Professional dominatrix and certified sexologist Damiana Chi rates nine dominatrix scenes in movies and TV, such as "Euphoria," for realism. Chi breaks down the accuracy of ethics and safety procedures of BDSM scenes in "Euphoria" (2019), "Transparent" (2016), and "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013). She looks at the plausibility of BDSM sessions in "Bonding" (2019), "Pose" (2018), and "Billions" (2018). She also breaks down the realism of protocols that happen outside of BDSM sessions in "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" (2007), "Love and Leashes" (2022), and "Fifty Shades of Grey" (2015).
- Diandra Leslie-Pelecky takes a closer look at the physics of the "Fast and Furious" franchise. Here she reacts to 11 memorable scenes from the popular movie series and rates them based on their accuracy.
- 2021 began with a lot of uncertainty about delayed releases and how we would be able to consume blockbuster movies. Regardless of whether you watched at the theaters or from the comfort of your home, there were many captivating movies that took filmmaking to another level. High-adrenaline flicks like "Shangi-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "F9" and "No Time to Die" created in-camera stunts that you may have thought were CG. Young audiences got to see 2-D characters come to life like never before in "Clifford the Big Red Dog," and "Space Jam: A New Legacy." And real-life landscapes were constructed in both "Old" and "The French Dispatch" to transport viewers to another world. Here's what 16 movies of 2021 looked like behind the scenes.
- The second episode of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" centers on an epic storm in the Sundering Seas. Pulling it off involved a method that has become Hollywood's go-to approach for creating storms at sea: filming the sequence in a giant water tank.
- Garry Adelman, chief historian of the American Battlefield Trust, rates nine American Civil War battles in movies, commenting on Civil War-era artillery and rifles, explaining the use of dynamite and other explosives, breaks down the military strategy seen in the battle scenes and finally, he separates fact from fiction regarding Civil War-era surgeries.
- The bus fight from "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" has been praised as Marvel's best fight sequence ever. The action scene, which is set on a moving bus, took over a year to bring to life. This included reconstructing two real buses to fit cameras inside while making room for actors Simu Liu and Florian Munteanu to fight. Fight coordinator Andy Cheng, famous for his stunt work on Jackie Chan's films, explains the steps needed to stage the fight from the previsualized CGI and rehearsals used to create the action to how to fake a bus's movements.
- Hollywood has many tricks to make impossible and dangerous stunts into a reality. Movies like "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," "Baby Driver," and "Elf" used a Texas switch to allow an actor and their stunt double to switch places on screen without having to cut. "Avengers: Endgame" and "Men in Black: International" used wire rigs known as ratchet pulls to make it seem like characters were being hit by a serious blow. Meanwhile, a tuning fork can make characters like Maleficent and Captain Marvel look like they're flying, and a tarp known as a magic carpet gave characters in "Underworld" superspeed.
- Retired US Army drill sergeant Lamont Christian rates US military boot-camp scenes in movies and TV shows for realism. Christian breaks down the early stages of boot camp in "Full Metal Jacket" (1987) and "Cherry" (2021). He looks at weapons and physical training in "Forrest Gump" (1994), "Jarhead" (2005). "Hacksaw Ridge" (2016), and "Band of Brothers" (2001). He explains the plausibility of boot-camp scenarios in "Captain America: The First Avenger" (2011), "Private Valentine: Blonde and Dangerous" (2008) aka Major Movie Star, and "Tribes" (1970). Christian also looks at the drill sergeants and drill instructors in "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982) and "Stripes" (1981). His favorite movie about drill instructors is "The D.I." (1957) starring Jack Webb.
- To celebrate the release of "Avengers: Endgame," Insider had physicist Jim Kakalios take a closer look at the physics of the Marvel universe. Here he reacts to 10 memorable scenes from Marvel movies and rates them based on their accuracy. Find out what exactly quantum mechanics, time dilation, Einstein's theory of special relativity, and spider silk tell us about the superheroes of the Marvel franchise. Which weapon would you rather have in a fight: Thor's Mjolnir hammer or Captain America's shield? Hint: The answer has to do with the conservation of energy - and the sonoluminescence of vibranium. Dr. Kakalios breaks down the physics behind this and many other Marvel phenomena, including Shuri's holographic car in "Black Panther;" Peter Parker's spider-webbing train save in "Spider-Man 2;" the multiverse theory of "Doctor Strange;" the role of Pym particles and the Higgs boson in "Ant-Man;" artificial gravity in "Guardians of the Galaxy;" and Tony Stark's cybernetic helmet and gold-titanium exoskeleton in "Iron Man." He sheds light on why Carol Danvers doesn't age from "Captain Marvel" to "Avengers: Endgame;" why the Space Stone is so powerful when yielded by Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War;" and what's with all the talk of quantum entanglement, quantum tunneling, and "quantum mumbo-jumbo" in "Ant-Man and the Wasp."
- Neil Woods spent 14 years as an undercover police officer infiltrating some of the most dangerous organized crime groups in the UK. He rated undercover scenes in movies for realism, such as Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" and Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs." He also rated scenes in movies and shows featuring undercover surveillance work, such as "The Bourne Ultimatum," and characters going undercover in "Argo," "Lethal Weapon," and the US version of "The Office." Woods relayed anecdotes of his time as an undercover policeman and the dangers involved in the role.
- Former CIA intelligence officer Andrew Bustamante rates all the "Mission: Impossible" movies, starring Tom Cruise, for realism. Bustamante looks at field-operation scenes in "Mission: Impossible" (1996), and "Mission: Impossible 2" (2000). He breaks down spy gadgets and disguises in "Mission: Impossible III" (2006), and "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (2011). He compares Cruise's physical skills to real-life CIA training in "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" (2015), "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" (2018), and "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" (2023).
- Foley artists use objects to create sounds based on a character's movements and interactions in movies and TV shows. Sometimes, they will find themselves making sounds for animals. Marko Costanzo is a veteran foley artist for c5 Sound, Inc. He has worked on movies like "Ice Age," "Life of Pi," and "True Grit." Costanzo explained how complicated it was to make the sounds of a dragonfly flapping its wings in "Men in Black," and how he captured the footsteps of a dog at different ages in "Marley and Me." Then, Insider showed him an animal clip he has never seen before and had him come up with the proper sounds on the spot.
- Former US submarine commander L. David Marquet rated the realism of submarine scenes in popular movies, judging their technological accuracy as well as the depiction of life on board.
- As tensions with China build and the US military sends more troops to the Asia-Pacific region, soldiers with the skills to fight and survive in the jungle are increasingly vital. The US Army trains soldiers for jungle warfare at the 25th Infantry Division's Lightning Academy on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Insider's chief video correspondent Graham Flanagan spent 12 days inside the Army's Jungle Operations Training Course, where a cross section of soldiers of various ranks and experience levels learn to fight, move, and survive in the jungle. Eighty students begin the course on day one, but only 51 will make it to graduation. The rest are dropped from the course by failing one of five critical tests. On day nine, students begin a three-day culminating exercise that incorporates the skills and lessons taught in the course, such as rope systems, rappelling, survival skills, small-unit tactics, and land navigation. Students who graduate from the course receive the Army's coveted jungle tab.
- Kung Fu champion Zak Song rates seven spear and staff fight scenes in movies, such as "Ip Man," for realism. Song discusses the accuracy of spear and staff scenes in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000), featuring Michelle Yeoh; "Ip Man" (2008), starring Donnie Yen; and "Fearless" (2006), with Jet Li. He also comments on the acrobatic and striking techniques in "Pacific Rim" (2013) and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021), starring Simu Liu. Song analyzes the tactics displayed in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (1999) and "Hand of Death" (1976).
- Every Pixar movie has introduced its own technical problems, from creating the first fully computer-animated feature film with "Toy Story" to developing a stronger virtual camera for "WALL-E." Insider takes a look at how the unique worlds, characters, and practical challenges brought up by each Pixar movie pushed the studio to expand animation technology and breaks down the progress the studio has made over the years in different areas of computer technology, including shading, ray tracing, subdivision surfaces, subsurface scattering, translucency effects, cloth and fur simulation, and muscle movement on human characters. Here's how Pixar improved CG animation with every one of its films from 1995's "Toy Story" to 2011's "Cars 2."
- Bomb disposal expert Lloyd Davies rates the realism of bomb-disposal scenes in popular movies and TV shows. Davies addresses land mines in the TV show "SEAL Team" (2018) and other improvised explosive devices in "The Hurt Locker" (2008), "Die Hard with a Vengeance" (1995), and "Bodyguard" (2018). He breaks down the "red wire, blue wire" movie device from "Juggernaut" (1974) and "Blown Away" (1994). Would nuclear devices have countdown timers as seen in "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" (2018)? Does sarin gas release the way it's shown in "The Rock" (1996)? And would a bathtub protect you from an explosion such as in "Lethal Weapon 2" (1989)?
- Veteran private investigator Andy Kay rates 10 private detective scenes in movies and television shows for realism. Kay has been working as a private investigator for over 25 years. He investigates infidelity, cybercrime, missing pets, and everything in between. Kay discusses the accuracy of detective scenes in films such as "Knives Out" (2019) with Daniel Craig, "Chinatown" (1974), and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994). He comments on the prowess of the iconic detectives in "Sherlock Holmes" (2009) featuring Robert Downey Jr., "Searching" (2018), "Vertigo" (1958), and "Veronica Mars" (2014) featuring Kristin Bell. He also discusses television show detectives, such as Benedict Cumberbatch in "Sherlock" (2010), Tom Selleck in "Magnum, P.I." (1980) and Matthew McConaughey in "True Detective" (2014).
- Pixar broke new ground when it created "Toy Story" in 1995, but from there it still had a long way to go to perfect 3D animated characters. Over the years, Pixar's animators would figure out everything from proper human movement to skin to hair. They figured out how to smooth out skin in "Geri's Game." Then, when "The Incredibles" rolled around, they created new simulations to help control Mr. Incredible's muscle movements and Violet's long hair while also finding more accurate ways to light human skin. Violet's hair would later pave the way for long-haired characters like Colette in "Ratatouille" and the curly-haired heroine Merida of "Brave." Meanwhile, Pixar's shading tools would allow the animators to add even more striking details to their human characters' faces, while innovative new methods of animating crowd scenes came about in "Incredibles 2" and "Toy Story 4."
- Adi Jaffe was a crystal meth dealer in Los Angeles, purchasing his supply from local meth labs and making his way up to dealing with Mexican cartels. Jaffe was arrested five times, with the final arrest resulting in his incarceration. Jaffe speaks with Insider about the practicalities of running crystal meth labs. He discusses the methods behind different methamphetamine recipes, the effects of anti-drug policies on the supply, how the cartels managed to take over the trade with super labs, and P2P meth precursor chemicals supplied from China.
- In 2022, Marvel Studios stretched technology to achieve the desired effects for a number of their films. For "Top Gun: Maverick", Tom Cruise taught to fly, act and fix their makeup. For "The Batman", frequently rode in camera cars driven by stunt drivers. For "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (2022) and "Thor: Love and Thunder" (2022), stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chris Hemsworth, and Christian Bale were hoisted into the air thanks to wires and tuning forks. For "Bullet Train" (2022), Brad Pitt was placed into a CG-built exploding train, while "Everything Everywhere All at Once" (2022) featured specially created props like Ke Huy Quan's killer fanny pack.
- Former bank robber Cain Vincent Dyer looks at 11 bank-robbery scenes from popular TV shows and movies and rates them based on realism.
- Professional stunt performers show us how they execute the falls we've seen in movies over and over again. Lead performer, Stephen Koepfer has worked on movies like "John Wick 3" and shows like "Ray Donavon." He demonstrates the techniques behind falls with real stunt men and women in the industry.
- Not only do fake drugs in movies have to look accurate and be safe to ingest, they also need to act like the drugs. For example, tobacco can't be substituted for cannabis because tobacco smoke isn't as heavy as cannabis smoke and the difference is noticeable on camera.
- There's a long history of actors playing fake twins, doppelgangers, and doubles in movies. Insider traces the evolution of doubling effects in Hollywood, from the split screens of the original "Parent Trap" to the rotoscoping and green-screen composites used on Nicolas Cage in 2002's "Adaptation," all the way up to the advanced face and head replacements of 2019's "Us." They take a look at how technology dating from the early silent-film era has advanced to make movies like "Us," "The Social Network," and more possible, and break down why the Jeremy Irons twins in David Cronenberg's 1988 movie "Dead Ringers" represented a turning point for twin effects. They show how the artists at Monsters Aliens Robots Zombies VFX cloned Paul Rudd for his 2019 Netflix series "Living with Yourself," how Rodeo FX created Jake Gyllenhaal doppelgangers for Denis Villeneuve's 2013 thriller "Enemy," and how NVIZ Studio pulled off its twinning effects on Tom Hardy in 2015's "Legend" and Seth Rogen in 2020's "An American Pickle" and show why late 19th-century optical effects laid the foundation for all this groundbreaking effects work in the 21st century.
- Every Pixar movie has introduced its own technical problems, from Hank's tentacle animation in "Finding Dory" to the intense layering of cloth on the skeletons in "Coco." In this short documentary, Insider takes a look at how the unique worlds, characters, and practical challenges brought up by each Pixar movie pushed the studio to expand animation technology and how the studio has made over the years in different areas of computer technology, including cloth shading, hair simulation, volumetric clouds, and advanced character rigging. Here's how Pixar improved CG animation with every one of its films from 2012's "Brave" to 2021's "Luca."
- Animated films can be 2D or 3D, but oftentimes they're actually a bit of both. Animators use "2.5D" animation techniques to make flat images appear 3D and even mix 2D and 3D elements within the same film. There has been a lot of innovation in the 2.5D space with movies like Sony's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," Disney's "Paperman," Netflix's "Klaus," and, most recently, the Golden Globe-nominated Apple TV film "Wolfwalkers." "Wolfwalkers" used 3D models and virtual reality to help create immersive, hand-drawn images that let the viewer see through the eyes of a wolf. We spoke with Cartoon Saloon's Eimhin McNamara, who was tasked with helping create these scenes, to find out how they did it and why they chose to lean into hand-drawn animation over 3D CGI.
- Former burglar Octave "Oky" Durham and art detective Arthur Brand look at nine art-theft scenes from popular TV shows and movies and rate them based on realism. They now work together to solve international art and jewelry heists. The pair examines scenes from "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1999), "The Monuments Men" (2014), "The Art of the Steal" (2013), "Topkapi" (1964), "Ocean's Twelve" (2004), "Dr. No" (1962), "Black Panther" (2018), "Hudson Hawk" (1991), and "The Blacklist" S2E14 (2015) for realism.
- Retired ATF agent Jay Dobyns discusses the years he worked as an undercover investigator who infiltrated the Hells Angels, an outlaw motorcycle gang, from 2001 to 2003 as part of Operation Black Biscuit. He speaks with Insider about his experience with gang and its inner workings.
- Horror films are filled with jump scares, moments that shock and startle viewers as monsters, serial killers, ghosts and even cats pop out of the darkness. But while jump scares are a very common element to include in a scary movie, they don't always work as intended, and often, you might just end up laughing instead of screaming. To find out what goes into creating an effective jump scare we spoke with Rebekah McKendry. a film professor at USC who specializes in horror. What makes certain scenes in "The Conjuring," "Insidious," and "The Exorcist 3" so terrifying while others like in "Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan" fall flat?
- Insider traces the evolution of dinosaur effects in the "Jurassic" movies, from the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the paddock scene from "Jurassic Park" to the feathered dinosaurs and Giganotosaurus introduced in "Jurassic World: Dominion."
- From people who harvest giant blocks of marble to master Lego builders to people who can make babies cry in movies, there are a lot of fascinating and unexpected jobs out there. But just because you haven't heard of them, that doesn't mean you haven't seen their work on the big screen, on your plate, or in your blankets. Check out these 20 jobs you probably never knew existed.
- Sofie Pok, an LA-based barber who has won multiple barbering awards, including Female Barber of the Year in 2017 and 2018, and Barber of the Year in 2017. Her experience starting out in the male-dominated industry hasn't been an easy ride, but she found a way to stand out by offering extra services to her clients. She demonstrates some her techniques for providing unique hairstyles and beard trims.
- Casino boss Brian Stanton rates seven casino-heist scenes in movies and television for realism. He discusses the accuracy of various casino scams and gambling thieves, comments on blackjack, poker, and card counting scenes and analyzes how casino security deals with cheaters.
- Wing Chun master and martial-arts instructor Master Wong rates eight Wing Chun fights in movies, such as "Ip Man" and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," for realism. Wong breaks down the accuracy of Wing Chun techniques and weapons in "Sherlock Holmes" (2009), "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021), "Ip Man" (2008) and "Ip Man 3" (2015), featuring Donnie Yen. He explains defense and attack combinations in "Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'" (2015) and "Bangkok Dangerous" (2008), featuring Nicolas Cage. He also looks at the history of Wing Chun in "Wing Chun" (1994), featuring Michelle Yeoh, as well its influence on Bruce Lee in "The Way of the Dragon" (1972).
- Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema discusses the challenges of using the 'day for night' approach while shooting low light scenes for the movie "Nope" and how he innovated an entirely new way of achieving the desired effects.
- Former Navy SEAL Andy Stumpf rates nine underwater missions in movies and television for realism and accuracy, discussing underwater scuba-diving scenes in "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" (2015), "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997) and "National Treasure" (2004). He also discusses discharging guns and other weapons underwater in "Thunderball" (1965), "Alien: Resurrection" (1997) and "Act of Valor" (2012). Stumpf also analyzes proper diving technique in "Archer" (2009), "Sanctum" (2011), and "For Your Eyes Only" (1981).
- Marine biologist and doctoral student Amani Webber-Schultz rates 10 shark attacks in movies and TV shows, such as "Jaws," for realism.
- Jim Kakalios takes a closer look at the physics of the DC universe. Here, he reacts to 11 memorable scenes from DC movies and rates them based on their accuracy.
- Five New York City location scouts tell us about the spots in the city that appear the most in TV shows and movies, from "Spider-Man" to "Succession." Find out where filmmakers go to shoot scenes involving business or government meetings, why the Brooklyn Navy Yard is a popular spot for filming stunt sequences and crime scenes, why movies and shows all end up at the same place to film prison scenes, and how "Joker" director Todd Phillips chose the right Bronx street for Joaquin Phoenix's iconic staircase dance.
- Sergeant 1st Class Steven Mason is a jungle-warfare instructor for the 25th Infantry "Tropic Lightning" Division in Hawaii. Here, he reacts to 10 memorable scenes from jungle-warfare movies and rates them based on their accuracy.
- Former Boston mobster Mark Silverman rates seven Irish mob scenes in movies and television for realism, such as "The Departed" and "The Town." Silverman discusses the accuracy of Irish mob stereotypes in "The Departed" (2006), "The Town" (2010) and "Black Mass" (2015). He also comments on the portrayal of Irish gang activities in "The Boondock Saints" (1999) and "The Kitchen" (2019). He analyzes the depiction of violence in the Irish mob in "Death to Smoochy" (2002) and "What Doesn't Kill You" (2008).
- Mirror shots in movies are especially challenging, as it's hard to shoot a character's reflection without accidentally revealing the camera, so Hollywood has many visual tricks to avoid this. Movies like "The Lady from Shanghai" and "It Chapter Two" used two-way mirrors. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" didn't use a mirror at all and instead had Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton standing on one side of an open frame looking into a double set with body doubles mimicking their every move. Better visual effects meant movies like "Birdman" could shoot a real mirror and easily erase the camera later. For "Last Night in Soho," Edgar Wright used a combination of these techniques, and many more, so Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy could mirror each other's movements.
- Tyr Neilsen, the president of the Norwegian Glima Association and senior instructor at the Academy of Viking Martial Arts in Norway, analyzes 11 fight scenes featuring axes and rates them based on their accuracy.