Category "production"

What are the exact responsibilities of the showrunner?

Some of the series I follow intensely have showrunners I know off the top of my head. Doctor Who has Steven Moffat (who was preceded by Russell T. Davies). Lo

How much of a film's sound effects do foley artists typically work on?

How much of a movie's sound effects is a foley artist responsible for? Are all non-dialogue sounds rendered by them? How is this decided?

Do boom mics only capture dialogue?

Are boom microphones designed to only capture dialogue? If not, is all extraneous noise filtered out during post-production? How is this done? How was this done

How do TV shows with live audience manage special effect scenes?

Many sitcoms are recorded in front of a live audience who provide the laughter track. Now this is simple enough in most scenes. But some scenes require added sp

Why are pilot episodes often unaired?

I frequently watch TV series on DVD and very often I see the "Unaired Pilot" episode advertised (most recently Supernatural). I understand these are the test e

Is it easier to make an older actor look younger than a younger actor older?

Considering how well 42-year old Matt Damon carried off the role of 17-year old Scott Thorson in Behind the Candelabra, I'm curious to know if

What is the mirror half-moon object used in production?

I was watching Pacific Rim Special Features disc last night. In one brief production scene, I saw a half moon shaped object which was chrome or mirror like. In

What was Europa Report's budget?

Most reviews of Europa Report (2013) state that it was made on a low budget. But what was its budget exactly? Neither IMDb nor Wikipedia carry this information.

How can weightlessness be simulated on film?

How can the weightlessness of space be realistically simulated on film? Does it require CG or can a convincing simulation be achieved using wire fu and editing?

How does Quentin Tarantino write dialog for a language he doesn't speak?

How does Quentin Tarantino or any other screenwriter write dialog for a language he doesn't speak? I have never found any mention of Tarantino being able to sp

Will the movie "The Dead Sea" still be released?

Corey Haim is listed as the main character on the film The Dead Sea. Corey died back in 2010 and I can't find any information about how much of the film finishe

Why do contestants play quiz shows by speaking?

On most ratio/television quiz shows the contestants interact with the game (answering questions, activating lifelines) by speaking instead of pressing buttons.

Do other actors/actresses really spit on each other in movies?

I've been seeing more and more of these scenes lately (though I know they aren't new), as they add shock value to a particular scene/story line. Just curious if

What Unit Does the BBC News Countdown Timer Count Down?

BBC News (UK) has a countdown timer in its opener, for example see this video. On the bottom right, there's a countdown timer which counts the time until the

How is the dialogue for wide shots recorded?

In scenes where the boom mic would have to be placed much too far from the actor in order to film the scene, how is the dialogue recorded? Is there some hidden

Why are some movies still shot in black and white or sepia?

Why are some films still shot in black and white or sepia? I can understand if it's perhaps a "period piece" like The Artist or The Good German, or if, like in

Why are some actors uncredited in certain films?

Eli Wallach appears in Mystic River. Olivia Williams plays a role in X-Men: The Last Stand. However, neither of them (according to IMDb) is credited in the movi

What is this "colour template/effect"?

I don't know if "colour template" is the word for that. What I mean is the colour of the movies, especially Globet of Fire and the ones after it, seemed to be v

What is the difference between USD 38M and USD 120M CGI?

Watching Vin Diesel's Riddick (2013) was a jarring experience in many ways not least because of the quality of the CGI used. It could be best described as havin

How do they film phone conversations?

How is the scene of two people talking on a phone shot in a film or TV series? For instance, if person A has to call person B, the scene can be taken in eithe