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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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Former criminal gang members, undercover police detectives and innocent victims describe to Insider how various organized crime activities work in real life.
- The Director of Photography of Amazon's hit comedy "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" breaks down the innovative opening shot from the show's second season. We watch Midge as she answers phones and swivels around the basement of the fictional, yet swanky department store, B. Altman.
- 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?
- Evy Poumpouras, a former special agent with the US Secret Service, breaks down 10 presidential-protection scenes in movies, including "White House Down" (2013), "The Sentinel"(2006), "In the Line of Fire" (1993) and "London Has Fallen" (2016). She also rates inauguration and assassination-attempt scenes in "Designated Survivor" (2016) and "The West Wing" (1999).
- 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.
- World War I historian Alexander Watson rates six First World War battle scenes from movies and TV shows for realism. He discusses the accuracy of trench warfare in "All Quiet on the Western Front" (2022), featuring Daniel Brühl, and "Wonder Woman" (2017), starring Gal Gadot. He also comments on aerial combat and gas masks in "The Red Baron" (2008) and "The Lost City of Z" (2016), starring Charlie Hunnam. Watson analyzes the guns, artillery, tanks, grenades, and other weapons used in "Sajjan Singh Rangroot" (2018) and "Gallipoli: End of the Road" (2013).
- 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.
- Each move in a Hollywood fight scene can call for a different, specially rigged prop, custom-made to meet the purposes of safety and drama. We visited the prop truck of Josh Bramer, the prop master behind "Euphoria," "Everything Everywhere All At Once," Blonde," and "Don't Worry Darling," and the country's biggest prop house, ISS, to find out how stunt props are designed to sell fight scenes while keeping everyone safe on movie sets.
- 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."
- For a movie with such unique sounds and audio like "A Quiet Place" these foley artists had to do things a little differently. Rather than focusing on making everyday sounds like footsteps more audible, the sound designers on the film focused on a "less is more" approach, aiming for more minimalist and more terrifying sound effects.
- 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.
- 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."
- Remi Adeleke, a former Navy SEAL, currently an actor and filmmaker, served in Naval Special Warfare and with SEAL Team 3 from 2002 to 2016. Adeleke breaks down the realism of SEAL Team scenes in movies and TV, from training to special operations, intelligence gathering and data collection, rescue operations, and direct combat. Movies Adeleke rates include "The Rock" (1996), "Tears of the Sun" (2003),"Captain Phillips" (2013), "Act of Valor" (2012), and "Navy SEALs" (1990). He comments on training scenes in "Lone Survivor" (2013) and "GI Jane" (1997). Adeleke also breaks down real-life raids and rescues in "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012), and "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" (2016).
- Sumo wrestler Konishiki Yasokichi rates eight sumo fights in movies and TV shows, such as "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Isle of Dogs," for realism. Konishiki discusses the accuracy of throwing techniques in "The Outsider" (2018), "Isle of Dogs" (2018), "Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005), "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (2002), and "The Quest" (1996). He also comments on sumo lifestyle and training in "Hinomaru Sumo" S1E6 (2018), "Sumo Do, Sumo Don't" (1992), and "Secret Society" (2000).
- 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.
- Garrett Reisman, a former NASA astronaut and a former director of space operations at SpaceX, reacts to 10 memorable scenes from famous space movies, rating each scenario based on its accuracy. Find out what black holes, microgravity, nitrogen jetpacks, vacuum chambers, sound waves, polycarbonate visors, centrifugal forces, the Coriolis effect, and lunar soil tell us about the accuracy of iconic space movies.
- 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.
- 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.
- Former drug trafficker Pieter Tritton rates eight trafficking scenes from movies and television for realism. He discusses the accuracy of drug-trafficking methods depicted in "Narcos" S1E1 (2015), featuring Pedro Pascal; "American Made" (2017), starring Tom Cruise; and "Breaking Bad" S3E9 (2010), with Bryan Cranston,. He also comments on drug-detection methods in "Blow" (2001), starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz; "Miss Bala" (2019), starring Gina Rodriguez; and "Sons of Anarchy" S4E7 (2011), with Charlie Hunnam and Ron Perlman. Tritton analyzes the human impact of drug smuggling in "Maria Full of Grace" (2004) and "El Chapo" S1E1 (2017).
- Egyptologist Anthony Browder rates eight ancient Egypt scenes from movies and television for realism. He analyzes the accuracy of the mummification process depicted in "The Mummy" (1999), with Brendan Fraser, and "Moon Knight" (2022), starring Oscar Isaac. He also comments on pyramids and ancient ruins in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), starring Harrison Ford; "Gods of Egypt" (2016), featuring Chadwick Boseman; and "The Ten Commandments" (1956). Browder discusses famous pharaohs, kings, and queens depicted in "Exodus: Gods and Kings" (2014), "Cleopatra" (1963), and "Tut" (2015).
- From Millie Bobby Brown's buzz cut in "Stranger Things" to Ana de Armas' Marilyn Monroe curls in "Blonde" (2022), movies and TV shows have had to transform character via wigs for decades. To find out how a master wigmaker designs full heads of hair for movies and TV shows, Insider visited the New York and Beverly Hills studios of Wigmaker Associates with founder Rob Pickens.
- World War II historian John Curatola rates eight battle scenes in movies and television for realism. He discusses the accuracy of World War II battle scenes from "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), starring Tom Hanks; "Dunkirk" (2017), featuring Tom Hardy; and "Band of Brothers" S1E3 (2001), with Damian Lewis. He also comments on the weaponry used in "Fury" (2014), with Brad Pitt; "Patton" (1970); and "Enemy at the Gates" (2001). Curatola analyzes the tactics displayed in "The Forgotten Battle" (2020) and "Defiance" (2008), starring Daniel Craig.
- Paramedic and EMS captain Randy Li evaluates nine medical emergencies in movies and TV. Li breaks down the accuracy of emergency medical service protocols and the realism of first-line treatments and procedures such as choking protocols, CPR, and defibrillation.
- 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.
- The animatronic Giganotosaurus from "Jurassic World: Dominion" (2022) was the largest practical head built for any "Jurassic Park" film. The practical and digital effects teams worked hand in hand to bring the Giga to life. Live-action-dinosaur supervisor John Nolan led a team to create a Giga puppet that looked and moved like a real dinosaur could. The head was placed on a rig that weighed around 9 tons and could move up and down and interact with Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern on set. While only the Giga's head and neck were created, visual effects supervisor David Vickery and his team at ILM built the CG body to perfectly match the puppeteered movements on set.
- Former bank robber Cain Vincent Dyer looks at 11 bank-robbery scenes from popular TV shows and movies and rates them based on realism.
- Can anyone survive in the center of a tornado? Should you take shelter in a basement when a storm hits? Are fire tornadoes a thing? Could "Sharknado" actually happen? Meteorologist Cyrena Arnold looks at seven hurricane and tornado scenes from popular TV shows and movies and rates them based on realism. She looks at storm scenes in "Geostorm" (2017), "Twister" (1996), "Into the Storm" (2014), "The Day After Tomorrow" (2004), "Sharknado" (2013), "Night of the Twisters" (1996), and "X-Men" (2000).
- 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).
- 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)?
- 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.
- Marine biologist and doctoral student Amani Webber-Schultz rates 10 shark attacks in movies and TV shows, such as "Jaws," for realism.
- Ancient military historian Roel Konijnendijk rates 10 battle scenes in movies and television for realism. He discusses the accuracy of ancient-warfare battle scenes, penning enemies, and swords and buckles. He also comments on bolt artillery, bow and arrow precision, and walls of flame. Konijnendijk analyzes chariot tactics, pavises and ditches as well.
- 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).
- 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).
- 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).
- Visual effects supervisor Kaitlyn Yang watches 12 CGI monster scenes from movies, reviewing the highs and lows of digital effects.
- A former member of one of the New York mafia families analyzes mob scenes from 13 movie and TV shows for accuracy.
- "Klaus," Netflix's first animated film, is an origin story of Santa Claus. Because the Oscar-nominated movie appeals to nostalgia, director Sergio Pablos and his team at The SPA Studios in Madrid decided to make the film in 2D. But they also wanted to advance the look, so they developed new technology that adds details like lighting and texture to the characters that make them appear 3D. Insider spoke with Pablos to find out how they made the innovative film, which earned an Academy Award nomination for best Animated Feature and seven Annie Awards.
- "Fast and Furious 9," set for a 2021 release, is the 10th installment in a franchise known for pushing the boundaries of car chases. But there has been a lot of technological innovation leading up to this point that originated in classic films like "The French Connection" and allowed for even more realistic and dynamic chases in newer films like "Baby Driver" and "Extraction." In this episode of "Movies Insider," we take a look at how the art of the car chase has evolved over eight decades in Hollywood, from the influential chase in "Bullitt" to the wild spectacles of the "Fast and Furious" franchise.