#20. Miniature Worlds
Some of the best movies in cinematic history take place in all sorts of wonderful and exotic lands and times. Sets can look incredibly real. They can imitate Victorian Era society, or even romantic towns. Nothing is off limits for the directors of Hollywood.
When sets are not enough, technology can be a great substitute. However, Hollywood's best kept secret is that some scenes are actually set in miniature models of a city or a railroad or whatever is needed for that movie. Surprisingly enough, it looks even more real than special effects.
#19. A Different Type Of Drug
When The Wolf Of Wall Street hit the big screens the critics were in awe. The portrayal of the money-obsessed Wall Street world surprised audiences, especially because of the amount of substances that the characters are seen consuming.
Of course, the actors didn't really partake in any of those activities. Common replacements for drugs in movies are sugar, flour and even vitamin c. These look like illegal substances when in fact they are harmless.
#18. The Clothes Aren't Off
In recent years, nude scenes have gotten more and more explicit. For many of the actors this is a controversial subject, as not all of them are willing to show everything on set. Fortunately for them, there are tricks that can fool the human eye.
The well known Modesty Pouches are used to cover genitals. They resemble skin tones so that it looks pretty real. However, it's not as easy as it sounds, because these types of scenes take more than six hours to film.
#17. The Acting Skills Of The Extras
Although the star actors usually take our breath away, there are other type of actors who rarely get recognized. Extras play an important role in every movie and are fundamental in creating the adequate mood for the scene.
Although one might think that being an extra is an easy job, there's more to it than meets the eye. Extras need to be able to act out seemingly ordinary situations in a natural way. Additionally, background conversations between the extras need to occur in silence in order not to overpower the actor's dialogue. They're the masters of speaking without noise.
#16. Violent Scenes That Don't Hurt Anybody
If there is something that characterizes Tarantino's movies is the sheer amount of violence he films, and he is well-known for taking murder, and other forms of violent acts, to the extreme, making them completely explicit and exaggerated.
Thankfully though, actors don't need to actually shoot themselves in order to do these types of scenes. Shots to the head are usually created by filling mannequins with fake brains. The camera work does all the rest.
#15. Tasty Blood
Some time ago, black and white movies also had a couple of tricks down their sleeves. Even though technology was way behind what it is today, producers and directors still managed to get the job done. How could they make actors bleed?
Chocolate syrup was commonly used in order to achieve the effect of blood. The thick consistency of the substance, as well as the black and white camera, disguised the truth behind the apparent blood. Today, blood making in cinema has become more complex and life-like.
#14. Fake Limbs
Several action movies involving victims of war inevitably address the issue of lost limbs. Actors need to look as if they've suffered an accident, although haven't in real life. But how do they actually achieve this? You won't believe how producers trick us all.
As you can see in the image, the actor looks as if he's lost both legs in combat. In order to do this, green stockings are placed over the 'lost limb' in question. The actor films the scene, and movie editors work their magic by removing the green stockings from the frame.
#13. Winter Any Time Of The Year
Directors are godlike creatures. They can manipulate time, distance and weather. In fact, since filming times aren't necessarily always the same as the four seasons, Hollywood has developed certain tricks in order to fool nature.
A common trick that is used, is changing filming locations in order to remain in winter for instance. Another trick involves the use of asbestos back in the 1930's. However, that stopped working since it was revealed it damaged people's health. Today, fake snow is also used a lot.
#12. Fake Limbs Part Two
In order to film limbs being cut off realistically, Hollywood uses the following trick. Loads of different movies have actually done this, including the movie 127 Hours, starring James Franco. In the film, he must cut off his arm, which has been trapped between two rocks.
First, makeup artist come to work. They can create shocking effect with a bit of paint. A decaying arm, cuts and scratches are part of their everyday work. Additionally, prosthetic arms are used in order to film the exact moment in which James Franco tears it away.
#11. Fake Twins
The truth is, it is very difficult and costly to find and hire twins that are both able to act and are in the business together. This is why Hollywood resorts to other methods in order for twins to become a reality on screen.
For instance, the memorable twins in The social Network are played by the same actor. This effect is pretty difficult to create and required a whole team of experts. It involves loads of takes, a model, and a recording of the actor's voice.
#10. Mirror, Mirror On The Wall
Hollywood isn't that fond of mirrors. In case you haven't guessed why, it's because mirrors are kind of a threat if underestimated. They can reveal microphones, cameras, or crew members, so it is very important for movie producers to be careful when a mirror scene is about to be filmed.
he mirror in angled in order to avoid any of the cameras. Additionally, actors look straight into the camera, something that does not happen normally in the scenes, in order to create the illusion that they are looking at a reflection of themselves.
#9. The Truth Behind Alcoholic Drinks
Some of our favorite characters have the habit of pouring themselves a great number of drinks during the course of the film. Take Tony Montana from Scarface. The man must have taken a sip of rum even more times about a million times!
While the actors are pretty convincing at making us believe they're drunk or they're sipping on a strong liquor, the fact is there is no alcohol on set. Instead, production teams fill bottles with apple juice, food coloring or another misleading and harmless substance.
#8. Vomiting Scenes Revealed At Last
Unfortunately for those of us who have difficulty watching vomiting scenes, they're very common in cinema. Some of them look incredibly realistic (and gross!) but of course, none of it is real.
In order to imitate the disgusting substance, producers use oatmeal or spaghetti. In the most disturbing scenes of all, they even use coloring in order to make the thing look radioactive green or pink. For more elaborate vomiting scenes, special effects including hidden tubes and incredible actor skills are required.
#7. Delicious Food That Isn't Real
If there is one thing I always notice in a movie is the delicious food served in the scenes. Dinner scenes are definitely the best. Remember the Hogwarts grand hall? Man, that food looked delicious.
Here's the catch though: all those unbelievably mouthwatering foods weren't real. Because of several incidents in the earlier movies regarding spoiled foods, production decided to use Styrofoam cakes and other replacements that look real and quite tasty.
#6. Healthier Cigarettes
Aside from drinking loads of alcohol and consuming drugs of all types, actors are also required to smoke in different scenes. In fact, in most movies portraying the 50's, actors basically chain smoke their way through the scenes.
Since smoking is known to be very damaging to people's health, the cigarettes you can see on every scene aren't real. They are herbal cigarettes that don't have any of the dangerous components real cigarettes have. Additionally, extras are paid more by the hour if they are required to smoke.
#5. Surprising Sounds
As we've seen on this list, Hollywood producers can fake shots to the head, drugs, blood and and infinite amounts of things with the right tricks. Did you know that a whole crew is dedicated to sound effects in movies?
The most common sound effect employed in Hollywood is the sound of a stabbed watermelon when someone on camera is being murdered. They use other noises as well, such as cutting through vegetables, hitting cooked chickens and an infinite number of creative ways in order to record the correct sound.
#4. Don't Forget About The Extras
As I've mentioned before, extras are an integral part of every scene. Without them, many scenes wouldn't make much sense. Imagine a pub, a school or even an army without the extras. In spite of their importance, not much is known about them.
Many extras are actually obliged to produce their own costumes. In general, the production team gives out several instructions such as: suits required, or that they should wear darker-colored so that they don't overpower the scene. Not only that but forget about an extra that looks straight at the camera or an actor. They're out!
#3. The Art Of Deception
Whether it's about creating imaginary creatures, or fooling the audience, the team of movie producers have loads of ways to ensure the landscape and actors fool us all.
An interesting way movie producers have developed in order to create landscapes that don't exist is glass painting. In the photo is a great example in which a whole army has been painted. The glass slide is then positioned over the camera.
#2. The Secret Spit Bucket
Eating is a fundamental part of our day. Plus, going to restaurants is a great idea for a date or a get together with friends. This is also portrayed in movies. Some characters even go overboard and eat more than any normal person could possibly manage.
In order for actors not to get a food coma or gain excessive weight during filming, there is a well-known spit bucket. Behind the scenes, actors spit back out everything they put into their mouths. Something about the amount of food wasted on set seems wrong, but this is the best solution Hollywood has thought of.
#1. Technology And Costumes
In general, movies about aliens, fantastic creatures or other imaginative non-human beings require different things in order to film the actors on set. The most common way of bringing the creatures to life is through special effects.
A great example of this is Gollum from The Lord Of The Rings. Actor Andy Serkis had to wear a special costume with motion sensors. This way, special effects could create Gollum from the actor's portrayal.