Children Don't Know They're In Horror Films
Image Source: The Denver Post
Okay, so some of the kids will know that they're acting in a horror film, but in order to not terrify them and make them want to stay away from the sets most of the actual scary things are added in post-production or they are filmed separately. It can make them slightly awkward to film, but it's probably best to avoid giving children any PTSD in the future.
Injuries On Screen
Image Source: Insider
In order to make it look as though people are seriously injured on screen it can take a lot of work; in some situations the actors playing these characters might have to go through hours and hours of intensive make-up whilst in other movies it might all be done using CGI. The technology advancements in recent years have made that much easier to do now.
Extras Have To Remain Silent
Image Source: Reddit
Being an actor, you probably have to want to be the centre of attention, after all, Hollywood Actors are some of the most famous people in the world. However, if you're an extra you have to remain deadly quiet! That's right, every time you've seen an extra talking or laughing in the background they're actually just miming and all sound is added in post-production!
Sound Effects Are All Added Post-Production
Image Source: Reddit
I'm sure a number of you already knew that all the sound effects that you hear within your favourite shows and movies are actually added in after all filming is completed. There are people whose sole job is to replicate noises like thunder, crashing waves and footsteps all from the base of a noise studio. They do a convincing job don't they all things considered.
Wet Floors
Image Source: Reddit
This one is a little obscure but, you might have noticed that in a lot of night scenes that the floor is wet. They actually do this purposely as without the water on the ground, dark floor wouldn't come out on the cameras in the same way or as clear as they do with it. It's all to do with the reflections and mixed with ambient lighting makes for a great set.
Late Intimate Scenes
Image Source: Midgard Times
Intimate scenes must be quite awkward to film, especially when you have to be naked or close to naked around people that you might have just met as part of the filming process. In order to try and make life a little easier for actors these intimate scenes are usually filmed last or towards the end of the filming so they might feel more comfortable.
Intimate Practice
Image Source: Reddit
It can be hard to allow yourself to be comfortable acting out intimate scenes with someone, especially when it's all for show. All of the practice leading up to the shoot will be done fully clothed and even during the shoot they'll always be very lenient with the time it takes for the actors to get through the shoot without feeling too uncomfortable.
They Aren't Fully Naked
Image Source: The Sun
Although in some movies and shows the actors are quite visibly naked, many intimate scenes make it look as though the actors are naked when they have their private parts hidden. One example that comes to mind is the early Game of Thrones scenes where it was revealed that Jason Momoa covered his appendage with a sock during filming with Emilia Clarke in season one.
Wearing Their Own Clothes
Image Source: Yahoo Finance
In some movies and television shows, actors are asked to bring some of their own clothes to set with them, especially if they are meant to be playing an everyday run of the mill kinda character. This is done for a number of reasons, one of which is to save money on costume design whilst the other is an attempt to ensure that the actor is comfortable on set in their own attire.
Clothes Come In Sets
Image Source: Backstage
Accidents obviously happen and that means that the clothes and costumes that actors wear when they're getting into character are typically bought in bulk. This is done just in case an actor might stain a piece of clothing or they might even end up ripping a piece of clothing. This would obviously look a little dodgy on camera if there was some obvious physical differences.
Clothes Get Stinky
Image Source: Reddit
Despite multiple sets of the same clothes being made available to actors to use during the filming process, typically they'll only use the one set unless there's a physical problem. This means that an actor could be wearing the same outfit, without being washed for weeks and weeks on end; imagine how stinky they might get when it's sweaty after a long shoot.
Apple Don't Want To Be The Villain
Image Source: Reddit
Technology has obviously become quite a big part of television and film in recent decades and we see people using their phones just as much on screen as we do off them. However, throughout production, if they are going to use brands they have to be agreed! And Apple, despite being a huge company actually refuse to let there phones be used by on screen villains!
The On-Screen Weather Is Fake
Image Source: Quora
This one is probably quite obvious, but production of films and shows aren't dependent on weather to get the scenes to look perfect. They aren't waiting for rain to fall to film the scenes don't worry! Instead it isn't uncommon for water hoses to be used to drench the actors whilst snow can actually be faked using paper or sometimes soap. Least they might smell good!
Fake Fog Can Be Very Cold
Image Source: Reddit
I know that fog should probably come under the other heading of all weathers but it's worth knowing how they make the fog appear on our screens. In order to create the illusion of fog on screen directors usually employ the task of mixing dry ice with water which creates a scientific conclusion of a fog like smoke appearing. The ice makes it quite cold though!
Stunt Doubles Don't Have To Look The Same
Image Source: Reddit
In the majority of scenes we see in TV and film that contain a stunt double we probably don't realise that the actor has changed, especially not if its a quick look. This means that directors can get away with hiring stunt doubles that look nothing like the actor they're doubling. You'd be surprised how different some of them can actually look in comparison.
Some Actors Look Taller Than They Are
Image Source: Reddit
In some scenarios, an actor might be cast for a role when they don't match the height that the character they're playing needs to show. For that reason, sometimes you might spot actors wearing platform shoes that might look a little more uncomfortable than is worth wearing. It can't have been nice for good old Rob De Niro could it? It must've felt a little demeaning at least!
Trailers Are Finished Before The Film
Image Source: Reddit
This seems like quite a weird way for things to be done but, for the most part, movie trailers tend to be completed way in advance of the film being released. That's why that when you head to the cinema you can get trailers for films that might not be coming out for over a year! They can just pull the best of what's already been filmed to build the suspense.
The Trailers Have The Exciting Parts First
Image Source: Cinemablend
In order to make a movie trailer that people will be enticed into watching, trailer producers have to ensure that the first 5 seconds are filled with some of the best shots that the entire movie will have to offer. The internet has probably had a part to play in this as YouTube and other streaming devices allow people to just skip through adverts and trailers now.
People Get Digitally Touched Up
Image Source: People
Although make-up artists are always employed to work on film or television projects on occasion the actors might need some work done on them digitally in the post-production. This is done in order to remove some of the more difficult features for artists to hide like wrinkles and on some occasions they can increase or decrease the size of some body parts.
Not All Actors Get Hench
Image Source: Man Of Many
Some movies require actors to go through quite a large physical change in order to make it look realistic on the big screen. One of the most obvious changes was Christian Bale in the Machinist where he lost an unhealthy amount of weight! However, a lot of the time actors faces can just be added to other people's bodies to avoid them having to transform themselves.
They Can Hide Pregnancies
Image Source: TV Fanatic
In some situations, female actors can actually become pregnant during filming or between the time that they're cast for the role. This can obviously make filming quite an awkward process, although there are many ways to ensure that no one would be able to tell. This can simply be the camera angles or even some digital editing in post-production. They're quite smart with it!
They Don't All Learn Their Lines
Image Source: Reddit
You might think that all actors will learn their lines off by heart and, for the most part, they do just that. However, in recent years with technological advancements more actors (particularly the big guns) have turned to using hidden earpieces so that their dialogue and next lines can be read through the headsets and put less emphasis on them learning their lines.
Hollywood Accounting
Image Source: The Atlantic
This is quite a sneaky thing that many studios do in order to hide the true amount of money that a film cost to make as well as the profit that they'll have made off of the film and all its royalties. This might not be looked at highly by actors as they can miss out on some royalties of their own whilst the studio can also save money on the taxes they would have to pay otherwise.
Some Actors Have Used Performance Enhancers
Image Source: RadarOnline
As I mentioned before, some actors have to go through physical changes in order to appear as desired on our screens and in some situations this requires some more muscle or bulk on the bodies. This isn't easy for everyone so in some situations actors have been known to take some performance enhancing drugs alongside their training to ease along the process.
Phones Are Banned
Image Source: Reddit
Even A-List super actors have to keep their phones away from TV and movie sets at all times (they usually leave them in their trailers) in order to try and minimise any risk of a leak. Obviously, all of the other workers on set have to follow the same protocol and this can lead to some long and strenuous sessions without much leisurely relief. Those poor guys and gals.
Make-Up Can Take A LONG Time
Image Source: Pinterest
Makeup can be quite an important factor in ensuring that actors look perfectly in character, but in some situations it can take quite an obnoxiously long time to complete. One major example of this was the eight hours of makeup that Jim Carrey would have to go through in order to transform in to the Grinch, he even had training from A CIA operative on how to survive torture!
Twins Often Play The Same Character
Image Source: Ranker
Often, especially when it comes to young child actors, casters will try and find a pair of identical twins to play one child on screen. This is because children aren't allowed to be on set for as long a period as adults. And them being identical means that they'll be able to get away with chopping and changing between each twin for different scenes.
Music Comes Last
Image Source: Reddit
Just as I mentioned that the sound effects are added right at the end of the movie during the post-production; the music score also appears at around the same time. Composers that are hired in order to create the score for a movie have to wait for the entire movie to be filmed in order to create the right mood for each individual scene. It must take them ages!
Real Cigarettes Aren't Used
Image Source: Reddit
Cigarettes are quite a common occurrence on screen in TV and film, but they obviously can't force actors to smoke when they know how harmful they can be to the body. For this reason, actors are actually given herbal cigarettes that contain 0 nicotine. Probably for the best, I can't imagine it'd be easier to make people take up an addictive habit like that.
They Use Spit Buckets
Image Source: Mashed
In scenes where actors are required to eat a lot of food, they are actually provided with spit buckets so they don't have to swallow everything. That isn't because the food they're eating isn't nice, but because the scenes can be shot repeatedly for extended periods of time they probably don't want to be eating quite as much as they would be without one.