Lights, camera, action! When you imagine a film set, you might picture a demanding person sitting in their classic director’s chair shouting commands at PAs and actors. And, of course, there’s always someone holding a clapperboard before each take. But if you’re curious about what went on behind-the-scenes pics of your favorite films, you’re in luck.
Below is a list of fascinating posts from the “Behind the Clapperboard” Facebook page. Enjoy learning more about the film industry, and be sure to upvote the glamorous pics! From pics of Steven Spielberg chilling with Tom Hanks off-screen to shots of the cameramen and women who captured the world’s most iconic scenes, we’ve got something for all cinephiles on this list. (H/T)
01. The Terminator (1984). James Cameron
Cinematography: Adam Greenberg
Terminator Stop Motion: Pete Kleinow
02. The Hunt For Red October (1990). John McTiernan
Cinematography: Jan de Bont
Photo by: Bruce McBroom
03. True Lies (1994). James Cameron
Cinematography: Russell Carpenter
Camera Operator: James Cameron
Stunt Coordinator/Arnold Schwarzenegger Stunt Double: Joel Kramer
Jamie Lee Curtis Stunt Double: Jamie Lee Curtis
Photo by: Zade Rosenthal
The Behind the Clapperboard Facebook page has been around since 2014, sharing some fascinating moments in film history that most of us never get to see. This page has everything from pictures of iconic directors to reveals of how some of the most memorable moments were recorded. And clearly, it’s captivated many viewers, as it has amassed an impressive 250k followers. The account’s description shares a quote from the beloved Martin Scorsese: “Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out.” And it certainly does a great job of giving us a glimpse into that “out of frame” side we rarely see.
Chances are you love watching films, but have you ever considered why the art of filmmaking is so important to society? According to Paul Jenkins at Brilliantio, watching movies is more than just a fun activity on a date or with your best friends on Friday night. (Although, it can be that too!) Every choice is well thought out and intentional, and finding all the brilliant, hidden information is the most exciting part for avid viewers. Ask any cinephile, and they’ll tell you how much painstaking effort goes into creating a beautiful film.
04. Jaws (1975). Steven Spielberg
Cinematography: Bill Butler
Production Designer: Joe Alves
Photo by: Louis Goldman
05. Star Wars (1977). George Lucas
Cinematography: Gilbert Taylor
Photo by: John Jay
06. Psycho (1960). Alfred Hitchcock
Cinematography: John L. Russell
Camera Operator: Leonard J. South
Script Supervisor: Marshall Schlom
Photo by: Eugene Cook
Jenkins goes on to note how vital films are for pop culture. “Today, the film is considered one of America’s most popular art forms and perhaps even its most significant contribution to world culture,” he writes. “It’s hard to imagine our lives without motion pictures – those flickering images projected on a screen that have become iconic representations of our inner and outer realities, conveying ideas and feelings from one person or culture to another through space and time.”
Filmmaking is also a massive industry worldwide that has provided jobs for thousands of people involved in acting, directing, music making, production, screening, distribution, and more. Even producers of popcorn kernels and celluloid raw materials used to print films on reels rely on this industry. And if you’re ever traveled to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame or a Universal Studios tour, you’ve contributed to the movie world’s tourism as well.
07. E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Steven Spielberg
Cinematography: Allen Daviau
08. The Shining (1980). Stanley Kubrick
Cinematography: John Alcott
Camera Operator: Kelvin Pike
Focus Puller: Douglas Milsome & Maurice Arnold
09. Rocky II (1979). Sylvester Stallone
Cinematography: Bill Butler
Steadicam Operator: Garrett Brown
Photo by: Christine M. Loss
Films give many of us a way to escape from the monotony of our everyday lives or feel love, wonder, and excitement when we’re struggling in our own lives. “Movies are the only art form that allows us to identify with the characters on an emotional level,” Jenkins writes. “We see them as people struggling with real problems and facing real challenges. We live vicariously through them and find our fears, desires, hopes, and aspirations.” Whatever we do or don’t want to experience for a few hours, we can find a film to take us to or out of those places.
10. Point Break (1991). Kathryn Bigelow
Cinematography: Donald Peterman
Boom Operator: Geoffrey Patterson
Photo by: Richard Foreman Jr.
11. Saving Private Ryan (1998). Steven Spielberg
Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski Photo by: David James
12. Quantum Of Solace (2008). Marc Forster
Cinematography: Roberto Schaefer
Stunt Double: Daniel Craig: Bobby Holland Hanton
Head Stunt Rigger: Diz Sharpe
Photo by: Susan Allnutt
A great film also makes viewers think. We can see the world of a character entirely different from ourselves for a few hours, someone, we may have never encountered in our real lives. There might be messages about social issues, politics, religion, hope, love, triumph, and more that will stretch audiences’ empathy muscles. And films that present these new ideas can be great voices for social change.
” When films about war reflect the real world with gritty realism, rather than showing stylized depictions of soldiers marching into battle under waving flags, they can profoundly affect how viewers think about issues of war and peace,” Jenkins continues. “For example, the movie Saving Private Ryan depicted the horrors of World War II with gruesome special effects; the opening scene focused on the gruesome deaths of several characters-many viewers couldn’t watch it!”
13. Alien (1979). Ridley Scott
Cinematography: Derek Vanlint
Photo by: Bob Penn
14. Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989). Steven Spielberg
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Camera Assistant: Martin Kenzie
Dolly Grip: Colin Manning
Photo by: Murray Close
Vía Pedro Barnett-College Penella
15. Skyfall (2012). Sam Mendes
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Photo by: François Duhamel
Before the pandemic, in 2019, 792 films were released in the United States and Canada. So clearly, hundreds, if not thousands, of directors are working hard to put their best stories onto the screen. But when it comes to some of the most impactful directors the world has yet to see, Paul Jenkins provides this list: Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Walt Disney, Martin Scorcese, Kathryn Bigelow, Roman Polanski, Jane Campion, George Lucas, Agnés Varda, Brian De Palma, Mira Nair, and Quentin Tarantino. And as far as films that have had a significant impact on society, Star Wars, The Sound of Music, To Kill a Mockingbird, Schindler’s List, Star Trek, Taxi Driver, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws, and Thelma and Louise are some of the world’s favorites.
16. Joker (2019). Todd Phillips
Cinematography: Lawrence Sher
Photo By: Niko Tavernise
17. Apocalypse Now (1979). Francis Ford Coppola
Cinematography: Vittorio Storaro
Camera Operator: Piero Servo
Key Grip: Alfredo Marchetti
18. Goodfellas (1990). Martin Scorsese
Cinematography: Michael Ballhaus
Camera Operator: David M. Dunlap
Photo by: Barry Wetcher
As most of us don’t work in the film industry, plenty of aspects of the industry are total mysteries to us. So we consulted this list from New Dawn Films of unique filmmaking facts you’ve likely never heard. For example, did you know that Steven Spielberg and James Cameron never attended film school? “They also both don’t like to recommend students to do it. They both advocate for filmmakers to keep practicing and building their reel until they have enough experience to work on paid directing jobs,” the New Dawn team writes.
19. The Shining (1980). Stanley Kubrick
The Shining (1980). Stanley Kubrick
Cinematography: John Alcott
20. Iron Man (2008). Jon Favreau
Cinematography: Matthew Libatique
Photo by: Zade Rosenthal
21. Jaws (1975). Steven Spielberg
Cinematography: Bill Butler
Camera Operator: Michael Chapman
Photo by: Louis Goldman
“Being a strong INTJ, Stanley Kubrick shot, produced, and created his first ever short film project in 1935! He then went on to sell it even though, at that time, it was completely unheard of, especially from a relatively unknown filmmaker,” the New Dawn team goes on to write. And when it comes to letting film distributors get sneak peeks of movies, it’s recommended that directors allow them to see the film simultaneously at the same place. If one distributor considers the film and decides it’s not so great, they’ll spread that information like wildfire.
22. Alien (1979). Ridley Scott
Cinematography: Derek Vanlint
Photo by: Bob Penn
23. Return Of The Jedi (1983). Richard Marquand
Cinematography: Alan Hume & Alec Mills
Camera Operator: Peter McDonald
Photo by: Albert Clark
24. Skyfall (2012). Sam Mendes
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
As far as sounds in films go, you may have noticed the same ones many times. One scream in particular that’s been used in over 200 movies: is the Wilhelm Scream. This iconic sound was recorded over 60 years ago and is often used when a character is shot or falls off a building. The first time this scream was utilized was in the 1951 film Distant Drums, and since then, famous directors like Quentin Tarantino and Peter Jackson have been known to use it.
25. The Ten Commandments (1956). Cecil B. Demille
Cinematography: Loyal Griggs
26. Superman (1978). Richard Donner
Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth
Camera Operator: Peter MacDonald
Photo by: Bob Penn
27. Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022). Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
Cinematography: Larkin Seiple
Photo by: Allyson Riggs
We hope you’re enjoying this intimate look into the world of moviemaking. Be sure to keep upvoting the pics you find most fascinating, and let us know in the comments what your favorite film is and if you know anything about behind the scenes of that shoot. Then, if you’re interested in reading another A&D article featuring surprising movie facts you’ve likely never noticed, look no further than right here!
28. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Stanley Kubrick
Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth
29. Goldeneye (1995). Martin Campbell
Cinematography: Phil Meheux
Photo by: Keith Hamshere
30. Poltergeist (1982). Tobe Hooper
Cinematography: Matthew F. Leonetti
Photo by: Bruce McBroom
31. Seven (1995). David Fincher
Cinematography: Darius Khondji
Photo by: Peter Sorel
32. The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Frank Darabont
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Photo by: Michael P. Weinstein
33. A Clockwork Orange (1971). Stanley Kubrick
Cinematography: John Alcott
34. Nope (2022). Jordan Peele
Cinematography: Hoyte Van Hoytema
Photo by: Leigh Mierke
35. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011). Brad Bird
Cinematography: Robert Elswit
Photo by: David James
36. Edge Of Tomorrow (2014). Doug Liman
Cinematography: Dion Beebe
Camera Operator: Peter Field
Steadicam Operator: Peter Robertson
Boom Operator: Orin Beaton
Photo by: David James
Via Band Pro Film & Digital
37. Inception (2010). Christopher Nolan
Cinematography: Wally Pfister
Photo by: Melissa Moseley
38. The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Frank Darabont
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Photo by: Michael P. Weinstein
39. The Shining (1980). Stanley Kubrick
Cinematography: John Alcott
Steadicam Operator: Garrett Brown
40. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Ryan Coogler
Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw
41. Back To The Future Part III (1990). Robert Zemeckis
Cinematography: Dean Cundey
Photo by: Ralph Nelson
42. Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992). Chris Columbus
Cinematography: Julio Macat
Photo by: Melinda Sue Gordon
43. Apocalypto (2006). Mel Gibson
Cinematography: Dean Semler
First Assistant Camera: Megan Forste
44. Alien (1979). Ridley Scott
Cinematography: Derek Vanlint
Photo by: Bob Penn
45. Top Gun (1986). Tony Scott
Cinematography: Jeffrey L. Kimball
Photo by: Ralph Nelson
46. The Godfather (1972). Francis Ford Coppola
Cinematography: Gordon Willis
Photo by: Jack Stager
47. Se7en (1995). David Fincher
Cinematography: Darius Khondji
Photo by: Peter Sorel
48. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977). Steven Spielberg
Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond
Photo by: Jim Coe
49. Star Wars (1977). George Lucas
Cinematography: Gilbert Taylor
Camera Operator: Ronnie Taylor
Boom Operator: Ken Nightingall
Continuity: Ann Skinner
Photo by: John Jay
50. The Revenant (2015). Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki
Camera Operator: P. Scott Sakamoto
Dolly Grip: Ryan Munro
51. Dunkirk (2017). Christopher Nolan
Cinematography: Hoyte Van Hoytema
Photo by: Melinda Sue Gordon
52. Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989). Steven Spielberg
Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe
Vía Pedro Barnett-College Penella
53. The 39 Steps (1935). Alfred Hitchcock
Cinematography: Bernard Knowles
54. Dances With Wolves (1990). Kevin Costner
Cinematography: Dean Semler
Photo by: Ben Glass
55. Back To The Future Part III (1990). Robert Zemeckis
Cinematography: Dean Cundey
Paraglide Operator: Raymond Stella
First Assistant Camera: Clyde E. Bryan
56. Full Metal Jacket (1987). Stanley Kubrick
Cinematography: Douglas Milsome
Photo by: Gerard Maguire
57. Blade Runner (1982). Ridley Scott
Cinematography: Jordan Cronenweth
58. Dune (2021). Denis Villeneuve
Cinematography: Greig Fraser
59. Dune (2021). Denis Villeneuve
Cinematography: Greig Fraser
60. Bridge Of Spies (2015). Steven Spielberg
Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski
Steadicam Operator: Marcus Pohlus
First Assistant Camera: Denny Kortze
Photo by: Jaap Buitendijk
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