From the Spielberg movie “Super 8” which I watched for the first time last night. Wasn’t bad for a movie but had a rather slow start to it. The alien looks like a giant spider.
Wow! That’s one hell of a train wreck!
But sometimes I think “Less is more.” Check this one out.
I remember that movie too but that wreck looks more toy like than the one above.
True, but remember “GSOE” was filmed in the early Fifties. No CGI in those days, it wasn’t even imagined, so everything like what we see in the film was all model work, and some pretty superb model work as well. Those old special effects guys were absolute artists at what they could accomplish.
In a way, to my mind CGI kind of ruins movie magic. In the old days you could see a special effect and wonder “How did they do that?” Now you see a special effect and you know how they did it. “Oh, it’s just CGI.” Ho hum.
You can’t get more real than real:
I agree. But I also have to think about how my perception has changed.
For illustration purposes, take your typical “driving scene” as shown in a tv show, or movie. Now it is abundantly clear that such scenes are shot in a static model inside a studio, and the scenery visible through the windows is a pre-recorded projection. Same thing often true when scenes have panaramic vistas as a back drop…
When I was younger, the fake part of it never seemed so obvious to me as it does now.
You can go back to an episode of Gunsmoke that I’ve seen dozens of times over the decades, and never really noticed how fake the scenery is until just the past several years.
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen the action so many times that now I’ve just shifted my attention to peripheral items?
Yeah- driving scenes where the gearshift is never moved out of park, there’s no rear-view mirror and they always find a place to park. Remember the opening motorcycle scene in Lawrence of Arabia? He’s going fast on that country road, but his hair never moves.
A friend in Montreal was involved with filming “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” He played the cabdriver in a scene that was supposed to be in Paris but was filmed in the old city of Montreal. His Citroen was mounted on a trailer and towed around the streets with camera equipment on the tow vehicle and on the trailer. That was also done (and in many other old films, I am sure) in the Harold Lloyd comedy from 1920 called “Hot Water.” I’ve seen it done here in Toronto back when they used to make movies here in the beforetimes.
Oh yeah, that’s so real it’s cringeworthy!
We can rationalize it was OK to wreck those locomotives since they were due to be scrapped anyway, but it still makes my skin crawl to see those old steamers “die.”
I was involved in shooting some scenes for a Netflix movie on the railroad.
The movie was set in the Pacific Northwest. Some scenes were shot on the Adirondack RR in Thendara. In fact, they decorated parts of the interior of the station to serve for some interior shots.
We still have the station sign they covered up our station sign with for the movie.
As for being towed around on a trailer, this one is worth a laugh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAM-E6PApmQ
It’s too bad the clip doesn’t begin a little sooner. When the train stops you can hear the engineer blowing the proper whistle signal (one long and three shorts) for the flagman to go back and protect the rear of the train.
Jeff
It is too bad, C.B. DeMille was a stickler for authenticity, at least as much as possible. In his film “Union Pacific” cars seen in close-ups have the old link-and-pin coupling system, correct for 1869.
In a way, you can blame HDTV for that. Things that are noticeable now weren’t so on the old color and black and white TV’s.
Here’s a bit of “Gunsmoke” trivia. The buildings in the Dodge City set were only 75% of the size of their 19th Century prototypes.
However, it was real beer they served in Miss Kitty’s saloon! They couldn’t fake that!
When watching shows in 1080p definition it is amazing how much older the actors/actresses appear than when being viewed at 480i. More details at 1080p.
Not to mention the graphics capabilities available now.
Much of the time, the view out of the saloon door was a painted backdrop. We didn’t notice because we didn’t know any better.
For that matter, vehicle interior scenes involving traffic were often what would now be called “green screened”. We’re so used to it now that my five year old granddaughter noticed that I was using a green screen during a zoom birthday party. And called it a green screen…
Along that line, it can be tough to binge watching shows like “Emergency,” because now you notice the stock shots, like the squad travelling down a street with a VW parked at the curb…
Randy Mantooth revealed why Roy was always driving the squad - it was because he drove the squad during the shooting of the stock shots…
It made continuity a lot easier as well. If you remember the “Dragnet” revival from the Sixties you’ll remember Joe Friday and Bill Gannon ALWAYS wore the same clothing, Joe with the grey sport coat and dark trousers and Bill in the dark grey suit. Same thing, continuity.
That was the big selling point with Jack Webb productions, they were ALWAYS on time and ALWAYS under budget.
And hey, Lady Firestorm and myself LOVED “Emergency!” We’ve got one of the DVD’s and the show holds up beautifully.
I should add since Lady F’s father was a volunteer firefighter “Emergency!” was required viewing in her house!
I had two of the DVDs, but I loaned them out and don’t remember to whom, so I just bought the entire set.
Emergency! is cited by probably thousands of firefighters and EMTs as the reason they got into the business. Even though their medical protocols were simplistic by today’s standards (I could do way more than they could back back then when I was an advanced life support EMT).
James Page (Johnny Gage’s namesake) was a technical advisor, and the guiding principle of the series was that if it wouldn’t happen on LACoFD, it wouldn’t happen on the show.
“Station 51” was actually Station 127. It’s still an active facility, and has been named the Robert A. Cinader Station, after the show’s producer.
The squad and both Engine 51’s are at the LACoFD museum.
I could go on - there is a ton of trivia about the show.
Quite true, and there’s several YouTube videos showing the station as it is today, remarkably little has changed about it since the 1970s. The interiors are still recognizable from the series.
I’ve heard it said, and it’s probably true, that “Emergency!” kick-started the paramedic/EMT movement across the country.
One bit of “Emergency!” trivia: Randy Mantooth tells the story of being approached by the chief of the LACoFD as the series was ending and being asked if he’d like to join the department. “What? Are you serious?” he asked the chief. “Sure!” the chief said, “You know almost everything you need to know, you wouldn’t need much training, and I can make it happen!”
Randy was very flattered but he turned him down, he had other plans.
Something that drives wife crazy is watching actors drive a car. Steering wheel movements are way too much. She often wonders if any of the actors ever drove a car. Reminders her of a kid learning to ride a bike. To much oversteering.
I’ve heard him speak twice, fascinating speaker and very much believes in what he says. I also have a model of the squad that he autographed the outer shell, and a picture of me next to him (he’s very accomodating). I’m not going to say that I’ll never wash my hand, but it’s close.
He also told a tale about the “Jaws of Life.” As I recall, LACoFD was going to buy four of the tools (for the entire county). Hurst, who couldn’t figure out why the FD would want them - they were designed to cut race drivers out of their wrecks, apparently said that a fifth set had to go to the show. That introduced another new concept to the public. These days, such tools are part of virtually every fire department’s inventory. We have a battery operated tool on our engine.