How Hollywood Makes Noise
They've created the sound effects for more than 200 movies, including World Trade Center and Kill Bill. Jeff Wilhoit and Jim Moriana share some of the tricks of the trade.» E-Mail This » Add to...
View ArticleCostume Designer Dips into Hollywood's Closet
Hollywood costume designer Julie Weiss has clothed celebrities from Marlon Brando to Demi Moore. She shares some favorite stories, including how she earned an Oscar nomination for her designs in the...
View ArticleWhen Continuity Counts, Call a Script Girl — Er, Guy
Best boy, key grip: Hollywood's full of oddly named jobs. In an Oscar-season tradition, NPR's Susan Stamberg looks for the stories behind those strange credits. Hint: A script supervisor doesn't just...
View ArticleHollywood Jobs: You Thought Actors Were Trouble?
NPR's Susan Stamberg profiles the crafts and crew members who keep movies rolling. On the Hotel for Dogs set, she meets the trainers responsible for every bark and wag.» E-Mail This » Add to...
View ArticleA Movie's Look, From Toilet To Villain's Lair
Lighting, props, sets and costumes all contribute to the "look" of a movie — and production designer J. Michael Riva, the grandson of Marlene Dietrich, makes sure all those elements integrate...
View ArticleAt 91, Shoemaker To The Stars Is Still In Business
The man behind Charlton Heston's sandals in The Ten Commandments is 91-year-old Willie Rivera, who began making shoes at the age of 13 in Mexico City. He moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s and has...
View ArticleHow Hollywood Gets Fed: A Lesson In Craft Service
Gone are the days when actors brought their own lunches to the set in brown paper bags. It's a full-time job feeding the hundreds — sometimes thousands — of men and women working each day on major...
View ArticleBelief On The Big Screen: Secrets Of Special Effects
A spaceship lands. Humans become avatars. A man in a cape can fly. Special effects have made movies magical for decades. NPR's Susan Stamberg goes backstage to learn how moviemakers frighten, fool and...
View ArticleLong Before Computers, How Movies Made Us Believe
Once upon a time, scenery and special effects were crafted entirely by human hands. NPR's Susan Stamberg reveals some of the surprising secrets behind Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Dr. Zhivago...
View ArticleObjectively Speaking, It's All About The Prop Master
When The Social Network needs 60 vintage computers that work — or Steven Spielberg needs live crabs, and needs them in motion — it's prop masters who move heaven and earth to make it happen. In the...
View ArticleFor Location Scouts, It's All About Making The Scene
Among the earliest production crew members hired on a film, they help directors turn words into pictures — and help manage the chaos of a movie set. For the second of this year's Hollywood Jobs...
View ArticlePrivate Screening: How Hollywood Watches Its Work
Filmmakers rely on private screening rooms to show their unfinished films to invite-only audiences. NPR's Susan Stamberg visits one screening room on Rodeo Drive, run by 97-year-old Charles Aidikoff...
View ArticleThe Extraordinary, Ordinary Life Of Alexander Payne
Life is a collection of "extraordinarily ordinary moments," says the Academy Award-winning director, if only people would "wake up and pay attention to how beautiful it all is." Payne's latest film,...
View ArticleFor Film Set Decorators, Tiny Details Count
On a movie set, every piece of furniture, wall hanging or bit of desktop clutter that an actor doesn't touch is chosen by the film's set decorator. For her annual Oscar-season series on Hollywood jobs,...
View ArticleFor Publicist Marvin Levy, It's All About Eyeballs
A publicist is responsible for making a movie known — in a good way, with any luck. It's a multifaceted job, but what does he or she really do? NPR's Susan Stamberg continues her annual Hollywood Jobs...
View Article'Clap!' On Set, The Signature Sound Of The Slate
On a movie set, every scene and every take gets "slated" during filming, and there's that distinctive clap sound we all know. But what's it for? The job of the clapper, revealed.» E-Mail This
View ArticleKeen Eyes, Uncanny Instincts Keep Films In Sharp Focus
Believe it or not, the person responsible for keeping each and every shot of a movie in focus never looks through a camera lens. NPR's Susan Stamberg explains the role of the focus puller.» E-Mail This
View ArticleWhen Continuity Counts, Call a Script Girl — Er, Guy
Best boy, key grip: Hollywood's full of oddly named jobs. In an Oscar-season tradition, NPR's Susan Stamberg looks for the stories behind those strange credits. Hint: A script supervisor doesn't just...
View ArticleHollywood Jobs: You Thought Actors Were Trouble?
NPR's Susan Stamberg profiles the crafts and crew members who keep movies rolling. On the Hotel for Dogs set, she meets the trainers responsible for every bark and wag.» E-Mail This
View ArticleA Movie's Look, From Toilet To Villain's Lair
Lighting, props, sets and costumes all contribute to the "look" of a movie — and production designer J. Michael Riva, the grandson of Marlene Dietrich, makes sure all those elements integrate...
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