Interesting behind-the-scenes facts about famous movies

Fun & Entertainment · 6 min read

The finished film you watch in a cinema is only part of the story. Behind each famous scene are broken props, last-minute rewrites, lucky accidents and some very clever tricks. Here are well-documented stories from some of the most loved movies, from Hollywood blockbusters to Bollywood classics.

Jaws (1975): the shark that would not work

Steven Spielberg's thriller was plagued by a mechanical shark, nicknamed "Bruce" by the crew after Spielberg's lawyer. The rubber shark kept malfunctioning in salt water, so the director had to show it as little as possible. The result is a film where the threat is mostly suggested by the ominous two-note music by John Williams and by underwater camera shots from the shark's point of view. The mechanical failure ended up making the movie scarier, and the production, filmed at sea off Martha's Vineyard, ran far over schedule and budget.

Sholay (1975): a classic built on weeks of patience

One of the most famous Indian films was shot largely on rocky terrain near Ramanagara in Karnataka, where a set village for Ramgarh was built. The shoot reportedly stretched over a couple of years, and a number of scenes took painstaking effort to capture, such as the train robbery sequence and the famous Gabbar Singh introduction. At first the film did not do well in its opening weeks, and then word of mouth turned it into a long-running hit. The villain's dialogues were even sold on audio cassettes, which was a rare idea at the time.

Star Wars (1977): the sounds were found, not invented

Sound designer Ben Burtt created many of the series' signature sounds from everyday things. The lightsaber hum came from combining the idle hum of an old film projector motor with the buzz of a television set. Chewbacca's voice was built from recordings of animals, including a bear named Tarik. The famous blaster effect was reportedly made by striking the tension wires of a radio tower. It is a good reminder that great effects can come from creativity more than budget.

Titanic (1997): a near full-size ship

James Cameron had a huge replica of the ship built at a purpose-made studio in Baja California, Mexico, at close to full scale for the exterior. A giant tank was built for the sinking scenes. Cameron, who has long been fascinated by the real wreck, also made many dives to the actual Titanic to film footage. The film became the highest-grossing movie of its time and won 11 Academy Awards, equalling the record shared with Ben-Hur.

The Lord of the Rings: forced perspective instead of computers

To make hobbits look small and wizards big, the filmmakers used clever camera tricks, a technique called forced perspective, in which actors stand at different distances from the camera. They also used scale doubles and oversized props. Peter Jackson's team in New Zealand built miniatures, called "bigatures", for the great fortresses like Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith, and they were filmed with real lighting for a convincing look. For large battles, the team developed software called Massive, which allowed thousands of digital soldiers to make independent choices on screen.

Mughal-e-Azam (1960): a mirror palace on a grand scale

K. Asif's epic was made over many years and is remembered for its lavish sets and costumes. The Sheesh Mahal song sequence, "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya", required a big mirrored set, and because the mirrors reflected harsh lights, the crew had to find a way to light the scene using reflected light without heavy glare. The film's black-and-white version was later coloured and re-released in cinemas in 2004.

Psycho (1960): chocolate syrup and a small budget

The famous shower scene was shot over several days and made up of dozens of camera setups, even though it lasts under a minute on screen. The film was shot in black and white, and chocolate syrup is commonly cited as the blood used because it looked right on black and white film. Alfred Hitchcock also insisted that cinemas not allow people in after the film started, which was unusual at the time and became part of its marketing.

Lagaan (2001): a village made for a cricket match

Ashutosh Gowariker's film, set in colonial India, was shot largely near Bhuj in Gujarat, where an entire village and a cricket ground were built for the story. The cast and crew lived and worked in the dry, hot Kutch region for months, and the shoot is remembered as a demanding one. Lagaan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The Wizard of Oz (1939): a very uncomfortable shoot

The Technicolor film used extremely hot, bright studio lights that made the costumes and sets scorching. The original makeup for the Tin Man contained aluminium dust, which badly affected the actor first cast in the role, Buddy Ebsen, and he had to leave the production. He was replaced by Jack Haley, who wore a paste form of the makeup. The black-and-white Kansas scenes were filmed in sepia tones, and the shift to colour when Dorothy lands in Oz still impresses audiences.

Quick comparison: movie magic then and now

Era	Typical trick	Example
Classic	Matte paintings, miniatures, practical sets	The Wizard of Oz
1970s to 1990s	Animatronics, sound design, early digital effects	Jaws, Star Wars
2000s onward	Motion capture, large-scale digital crowds, virtual sets	The Lord of the Rings

Fun to try: Next time you rewatch a favourite film, pay attention to sound. Footsteps, doors and punches are often recorded separately by Foley artists, who use everyday objects such as celery for breaking bones or coconut shells for horse hooves.

Final thoughts

Great movies are often the result of problems solved creatively, from a broken shark to a mirror-filled palace. Details of film history can vary between sources and retellings, so treat anecdotes with a little care. Still, knowing how scenes were made makes rewatching your favourites even more fun.