Making Hollywood Magic

Before the words "lights, camera, action!" can be uttered on a film or television set, hundreds of highly skilled craftspeople literally set the stage. Whether creating a downpour or a blizzard on a clear day, causing a building to explode, or providing a critical prop such as a weapon, hat, or cane, they create the environment in which the actors and directors work their magic. Who are these people? What do they do? and How do they do it? are among the topics investigated in this...
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Before the words "lights, camera, action!" can be uttered on a film or television set, hundreds of highly skilled craftspeople literally set the stage. Whether creating a downpour or a blizzard on a clear day, causing a building to explode, or providing a critical prop such as a weapon, hat, or cane, they create the environment in which the actors and directors work their magic. Who are these people? What do they do? and How do they do it? are among the topics investigated in this insider's look at the glamorous yet highly demanding world of the below-the-line staffer. In a series of conversational profiles, specialists responsible for studio transportation, props, set construction and decoration, mechanical special effects, and atmosphere reveal what goes on behind the scene—the scope of their work, their trade secrets, and what life on the set is all about.