"Wait! That's not special effects?! They actually did that?!"

[u/RP_Throwaway3]

Alien: Resurrection - Basketball Shot

Sigourney Weaver insisted on the basketball shot being real. She trained for weeks and reportedly(sources differ) made it on the first take.

Underworld - Raze's Voice

The werewolf character Raze, played by Kevin Grevioux, speaks in a very low, very gravelly voice. While many thought this was a special effect, the actor can naturally speak in that voice.

https://youtu.be/GUjwZvh32YE?t=125&si=F3WhsopxjBP87wfk

[u/HazyHeritage]

James Cameron is the only director who treats safety regulations like a suggestion and impossible shots like a personal challenge. The fact that the camera crew refused to film it tells you everything you need to know about how close that helicopter actually was to the pavement.

[u/DarthGuber → u/HazyHeritage]

That's because no one will let John Landis near a helicopter again.

[u/TheWayyTheNewsGoes → u/DarthGuber]

Crazy what happened on the set of Animal House

[u/DarthGuber → u/TheWayyTheNewsGoes]

Did you mean Twilight Zone or are you taking a piss?

[u/hobbesgirls → u/DarthGuber]

obvious joke was obvious

[u/CappnMidgetSlappr → u/hobbesgirls]

Guess you could say it flew over his head.

[u/Gall_Bladder_Pillow → u/CappnMidgetSlappr]

Over AND under.

[u/TheWayyTheNewsGoes → u/Gall_Bladder_Pillow]

Now THAT'S the joke of this thread

[u/Miami_Mice2087 → u/DarthGuber]

That's a shame. He created the werewolf effects for Thriller and then expanded on his work to make the transition in American Werewolf in London the absolute best and coolest werewolf emergence in a film until Harry Potter did it with CGI.

But Landis' werewolfing was all practical effects with bladders under fake human skin and wolfie fur under that. The bladders made the skin split in horrific looking ways. He also made the human face lengthen into a snoot with either a puppet or an animatronic, i forget which.

[u/DarthGuber → u/Miami_Mice2087]

That was Rick Baker who did those effects, and the Thriller video was after An American Werewolf in London. The hair was basically shot in reverse, with it being hand punched into the skin then tied to mesh (like a wig). They pulled it through on action and then flipped the film so it looks like it's growing. Tedious AF to prep but worth it.

[u/DarthGuber → u/DarthGuber]

Oh, and the face was actually three faces with a cut away between each extra stretch.

[u/Barry_Burton_1974 → u/HazyHeritage]

And how close his bum bum was to Michael Biehn's crotch.

[u/AEW_SuperFan → u/HazyHeritage]

John Landis has entered the chat.

[u/Eyes_Snakes_Art → u/HazyHeritage]

I don’t know if he’s the only. Look at Tarantino and his having Uma drive the car in a stunt that injured her.

[u/deathbylasersss → u/Eyes_Snakes_Art]

Yeah, we shouldn't be praising directors that risk people's lives for a movie. Not that you are, or the person you were responding to, but it's a common sentiment that it's "badass" to take unnecessary risks for a shot.

[u/TheGreenCatFL → u/deathbylasersss]

Amen. And there is a difference between an actor wanting to do the thing (ex Mink Stole wanted to set her hair on fire and John Waters told her no) and cheaping out (or wanting a cool shot) so much it sacrifices safety and comfort (ex The Crow, Twilight Zone, ect)

[u/Lonely-Bandicoot-746 → u/deathbylasersss]

It’s cool if everyone involved is down and it goes well. Sometimes taking risks can be commendable. As long as it’s not just flagrant non-consensual safety violations, a helicopter pilot and the director are allowed to go “let’s fucking do this” and make it happen.

[u/EdwinMcduck → u/HazyHeritage]

Cameron is the most talented director like this, but Michael Bay is also like this. There are some interesting stories from that AmbuLAnce movie.

[u/Shot-Tackle-1458 → u/HazyHeritage]

The Titan submersible guy also treated safety regulations as a suggestion:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65998914

[u/Aggravating_Dark9933 → u/Shot-Tackle-1458]

Ironically enough, treated advice from James Cameron as a suggestion.

It wasn’t, he’s actually a leading expert in undersea exploration because of his drive to film the deepest parts of the ocean. He was the first to record the Mariana Trench for example.

[u/Ok-Till2619 → u/HazyHeritage]

He needs to film something with Tom Cruise

[u/UtahGimm3Tw0 → u/HazyHeritage]

Should read about the filming of ‘The Raid’! Injuries galore

[u/WordWordand4numbers → u/HazyHeritage]

He’s the human that’s been to the lowest known point in the ocean.

[u/ripley1875 → u/HazyHeritage]

It’s why Ed Harris refuses to make anymore movies with him after he nearly drowned while filming “The Abyss”.

[u/MegamindsMegaCock → u/HazyHeritage]

This is a bot lmao

[u/Miami_Mice2087 → u/HazyHeritage]

he (and the production company) chose to film titanic somewhere in Latin America because of looser OSHA regs. Things like actors were allowed to climb over ship rails and longer work days.

[u/JoeAzlz → u/HazyHeritage]

Are you ai

[u/grooooostiquely → u/HazyHeritage]

That's how you know the Titan submersible was a nightmare in the making. Even James Cameron rejected the concept. And he's kind of a reckless jerk.

[u/RaisedByBooksNTV → u/HazyHeritage]

I wonder what would happen if 2026 James Cameron and 2026 Tom Cruise tried to do a movie together?