Behind the Scenes

'The Underground Railroad,' the new series from Amazon Studios and director Barry Jenkins, attempts to upend viewers' notions of what it meant to be enslaved.

By William Nash

They've become commonplace in Hollywood moviemaking, but green screens aren't just for big-budget films. They're popular with vloggers and YouTubers now, too.

By Mark Mancini

Ah, the '90s. We're still watching this glorious decade's campy disaster flicks for the action scenes and nostalgia value. But accuracy was never their forte. Just for kicks, let's look at the science of "Twister," "Volcano" and more.

By Mark Mancini

Antagonists. We need them to provide balance to the protagonists of our stories and myths. Because, really, what kind of world would it be if we all just got along?

By Oisin Curran

There's a musical name for dread, and it is 'Dies Irae.' How did this 13th-century Latin hymn become the go-to tune for conjuring up movie scares?

By Alia Hoyt

What happens when movie marketers try to get audiences into the cinema by misrepresenting the film they're trying to sell?

By Chris Opfer

We think we know what gets censored out of movies shown on airplanes – like language and plane crashes. But the rise of streaming has changed the rules and added some cultural dimensions.

By Dave Roos

Kanopy is looking to bring libraries and universities into the streaming age with access to its vast collection.

By Chris Opfer

Why would a cinematic giant like 'Star Wars' go digital first with its newest stories?

By Bryan Young

In the world of Harry Potter, being a wizard in the United States is a lot different than being a wizard in England. Now who’s up for a game of quodpot?

By Bryan Young

The black female mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race were scientific savants who helped make some pretty amazing advances in aeronautics.

By Alia Hoyt

You could probably see "Rogue One" with no prior knowledge of "Star Wars" and be fulfilled, but checking out these things beforehand will kick the experience up a notch.

By Bryan Young

As No-Majs, or muggles, we can't see the world's magical creatures. Luckily, they're everywhere in the new film set in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. We meet three.

By Bryan Young

Companies that make prop money for movies and videos have to walk a fine line between making cash that looks realistic, but not crossing into counterfeit.

By Dave Roos

Yep, real-time motion capture and re-enactment just got faster (and funnier).

By Julia Layton

Is it possible — just maybe — that spoilers don't actually (spoiler!) spoil all the fun?

By Oisin Curran

If you’re writing and directing a new “Star Wars” movie, you’ve got a built-in fan base to entertain and keep happy. Will viewers be delighted with “The Force Awakens”?

By Bryan Young

A good movie transports you to another universe. But what if that universe is so authentic it's visually jarring? Step into the debate about hyper-real high frame rate films!

By Debra Ronca

Moviemaking is not a profession without its own dangers, but for all the fake gore and dismemberment in the movies, there are tragic tales of filming gone wrong.

By Christine Venzon

From "The Shining" to "The Shawshank Redemption," from Hogwarts to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, find out how establishing shots immerse audiences in movies' settings.

By Bambi Turner

Using drones, cinematographers can capture beautiful, sweeping shots more easily and cheaply than ever before. And affordable technology means more amateurs can get in the game, too. Get ready to plan your film debut.

By Oisin Curran

The picture is so smooth and realistic that some moviegoers find it unsettling or less magical. Is high frame rate 3-D the next big step in cinema or a blip in film history?

By Nathan Chandler

Rumors have surrounded the shocking horse scene in "The Godfather" for years -- did author Mario Puzo make it up, or worse, was it based on a true incident? And where does Frank Sinatra fit in? Read on for the scoop.

By Alison Cooper

Conspiracy theorists have been debunking the moon landing ever since Neil Armstrong took that first small step. But how (and why) does Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" fit in to this pervasive urban legend?

By Alison Cooper

Remember when you got the lyrics to the "Star Trek" theme stuck in your head? Oh, right. There are no lyrics to the "Star Trek" theme -- or are there?

By Alison Cooper