If you're up right now

[Tim O'Connor]

Turner Classic Movies is showing a 2 hour plus program right now "The Making of Gone with the Wind". I just watched a bunch of b/w screen tests of well known actors who were considered for roles, as well as some (faded) color hair and m/u tests. Pretty interesting.

[Tom Jensen]

Thanks, it's great so far. They're talking about Jack Cosgrove.

[James Steven Beverly]

I just finished watching it. Brilliant bit of doc film making. My favorite part what the short segment on the lighting and color where it is described as to what the color and set up should look like to create the proper mood and emotional feel as they show the finished scene. It really interesting to see the artistic intent put into practical application. The rest of the information is fascinating, the nuts and bolts of what it took to create this masterpiece and the egos that built and could have destroyed it. The comparison of the actresses being considered at the time for Scarlett really drives home just how extraordinary Vivian Leigh's performance was when shown next to other superb actresses and why she truly did deserve that role. All in all a great window into movie making of the studio era.

Edited December 16, 2009 by James Steven Beverly

[Tim O'Connor]

Cool, I debated whether to post in general discussion but I figured it was the best place for

anybody to see it in time, sort of the Cinematography.com hotline. I really liked the segment showing the matte shots and

the way the before and after views were shown. The Jack Cosgrove part was really good too.

 

I couldn't stay up for all of it but what I saw was all interesting. Oh, the section on the big setpiece showing the Confederate casualties

showed how some of the extras operated mechanical dummies next to them to make them move as if they were wounded. Once they

showed that and then showed part of the shot from the film, I noticed how a lot of the soldiers had the exact same arm movements

which I would never have noticed otherwise. Plus, did you see that slate that they were using in the screen tests? It went by fast but

there was some sort of opening, perpendicular to the sticks, that had some kind of vertical marker lock into it when the sticks closed.

It was old-fashioned but pretty cool.

 

Seeing all those big old Hollywood lights in the actual behind the scenes footage and on the interview sets was fun too.

[James Steven Beverly]

Yeah, those damn big mother Arc lights, The cameras were freakin' TANKS!!! It was amazing they had any camera movement at ALL!! I did the same thing when they showed the railroad yard scene, looked for the dummies. I agree the matte painting sequence was amazing, I never realized how much they were able to do with matte paining, I mean taking the door to a soundstage and turing it into the entrance to a mansion. WOW!! and YEAH those test slates were very cool, in fact they prompted me to want to build something similar for use on my film as we will need to do tests and these seemed very practical.

Edited December 17, 2009 by James Steven Beverly