At this point, looking for inaccuracies or bad details in films has become a fun thing to do for some movie watchers. Over a million of them are gathered in thisReddit community, which allows them to share their accidental discoveries with other cinema enthusiasts.
Scroll down to find the most hilarious mistakes that somehow slipped past the careful eyes of movie makers, and be aware that the members of this subreddit often dabble in some serious irony and sarcasm.
While you’re at it, make sure to check out a conversation withfilmmaker and writerMolly Smith, who kindly agreed to tell us why such things go unnoticed.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
Bored Pandareached out to filmmaker and writerMolly Smith, who kindly agreed to tell us why such things go unnoticed.
She told us, “Continuity mistakes and background mishaps can sometimes get overlooked in films because the director and editor watch the cut so many times that they may not notice those small details.
The more you watch something, the more familiar you get with it, and these inconsistencies may not stand out. A director is focused on making the story coherent and communicating the overall tone and message of the film. The editor is focused on continuity and an overall sense of flow and polishing. Small details, like an extra falling over in the background of a scene, might get overlooked because the director is focused on something else.”
There is also continuity, and script supervisors who ensure that film and television scenes make sense both visually and verbally and can be edited into a coherent story when filming is finished. This department observes everything closely, taking detailed notes for directors and editors.They also make sure that everything in the scenes is in the exact location and in the same manner, take after take, even if the scene is shot for days or weeks at a time. At the end of each day, they produce a report putting down any errors and giving information about the already-shot scenes to be used for the following days (as well as at the editing stages of the film).
There is also continuity, and script supervisors who ensure that film and television scenes make sense both visually and verbally and can be edited into a coherent story when filming is finished. This department observes everything closely, taking detailed notes for directors and editors.
They also make sure that everything in the scenes is in the exact location and in the same manner, take after take, even if the scene is shot for days or weeks at a time. At the end of each day, they produce a report putting down any errors and giving information about the already-shot scenes to be used for the following days (as well as at the editing stages of the film).
However, keeping continuity is not an easy task. For instance, the crew may shoot an outdoor winter scene for a Christmas movie in the spring but discover that they need to go back for extra shots in the fall. The fake snow needs to look real and fall with the same consistency as it did months earlier. Additionally, all the props around the scene must look identical to previous ones.
It’s nearly impossible to duplicate everything how it was, so directors often use cutaway tricks to mask inconsistencies in moves. Even though the staff takes hundreds of photographs of the location and makes extensive notes on light placement, details, and actors, no one is immune to accidents.
Some of these accidents involve leaving modern-day objects that aren’t appropriate for the era in which the movie is set. Fans and cinema enthusiasts have been spotting modern water bottles in Little Women and Game of Thrones, while roads in Bridgerton have yellow traffic lines that were invented much later.
Smith told us that “Most major mistakes are fixed during post-production, the stage of filmmaking where the film is edited together, sound mixed, color graded, scored, and any VFX are added. In addition to the main editor, there might be several other creators that specialize in these different areas of post-production.
For example, Foley artists are responsible for creating authentic sound effects for things like footsteps, rustling clothes, etc. With all these different specializations, each person is focused on perfecting their area of the film, so major mistakes don’t frequently show up. In addition, there are usually test screenings in front of an audience for feedback before the final film is released.”
Some other common mistakes that remain in movies reveal the filmmaking process, such as visual effects or a very obvious stunt performer. This is also related to visible camera crew equipment that is accidentally left in the final cut of the movie. There can also be audio errors related to speech, sound effects, or character mistakes with significant slips in dialogue or written words.
Sometimes such blunders are left on purpose for movie watchers to find.They’re called Easter eggs and can be anything from an inside joke on set to a reference to another film.Smith confirms this fact and says “In multi-part film franchises, callbacks to previous films in the series can be exciting for viewers to find. They also generate press about the movie on social media. If the mistake or Easter egg doesn’t interfere with the tone and story of the film and adds an element of excitement for true fans, that might be a reason why a director would choose to leave it in.“If you want to learn more about them, we recommend checking out this article full ofEaster eggs and hidden details in popular filmsyou might have never noticed before.
Sometimes such blunders are left on purpose for movie watchers to find.They’re called Easter eggs and can be anything from an inside joke on set to a reference to another film.
Smith confirms this fact and says “In multi-part film franchises, callbacks to previous films in the series can be exciting for viewers to find. They also generate press about the movie on social media. If the mistake or Easter egg doesn’t interfere with the tone and story of the film and adds an element of excitement for true fans, that might be a reason why a director would choose to leave it in.”
If you want to learn more about them, we recommend checking out this article full ofEaster eggs and hidden details in popular filmsyou might have never noticed before.
Continue reading with Bored Panda PremiumUnlimited contentAd-free browsingDark modeSubscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
Unlimited contentAd-free browsingDark mode
Unlimited content
Ad-free browsing
Dark mode
Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
See Also on Bored Panda
Modal closeAdd New ImageModal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Modal close
Add New ImageModal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Modal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Add Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
Add Your Photo To This List
Please use high-res photos without watermarks
Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
Not your original work?Add source
Modal closeModal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Modal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Upload
UploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
Error occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.
TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermark
InstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermark
FacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
ChangeSourceTitle
Entertainment