Just finished a whole book about the making of Citizen Kane, AMA

Didn't take you long to write it!

hahaha

Who wrote it

Robert Carringer

Luke Skywanker : so what was the most surprising bit of trivia you learned?

OhCecilia : So I knew there were lots of effects, but I don't think I knew how MANY. There are entire reels where about 80% of shots includes some kind of optical effect. And I knew the nature of most of those effects but I never suspected some of them of being "faked."

Like the shot of old Kane in a faraway doorway is three different shots composited, including a matte painting I never suspected was a painting

Have you listened to Roger Ebert's commentary?

Nope. I almost never watch movies with commentary for some reason

Many aren't worth it but this one is.

He says Citizen Kane is as much a special effects picture as Star Wars is.

huh, ok

Oh yeah

which is funny because it's got this realist vibe in some ways

that's SO cool

You aren't supposed to notice the effects in Citizen Kane.

Of course

I've just seen it a lot

MicroPolly: "Are those birds animated?"

haha that's my least favorite thing in the whole film

I don't like the laughing trombones, but those probably played differently in 1941.

Oh true

Oh, there were AMAZING cinematic tricks used in Citizen Kane.

I knew about them and generally how they were done, this book just informed me of more of the specifics and how MUCH there was.

But yea.

h