8 Completely Pointless Movie Details That Will Blow Your Mind

That backstory you spent two years on? Let's cut it.

The Shining
Warner Bros.

You know how method actors always go a little bit weird when it comes to really getting into the perfect state of mind for a role? Well, turns out there's plenty of directors out there that are just as bad. The difference being that these guys are waving a fat paycheck in front of everyone to get exactly what they want out of their movies, from years of prop making that never sees the light of day, to getting actors to actually fight each other for that true, Maybelline, freshly-pummelled look. Dance, monkey, dance!

When it comes to executing the perfect cinematic vision on our screens, there's very little that goes unnoticed by our beloved screen dictators, and plenty of mind-blowing effort put into even the most minuscule of moments on screen. And plenty off-screen too, if only to get the cast thoroughly convinced of the world they're trying to create in some Inception-level trickery. Painstakingly make enough Quidditch pamphlets and you're sure to believe you're lost in the wizarding world, after all.

The line between genius and lunatic is a fine one to walk, and these creatives have taken their films right to the brink to get the very best films of the past few decades. It was all worth it in the end, guys, now go burn all your work so no one else can copy it...

8. Wes Anderson Created Hundreds Of Fictitious Paper Props Never Seen On Screen - The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Shining
Fox Searchlight

Arguably one of the most precise directors on modern screens, Wes Anderson is allowed to be a bit extra sometimes. Considering how beautifully his sets and cinematography come together, his innate colourful style, and his creation of whimsical cinematic fairytales, it's only fair he's picky - which The Grand Budapest Hotel's graphic designer can attest to more than anyone.

Tasked to create no less than 30 of every paper prop both on screen and off, the designer went to ridiculous lengths to ensure the precise replication of each of Zubrowka's charming pages, from blood-stained letters to imaginary currency.

Anderson himself made newspapers that would never been caught on camera and wrote out all their articles, titling them as Trans Alpine Yodel, The Daily Fact, and The Continental Drift, each with their own links to the story and world-building content to further the immersion of his fictional country for none other than the pleasure of those on set.

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Horror film junkie, burrito connoisseur, and serial cat stroker. WhatCulture's least favourite ginger.