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The Great War | Behind the Scenes

Anti-German Hysteria

How does a composer create music to reflect the mood and feelings of the film, without editorializing the subject?

2 MIN 31 SEC

Oklahoma City | Behind the Scenes

Scene Breakdown: Connecting the Dots

Director Barak Goodman discusses the decision to open his film with the iconic image of the Murrah Federal Building just moments after the Oklahoma City bombing.

1 MIN 32 SEC

The Race Underground | Behind the Scenes

Scene Breakdown: Sprague's Sketches

Filmmaker Michael Rossi takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the production of The Race Underground, the story of building America’s first subway.

2 MIN 59 SEC

Command and Control | Behind the Scenes

Scene Breakdown: The Socket

Filmmaker Robert Kenner talks about filming inside of a decomissioned Titan II Missile complex in order to recreate a harrowing event from 1980.

3 MIN 26 SEC

Tesla | Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes of Tesla

Harold Clark of the Liberty Science Center gives a demonstration of Nikola Tesla's wireless energy.

57 SEC

The Boys of '36 | Behind the Scenes

Mark Samels on The Boys of '36

Executive Producer, Mark Samels talks about the film The Boys of '36, inspired by the best-selling book by Daniel James Brown.

1 MIN 00 SEC

The Boys of '36 | Behind the Scenes

Making the Boys of '36

We asked current University of Washington oarsmen about rowing a wooden racing shell on camera to help make The Boys of '36.

2 MIN 31 SEC

Walt Disney | Behind the Scenes

Why We Made "Walt Disney"

Executive Producer Mark Samels explains how American Experience was able to tell the in-depth story of Walt Disney.

2 MIN 22 SEC

Blackout | Behind the Scenes

Why We Made Blackout

"The civilization that was New York came unglued for 24 hours, and that's what our story is about."

1 MIN 44 SEC

Grand Coulee Dam | Behind the Scenes

Opening the Spillway

For the making of the film Grand Coulee Dam, dam operators agreed to open the spillway. Associate Producer Lauren DeFilippo tells the story.

15 SEC

War of the Worlds | Behind the Scenes

War of the Worlds: Uncovering Original Material

Last year, a University of Michigan grad student applied for an internship at American Experience. He ended up with a Story By credit on War of the Worlds.

2 MIN 59 SEC

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