I wish I had this sort of resource at my fingertips in film school, many moons ago. OMG.

Now, one of my fav industry sites to visit regularly is MakingOf.com, the brainchild of actress Natalie Portman and producer  Christine Aylward to provide a behind-the scenes look at the creation of entertainment, from the inside looking out. The site is one of the first (and one of the only places I’ve found) with this much behind-the-scenes content, both originally produced and studio produced, including more than 300 exclusive interviews with established and emerging filmmakers, trailers, clips, photos, et al. Much of this stuff is to be found exclusively on Making Of.com before the films are released! The fruit of  leveraging industry  connections for the benefit of many. How cool is that?

Of late, MakingOf.com is playing host to a series of behind-the-scenes interviews with the writers & producers behind HBO’s epic 10-part, $200 million World War II series “The Pacific“. First off is screenwriter/ co-executive producer Bruce C. McKenna, one of the main writers of another Spielberg/ Hanks war epic, “Band of Brothers“.

Here’s a bit from MakingOf.com website:

“The Pacific” tracks the intertwined real life story of three U.S. Marines across the vast canvas of the Pacific Theater during World War II. In part one of our exclusive interview, McKenna describes his high profile collaborators as being “extremely emotionally invested in the story.” The time the Marines spent in the Pacific Theater was long and more intense and emotional than one could imagine. Spielberg wanted the seven year production to be a personal, intense journey as well. He told his collaborators “No blinking – I want to see the moral cost of the war on my characters.”

Head over to MakingOf.com for the series– not to be missed. While you’re there, be sure to wander around in the archives; it’s film school, online. Brilliant stuff and a wonderful resource for the soon-to-be filmmaker and experienced pro alike.

Cheers, M.