History Main / AnInsert

* An interesting example from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': actor Creator/JamesDoohan (Scotty) was a Lieutenant in the 14th Field Artillery, [[UsefulNotes/CanucksWithChinooks 3rd Canadian Infantry Division]] in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, where he had [[lost the middle finger of his right hand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Doohan#/media/File:James_Doohan_Actor.jpg]] in a friendly-fire incident at the Battle of Normandy. Keen eyed viewers will note that in close-up inserts of Scotty operating machinery, his hands have all their digits (because the close-ups were doubled by another actor). But in long shots, its more obvious that one of them is missing... this applies to all the movies featuring the original series cast as well.

* An interesting example from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': actor James Doohan (Scotty) had seen service as a pilot in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, where he had lost the middle finger of his right hand in combat. Keen eyed viewers will note that in close-up inserts of Scotty operating machinery, his hands have all their digits (because the close-ups were doubled by another actor). But in long shots, its more obvious that one of them is missing... this applies to all the movies featuring the original series cast as well.

* In the TV Movie ''My Breast'' Meredith Baxter got a breast exam on-camera. The hands doing the exam were those of her doctor, not the actor playing the doctor.

* Similarly, in ''The Flim-Flam Man'' magician Jay Ose's hands did the card flourishes for George C. Scott

* Quite common amongst films portraying a character playing a musical instrument. Ralph Macchio played none of the guitar parts in ''Crossroads'', those were played by Ry Cooder.

* ''Film/PhantomOfTheOpera'': The creepy, black-leather-glove-wearing hand locking Christine's dressing room belongs to the Phantom, naturally.

* Willie Mosconi served as technical advisor on ''Film/TheHustler'' and performed some of the trick shots, though not for Jackie Gleason who made all his own shots.

* Done in ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' whenever Music/DavidBowie manipulates his magical balls. [[FreudWasRight Now get your mind out of the gutter]]. The hands shown are those of juggling artist Michael Moschen.

* ''Film/TheGodfather'': When Michael opens the newspaper to read about his father's shooting, his hands in the insert are played by GeorgeLucas.

* An interesting example from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': actor James Doohan (Scotty) had seen service as a pilot in UsefulNotes/WorldWar2, where he had lost the middle finger of his right hand in combat. Keen eyed viewers will note that in close-up inserts of Scotty operating machinery, his hands have all their digits (because the close-ups were doubled by another actor). But in long shots, its more obvious that one of them is missing... this applies to all the movies featuring the original series cast as well.

* Done in ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' whenever DavidBowie manipulates his magical balls. [[FreudWasRight Now get your mind out of the gutter]]. The hands shown are those of juggling artist Michael Moschen.

* When Cameron reaches down to answer his phone in ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'', the hand we see actually belongs to Creator/JohnHughes.
* The hands that nail Jesus to the cross in ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'' belong to the director, Creator/MelGibson.

* The Sci-fi reality prank show ''Scare Tactics'' uses these more and more often as the show goes on. Considering the fact that the show is filmed by hidden cameras, you can bet that almost any embellishing shots (close-ups of equipment being operated, "special effects" sequences that the victim can't possibly even witness, etc.) were added in later. Well, either that or it's staged, but who knows...

* An episode of ''The George Lopez Show'' had a [[SpecialEffectFailure hilariously blatant example]], with the teenage niece displaying mad shuffling skillz at a poker game.

* On the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode "RidingWithDeath," this device was used a handful of times so additional dialogue could be added that would tie together the completely unrelated plots of the two episodes smashed together to make the movie. Notably, a close-up of a speakerphone as we hear Ben Murphy say "Leonard, I hear you've grown quite the mustache while I was away."

* In ''Film/{{Titanic}}'', the hands drawing the picture of Rose belong to Creator/JamesCameron.

* ''TheSting''. When Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) is doing card tricks before the poker game, the hands doing the tricks are actually those of John Scarne, famous magician and expert on gambling and card manipulation.

* The DVDCommentary to ''LoveActually'' points out a [[SarcasmMode "very fluid"]] one, of the videotape being put in the VCR, in the scene where Juliet goes to Mark's house.

* When Cameron reaches down to answer his phone in ''FerrisBuellersDayOff'', the hand we see actually belongs to Creator/JohnHughes.

* A ''{{Lost}}'' example of a insert changing the plot: when Ben killed his father, it was originally intended that he would just sit there as the gas that killed DHARMA killed him too. They decided him having a ''active'' role in the murder would work better, so instead we get close ups of hands holding a gas canister...

* ''KnightRider'' features several bizarre "Exposition Hands" sequences. At least once, for no clear reason, rather than doing an insert of an indicator on the dashboard, a close up of the indicator is shown on the dashboard's monitor. Several times, an insert of some feature being activated shows a hand pressing a button on the dashboard, even though there is no one in the car at the time. This latter is probably because the activation of the feature was associated with StockFootage that didn't take into account the fact that KITT could drive himself when necessary.

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* Mercilessly spoofed in the Australian series ''Russell Coight's All Aussie Adventures'', where a running gag involved an insert of a handshake being played every time the title character met someone new in the bush. The insert never matched the two people in question, which really stood out when the new character was black, wearing gloves, sitting, or openly hostile to the main character (and thus not going to shake his hand).

* Mentioned in the DVD commentary of the 1st season of StargateAtlantis, which explained that the same hand actor is used for all inserts, thus giving big fat fingers to otherwise delicately-handed actor David Hewlett.

* When Cameron reaches down to answer his phone in ''FerrisBuellersDayOff'', the hand we see actually belongs to JohnHughes.

* In ''Film/{{Titanic}}'', the hands drawing the picture of Rose belong to JamesCameron.

* On the MST3K episode "RidingWithDeath," this device was used a handful of times so additional dialogue could be added that would tie together the completely unrelated plots of the two episodes smashed together to make the movie. Notably, a close-up of a speakerphone as we hear Ben Murphy say "Leonard, I hear you've grown quite the mustache while I was away."

* An interesting example from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': actor James Doohan (Scotty) had seen service as a pilot in WorldWar2, where he had lost the middle finger of his right hand in combat. Keen eyed viewers will note that in close-up inserts of Scotty operating machinery, his hands have all their digits (because the close-ups were doubled by another actor). But in long shots, its more obvious that one of them is missing... this applies to all the movies featuring the original series cast as well.

* Done particularly ineptly in an otherwise touching episode of KamenRiderDenO. The hands playing piano in close up clearly belong to someone a good forty to fifty pounds heavier than rail-thin lead Takeru Sato.

* For full [[{{Narm}} symbolic goodness]], the hands that nail Jesus to the cross in ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'' belong to the director, MelGibson.

* The original ''Series/{{Dragnet}}'' television series often had entire episodes composed almost entirely of inserts showing the recovery of evidence as Friday narrates, probably because the scripts were being adapted from the exposition-heavy RadioDrama. StockFootage abounds, with the result that several episodes show the exact same footage of the same actors talking as Friday monotones, "Interviews with the friends and neighbors of the victim turned up no new leads."

* In ''{{Titanic}}'', the hands drawing the picture of Rose belong to JamesCameron.
* ''PhantomOfTheOpera'': The creepy, black-leather-glove-wearing hand locking Christine's dressing room belongs to the Phantom, naturally.

* The original ''{{Dragnet}}'' television series often had entire episodes composed almost entirely of inserts showing the recovery of evidence as Friday narrates, probably because the scripts were being adapted from the exposition-heavy RadioDrama. StockFootage abounds, with the result that several episodes show the exact same footage of the same actors talking as Friday monotones, "Interviews with the friends and neighbors of the victim turned up no new leads."
* The puppet-based action show ''{{Thunderbirds}}'' would often insert a live actor's hands when a puppet character would activate a switch or button.

* The reality show ''Series/TheAmazingRace'' features close-ups of hands holding the various clues/tasks the racers receive while host Phil Keoghan describes them in a voiceover. These are known as "Exposition Hands" to TelevisionWithoutPity members.