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Television
Issue date:
May 8-10, 1997
Behind the scenes at ER
Related Stories:
 Profile: Anthony Edwards
Profile: George Clooney
Straight Talk: Gloria Reuben
By Gayle Jo Carter
Q. Where do they get all that "blood"? It's "studio blood," sold by the gallon to movie studios, TV shows -- anyone who needs some.
Q. What is it? Actually, ER buys eight varieties, depending on the scene. Some is general-purpose; some looks like pumping blood; some is for suctioning or flowing; some looks as if it's been out awhile. The ER prop master says it must be sugar-free -- it doesn't attract bugs.
Q. What are viewers really looking at when we see an open chest during surgery? A prosthetic made of silicone or latex. The gurney or hospital bed is specially built with a center plate cut out so a real body sinks in and a fake chest is laid over it. Some of it is sleight-of-hand stuff, switching things as cameras pass by.
Q. Is the hospital set as extensive as it appears? There seem to be quite a few floors. The stage has only one floor. So when the elevator opens on "another floor," it's really the same stage redecorated, with different extras wandering around. Sometimes they're the same extras, in different clothes.
Q. And how do they manage snowstorms in Burbank, Calif.? Sometimes it's real snow: ER tapes in Chicago a few times a year. More often it is plastic, potato flakes or puffed rice, depending on the scale of the scene and whether a crunchy or slushy effect is desired. If it needs to blow around, they bring out a big fan.
Q. What about those defibrillators, heart monitors and so on? All the equipment is real. It's lent or donated by 60 medical companies for publicity purposes -- and deactivated. Some companies have ER gatherings to watch for their equipment on the air.
Q. How do the actors playing doctors and nurses make it look so real? Actually, most of the medical teams, except for the active regular cast members, are real nurses. It's easier than training actors. Real doctors supervise all the episodes.
Q. Are the actors really doing the procedures correctly? Yes, except for the speed. In reality, many of the procedures could not be accomplished so swiftly.
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