tMF | The Movie-Fanatic

Natalie Portman is not only a talented actress, she is also known as an activist and with the launch of a website (together with cofounder/CEO Christine Aylward) named MakingOf, she may also be known as an innovator of sorts... Here's what she said about the rationale behind the site:

I always wondered why there isn't a Web site that encapsulated the experience of visiting a friend on a movie set," said Portman. "Our site is supposed to give access to people who don't have a friend they can visit." And that means exclusive behind-the-scenes content and some serious insight into what all the different people who work on a movie do. "There are so many people who contribute in ways that aren't highlighted," she said. "Jobs that people don't even know about.

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I think without having to write an intro, this short bio encapsulates her work as an actress: Natalie Portman began acting at the young age of 11 and has since then starred in more than 25 films. Titles include Star Wars: Episodes I, II, and III, Garden State, Closer, V for Vendetta, and The Other Boleyn Girl. Portman won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and earned an Academy Award nomination for her role in Closer. She recently made her writing and directorial debut with a short film for the anthology New York, I Love You and next wrote and directed the short film, Eve, starring Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara and Olivia Thirlby, which debuted at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. Portman also recently formed a production company, Handsomecharlie Films and will soon be seen in Brothers, directed by Jim Sheridan.

MakingOf.com debuted with more than 40 exclusive interviews with leaders in every aspect of filmmaking, from directors Ron Howard, Marc Forster, Michel Gondry, and director/writer Don Roos, to casting director Todd Thaler, and more.

Additionally, the site launched with exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews for films not yet released including Moon and Angels & Demons.

Consumers are fascinated with celebrities and the entertainment industry, yet so much of what happens in the creation process is a mystery to the people who love and consume it the most," said Co-founder and CEO Christine Aylward. "MakingOf is a centralize hub that aims to change that by acting as a virtual film school, taking users behind the scenes, showing them how movies are created, and giving them an all-access pass to learn from actors, directors, producers, and writers.

What It's All About: MakingOf is a behind-the-scenes Web portal, founded by Natalie Portman and Christine Aylward, that provides an intimate, fresh look into the process of creating entertainment by the insiders themselves. Our mission is to champion the art and craft of entertainment creation. We started MakingOf because we realized that so much of what goes into entertainment creation is unavailable to the people who love and consume it the most. We wanted to give fans a way to experience that creation and learn from the insiders and thus MakingOf was born.

When you visit MakingOf you will experience behind-the-scenes content, exclusive access to industry insiders, and an interactive, entertainment-focused community forum. It is your all-access pass to learn from and interact with actors, directors, producers, writers, and more. Film school for everyone! And film is just the start. Stay posted as we add additional features.

How It Works: MakingOf gives users a fresh, unfiltered view of the entertainment industry and provides behind-the-scenes content, exclusive access to industry insiders, and an interactive, entertainment-focused community forum. MakingOf has four main content components:

Now Filming offers behind-the-scenes content captured during the creation process. This includes content from the set of film productions, interviews, unseen clips, movie trailers, posters, and photos.

Community is an interactive network where participants can engage with industry experts and fellow fans to exchange ideas, gain knowledge, and connect. This section will launch over the next several weeks.

Insiders includes intimate interviews with industry insiders and covers everything from screenplay development to movie premieres.

The Vault is a behind-the-scenes library from movies no longer in theaters and includes content from the set of film productions, interviews, unseen clips, movie trailers, posters, and photos.

MakingOf launched its beta site and will add additional features and content over the next several months.