A quiet shift is underway in Hollywood: the people who design explosions, creatures and digital worlds are increasingly aiming to step into the director’s chair. Once thought of as technical specialists brought in late to “fix” shots, top visual effects supervisors are now involved from the earliest planning stages of blockbuster filmmaking. Their responsibilities have grown...

Extreme Urban Exploration and Love In the vertiginous world of extreme urban exploration, two hearts beat as one—Moscow-born Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus have transformed the dangerous art of scaling skyscrapers without permission into both a profession and a passionate romance. The couple, whose daring ascents frequently border on illegal trespassing, navigate the world's most...