The Filmumentaries Podcast
The Filmumentaries Podcast - deep dives into practical effects, model making, matte painting, creature creation and prosthetics, animatronics, puppetry, prop restoration and VFX. Hosted by filmmaker, author, and film historian Jamie Benning, The Filmumentaries Podcast features long-form interviews with the unsung heroes of cinema - the production designers, editors, composers, cinematographers, digital artists, puppeteers, model makers, sound designers and effects crews who actually bring our favourite films to life. Each episode dives into the real work of filmmaking, from practical, in-camera effects to cutting-edge digital techniques. You'll hear from art directors, production designers, VFX supervisors, model makers, matte painters, creature and animatronics experts, puppeteers, performance capture artists, motion control specialists, editors, sound designers, re-recording mixers, composers, animators, prop restoration experts and Propstore archivists who helped shape iconic films like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Blade Runner, Jaws, Ghostbusters and Alien. With a strong focus on practical effects, physical filmmaking, and the craft behind the illusion, the podcast preserves the knowledge and stories of the people who built, shot and brought these worlds to life long before pixels took over - and those still pushing the boundaries today through performance capture, motion control and modern visual effects. Jamie is also a writer for Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound, and has close ties to the BFI's film restoration and archive teams. Whether you're a cinephile, filmmaker, prop collector or simply curious about how films are really made, this podcast is your all-access pass to film history. What You'll Discover: First-hand stories from the artists, craftspeople and technicians behind the films Deep dives into practical effects, model making, matte painting, prosthetics, animatronics, puppetry, performance capture and VFX Conversations on production design, art direction, cinematography, editing, sound design and film composing Interviews with veterans of ILM, Lucasfilm, Skywalker Sound, Weta, DNEG, Digital Domain and Stan Winston Studio Historic coverage of iconic films including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Blade Runner, Ghostbusters, Alien and many more A celebration of cinema's hidden heroes New episodes every other week. Follow @filmumentaries on Instagram, Threads and Facebook, and @jamieswb on X. Visit filmumentaries.com for transcripts, archives and bonus content.
Episodes
Craig talks about growing up on a sheep and cattle ranch in Washington State, being captivated by the 1960s Batman TV show and then Planet of the Apes, and te...
We get into how a chance meeting with future Oscar-winning art director Ro...
In this episode, I’m joined by model maker John Duncan, whose career spans nearly fifteen years at Industrial Light & Magic and includes work across Star Wars, Star Trek, Galaxy Quest, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Matrix and more.
John talks about his early fascination with building miniatures as a kid, making models out of paper and cardboard, and how that instinct to just try things eventually led him ...
After beginning his career working under the legendary Stan Winston, he went on to contribute to films including Aliens, Predator, ...
- Growing up loving movies and discovering sound via college radio in Ohio
- Making a cold call to Walter Murch and landing a job on Apocalypse Now
- Early sound experiments at Skywalker Ranch
- Recording effects for The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders...
From that small but unforgettable role, the documenta...
Summary
In this conversation, Jon Spira discusses his new book 'I'll Settle for Nothingness: Conversations with Mike Hodges', detailing the genesis of the book, his friendship with the legendary filmmaker, and the exploration of Hodges' versatile career. The discussion covers many things including the making of 'Morons from Outer Space', the challenges of unproduced films, and the emotional journey of writing t...
- Why Rob describes his book as an “anti-textbook”
- The idea that the camera’s job is to photog...
Walsh discusses how he was approached by Abrams Books and Paramount Pictures to chronicle the creation of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel, offering rare insights into the production design, visual effects, and creative collaboration behind one of the ...
The Buenos spent years interviewing dozens of cast and crew members from the original Ghostbusters, including Dan Ay...
This week’s episode is a little different. It is a behind the scenes update on our ongoing feature documentary about production designer and director Joe Alves (Jaws, Close Encounters, Escape from New York, Jaws 2, Jaws 3D). I take you through our trip to Martha’s Vineyard in June 2024 to capture Joe’s return to the island for the 50th anniversary o...
- How London’s old cinemas became coffee shops, bingo halls, and churches
- The difference between “going to the pictures” in the 1930s–50s and c...
At just 19 years old, Dave Barclay found himself stepping into the role of chief puppeteer for Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. It was the start of an extraordinary career in animatronics and puppetry that would see him bringing to life some of cinema’s most beloved and memorable characters. In this episode, Dave takes us back to his creative beginni...
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