In April 2024, I embarked on an unforgettable journey to California, starting with a visit to Skywalker Ranch, Lucasfilm and Rancho Obi Wan. And unfogettable three days. While at Skywalker Ranch I met with Sound Supervisor, Mac Smith and legendary Model Maker, Lorne Peterson. This episode is a report from those three days. Full written report with photos Donate Button All the links Skywalker Ranch Archives Fly-through from the blu ray boxset Archives Tour with Don Bies from the...

For this the 100th episode it seems fitting that it’s someone who’s name I’ve known since I was 4, 5 and 6 when my imagination was first sparked, looking through my Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi comics and magazines. That name is of course Phil Tippett, one of those incredible artists whose work transcends the films he’s worked on. His work is always full of a singularly tactile, grunginess that I love. Whether it’s the chess pieces in Star Wars, the Tauntauns or Walkers on...

For episode 99 I interviewed friend, David Whiteley. If you don't know David, you should! He's a news presenter, but also a huge Star Wars Fan. And, has made two fantastic documentaries about the subject. Firstly "The Galaxy that Britain Built" and secondly "Toy Empire". Both are a must-watch for fans like us. David also produced a book which gathers together the interviews his conducted for "The Galaxy that Britain Built". It's available on Amazon here. Check it out! And then BUY...

For episode 98, I am joined by my guest from episode 2, Giles Terera, actor, writer, musician and great friend of mine. He suggested to me a few months back that we should do a commentary on The Empire Strikes Back. So last month that's just what we did. I went up to central London to his flat, armed with two mics and we sat at watched and waffled over our favourite film. I hope you enjoy the episode. If you want to watch along, hit play on the movie just as the intro music (after my spoken...

In episode 97 of the Filmumentaries podcast, I interview helicopter stunt pilot Fred North. Fred shares his journey from a childhood fascination with helicopters to becoming a successful stunt pilot in Hollywood. He emphasizes the importance of creating opportunities for oneself and having a shark-like drive to keep moving forward. Fred also discusses the art of flying a helicopter and the importance of connecting with the machine. He shares insights on working with directors and...

I hope you enjoyed my archival interview episodes in December 2023, one with Producer Robert Watts, the other with actor Garrick Hagon. Well now we are back to some recent interviews, I can tell you I’ve been busy lining these up ready for 2024! So… for the first, its a pretty big one, well it’s a very big one - Thanks to the lovely folks at ILM, I was given the chance to interview director Gareth Edwards and his FX crew on The Creator. I’d be trying to get Gareth on via a mutual friend...

Ok, this is another one from the archives, but as with the Robert Watts recording, I’ve been wanting to put this one out in podcast form for a while too. This is a conversation I had with actor Garrick Hagon back in 2015. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, how about Biggs Darklighter. Yes, Garrick is well known for his mostly deleted scenes from Star Wars in which he plays Luke’s best pal. I’d met Garrick in the green room at a Star Wars Trilogy day at the BFI southbank earlier that year....

This is one from the archives, but I’ve been wanting to put this out in podcast for for some time now. Its my interview with the legendary producer Robert Watts from back in July 2018. My cameraman buddy Paddy and I visited Robert at his home, and a lovely home it was too. He was on such great form and just a delight to be with. We arrived armed with some F1 signed caps from Hamilton and Vettel because a little birdy had told us he was a motorsport fan. And he was absolutely delighted....

Uncover the secrets of Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1's breathtaking visual effects. VFX supervisors Jeffrey Sutherland and Simone Coco share insights on collaboration, challenges, and the art of crafting cinematic magic. Step behind the scenes and explore the dynamic world where reality meets creativity. I was recently given the opportunity, by the folks at ILM, to talk to two VFX supervisors that worked on Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1. Namely Jeff Sutherland and...

Now, for this exciting episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Tom Spina. Tom is an avid Star Wars enthusiast, restoration specialist, and the founder of Tom Spina Designs and Regal Robot. In our conversation, we delve into his early love for Star Wars and those toys, his passion for computer graphics on his Amiga, his brief stint as a TD in live TV, and his current work in restoring historical movie props. We also touch on his Star Wars Celebration panel, his interactions with the film...

For this episode, the second of November 2023, I spoke with director, producer and editor Jeremy Coon. Jeremy was the producer on the 2007 film Napoleon Dynamite. But I spoke to him in his editor director capacity about the new documentary “A Disturbance in the Force’, which I was lucky enough to see at the UK premiere in London last week. The documentary chronicles the story behind the bizarre and legendary Star Wars Holiday Special. The 1978 TV special full of growling wookies, odd dance...

In this episode (number 90!!), I share an enlightening conversation with the creators of the "RoboDoc" series - a comprehensive documentary on the iconic sci-fi film, RoboCop. The team includes directors Chris Griffith and Eastwood Allen, and producer Gary Smart. The trio talks in-depth about how they transformed their passion project into a widely acclaimed series over several years. They reveal that their journey was far from smooth, battling legal issues, budget constraints, and meeting...

In this episode (number 90!!), I share an enlightening conversation with the creators of the "Robodoc" series - a comprehensive documentary on the iconic sci-fi film, Robocop. The team includes directors Chris Griffith and Eastwood Allen, and producer Gary Smart. The trio talks in-depth about how they transformed their passion project into a widely acclaimed series over several years. They reveal that their journey was far from smooth, battling legal issues, budget constraints, and meeting...

If you listened to episode 87 you’ll have heard my conversation with the British Film Institutes Douglas Weir. He’s Technical and Remastering lead there and does great work with his team to restore and release films from British classics to lost gems. He invited me back to talk to him and his colleague Vic Pratt - film historian and Video Publishing Producer. So I got together with them both at BFI Southbank last week to talk about some of their new projects. One of their blu ray releases...

For this episode, number 88, I spoke with Mac Smith about the path he took to his career as Supervising Sound Editor and employee of Skywalker Sound, via marching bands, a chance meeting with Walter Murch, being propelled into the industry working for Robert Zemekis on Castaway. And so much more. Listen in for the full story. Thanks to the folks at Skywalker Sound for helping set this up. All the links! This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising...

For this episode, number 87 I spoke to The British Film Institute’s Remastering and Technical lead Douglas Weir. Doug had recently introduced a screening of Jaws at the BFI back in June of this year. It wasn’t just any old print of Jaws, it was a near pristine dye transfer print that a colleague of Doug’s found in the archive. After the screening which was amazing, I contacted Doug to see if he’d come on the podcast to talk about that print and about his career at BFI. It turns out he is...

For this episode, number 86, I spoke with VFX Supervisor Charmaine Chan. We chatted back in mid June 2023 on a boiling hot day here in London. We talked about Charmaine's entry into the industry via running a website about a particular girl group that you might have heard of. She then went onto to be a researcher and compositor at ILM, and most recently a VFX supervisor on Gareth Edwards' visually dazzling, “The Creator” - out on 29th September 2023. I'm very much looking forward to seeing...

For this episode, number 85, the firstone of September 2023, I have VFX supervisor of choice for both Spielberg and Scorcese, namely Pablo Helman. Pablo and I spoke back in June 2023 about his career path and his work for Stephen and Marty. There will be a video version available for those of you that contribute via patreon on the second tier. Pablo left his home of Argentina in the early 1990s to work in the VFX industry in California. He initially worked on films like Apollo 13 and...

This time I have the pleasure of sharing my conversations with Skywalker Sound’s Co-Supervising Sound Editor Matthew Wood, Sound Designer David W Collins and Re-recording Mixer Danielle Dupre. I spoke with Matthew and David together and then separately with Danielle. Matthew and David are Emmy nominated for Mandalorian Chapter 24, Matthew his also nominated for his work on Obi Wan Kenobi Part VI (6) Danielle has also been nominated for her work on Obi Wan Kenobo part 6. So first of all...

For this, the second special Emmy nominees episode I got to speak with friend of the podcast and former guest VFX Animation Supervisor Hal Hickel (check out episode 68 for that conversation) along with Grady Cofer, Production Visual Effects Supervisor. We chat about their work on the show, the balance of innovation and tradition, the use of certain tools of their trade and the collaborative nature of VFX work. Links Return of the Jedi Timeline Book - Register your interest! Etsy Shop -...

Welcome to this special episode of the Filmumentaries Podcast. Episode 82 in fact. Today is a small diversion from the usual. Rather than film history, I have three guests who are very much part of the film now, or TV now. These three gentlemen are at the forefront of VFX on Disney+’s Emmy award nominated show, Andor. Genuinely one of my favourite shows for a long time. So for this month, August 2023, there will be three episodes, all conversations with ILM VFX and Skywalker sound artists...

For this episode, the second of July 2023, I spoke with Puppet Film Director and Creature Effects Artist Kevin McTurk. Kevin and I first connected on Facebook a couple of years ago, maybe it was more than that. We’ve been trying to find a suitable time to have him on the podcast since then. Well now is the time as Kevin has a project on Kickstarter as we speak. Kevin directs these amazing short films using puppetry and wonderfully atmospheric effects. He’s a veteran of creature effects in...

For this episode, the first of July 2023, I spoke with Special Effects Supervisor Richard Van Den Bergh. I met Richard when he was one of the panellists on the Andor SFX/VFX panel at Star Wars Celebration in May this year. Richard is clearly an expert of his craft, whether it’s model making, making atmospherics or supervising. He’s had some much experience from starting in the industry on Ridley Scott's Legend, to his most recent work on Andor for which he was nominated for a Bafta. I...

My conversation today is with long time Lucasfilm film employee Miki Herman. She was engaged at Lucasfilm during the production of Star Wars and stayed long enough to work on the Ewok and Droids cartoons. She worked on the original Star Wars trilogy as production assistant, production coordinator and unit production manager, respectively. She was later a consultant for The Star Wars Holiday Special and became co-executive producer of the Star Wars Droids and Ewoks animated series. Now, I...