by Jamie Benning
The Filmumentaries Podcast – Exploring the Unsung Heroes of Cinema. Go beyond the credits and uncover the untold stories of the filmmakers, artists, and craftspeople who bring your favorite movies to life.<br /><br />Hosted by filmmaker, author, and film historian Jamie Benning, The Filmumentaries Podcast offers in-depth conversations with the behind-the-scenes legends of Hollywood and beyond. Each episode features exclusive interviews with art directors, production designers, VFX artists and supervisors, editors, sound designers, animators, and other key creatives who shaped iconic films like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, Ghostbusters, and more. <br /><br />Whether you're a die-hard cinephile, an aspiring filmmaker, or simply curious about the hidden artistry of moviemaking, this podcast is your all-access pass to film history. <br /><br />What You’ll Discover:<br /><ul><li>Rare insights into filmmaking from the people who were there</li><li>Deep dives into classic and modern movie-making techniques</li><li>Stories of innovation from Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm, and beyond</li><li>Exclusive discussions on practical effects, CGI, set design, and film scoring</li><li>A celebration of cinema’s hidden heroes </li></ul>New episodes twice a month. Subscribe now and follow Jamie Benning on social media: @filmumentaries on Instagram, Threads, and Facebook, and @jamieswb on X. <br /><br />Visit <a href="https://filmumentaries.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Filmumentaries.com</a> for more exclusive content and behind-the-scenes insights!
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
6/4/2020
Email Addresses
1 available
Phone Numbers
0 available
April 19, 2025
As promised, here's report of the goings on in Tokyo at Star Wars Celebration, day one and two from Rachel Pearson. <br /><br />More tomorrow.
April 19, 2025
In my previous episode I spoke with ADR specialist and dialoge editor Vickie Sampson. In that conversation she mentioned briefly about the time the Return of the Jedi audio recordings were stolen from her car. "That's a story for a whole other podcast", she remarked. So I contacted Vickie to ask her if she could record the story. She kindly obliged, and so here it is as a short Bonus episode for you folks!
April 8, 2025
<b>Episode 124 </b> <br /><br />Like many visual effects artists of a certain vintage, Jeff Okun didn’t plan on a career in VFX. In fact, by his own account, he didn't even plan to work in film at all. "I’m a completely accidental human being," he told me with a chuckle. His ambitions began on a very different stage — as a stand-up comic — until a sharply atheistic routine delivered at home earned him a lifetime ban from performing in front of his parents. Instead, Okun’s creative outlet took the form of magic tricks, homemade stunts, and Super 8 visual gags. “I would blow up model ships and fake fights in rush hour traffic,” he said, “and I’d be in the bushes filming with ketchup for blood.” All of this childhood chicanery ultimately gave way to a fascination with the trickery of movies — the kind of illusions you could only pull off with careful camera work, sleight-of-hand editing, and an appetite for mischief. Learning the Craft the Hard Way Okun's first job in film was with the legendary graphic designer and filmmaker Saul Bass. The experience was, in Okun's words, “awful,” but also profoundly formative. As Bass’s gopher-turned-editor, Okun was thrown into the deep end. “I hated him,” he laughed. “But he taught me everything: editing, sound, post-production supervision, how to shoot, how to frame. It was a masterclass.” Working for Bass meant operating in a visually precise, effects-heavy style — layering camera moves, creating in-camera effects, and often relying on labor-intensive optical printing processes. When optical houses turned down Bass’s business — too exacting, too expensive — Okun stepped in with cost-saving workarounds and pricing schemes that actually worked. “We doubled the budget, added a contingency, and somehow still landed exactly on target.”<br /><br />“By the end of it, I ended up loving the man,” Okun said. “Not because he gave me a break, but because he was so specific and difficult to please that when you <i>did</i> please him, it meant something. He learned how to prep lineup sheets, how to composite with interpositives, and how to break down 140-layer optical shots into manageable components. “I was just the fix-it guy. I didn't know what I was doing half the time. I still don't.” VFX by Way of Accident It wasn’t long before optical houses and producers began calling on Okun when their films were in trouble. One fix led to another. His reputation grew as someone who could step into a crisis and calmly solve it — usually with a combination of ingenuity, humour, and brute-force trial and error. “I think Saul trained me to see puzzles. That’s what it comes down to — seeing what’s broken and putting it together in a way that works. Most of the time, it wasn’t about having the right answer. It was about trying 50 wrong ones.” This kind of lateral thinking came into its own on films like <i>Stargate</i> (1994), where Okun — working with Jeff Kleiser and Diana Walczak’s fledgling CG company — had to convince director Roland Emmerich that computer graphics were even worth attempting. “Roland didn’t believe in CG. So we built the shot, made the CG glider deliberately <i>less</i> detailed to match the miniature footage. Showed it to him. He said, ‘Exactly — that’s what I’m talking about. Miniatures are the way to go.’ And we said, ‘Nope. All CG.’ That’s when he finally came around.” (Fun fact, VFX supervisor Jeff Okun was paid homage by Brent Spiner in Independence Day in the role of Dr. Brackish Okun. There’s uh, a slight resemblance.) - Credit to Nofilmschool.com<br /><br />Penguins, Moose, and the Invisible Effect Okun is quick to point out he wasn’t a <i>Star Wars</i> kid. In fact, he avoided the original film for weeks on principle — he doesn’t do queues. But he did get a behind-the-scenes tour of ILM’s original Van Nuys facility courtesy of Bass and George Lucas. There, he saw motion control rigs, Richard Edlund on his knees filming the crawl, Phil Tippett animating the chess game, and pyro...
James Ellis Deakins, Roger Deakins
Simon Brew
Weirding Way Media
Script Apart
SpectreVision Radio
FANGORIA Podcast Network
Big Money Players Network and iHeartPodcasts
Sony Music Entertainment
Sad Boom Media
Mike Muncer
BBC Radio 4
Elric Kane & Brian Saur
Perfect Organism Podcast, Bleav
Immediate Media
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at [email protected] for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.