Take a sneak peek at the cover of the first full-scale issue of The Illusion Almanac. Out May 2021, this brand new publication will delve into the making of Godzilla vs Kong, […]
Coming Soon — The Illusion Almanac Covers Godzilla vs Kong
The Visual Effects of Ex Machina
In 2015, I had the pleasure of interviewing visual effects supervisor Andrew Whitehurst about Ex Machina, Alex Garland’s iconic film about a startlingly human robot and the quest for artificial intelligence. The […]
Artemis Fowl — The Cinefex Article That Got Away
Through February and March 2020, I conducted a series of interviews for an in-depth article on the Disney adaptation of Artemis Fowl, for publication in Cinefex 171, due out in June of […]
The Hybrid World of The Boxtrolls
The Boxtrolls was the third feature to come out of Oregon-based animation studio LAIKA, both of whose previous productions Coraline and Paranorman were Academy Award nominees for Best Animated Feature Film. I […]
The Animated Wonders of the Industrial Mechanigraph
When faced with the need to demonstrate the inner workings of the latest consumer must-have – from the inhalatory heart of a vortex-driven vacuum cleaner to the gas-flattening wonders of your favourite […]
Godzilla — Conceptualizing the Monsters with ADI and Legacy Effects
In 2019, I covered Godzilla: King of the Monsters for Cinefex. The film’s battling behemoths reached the screen thanks to the digital artistry of the visual effects team at MPC, supported by […]
The Making of ATROPA
In March 2015, I conducted a interview for Cinefex with filmmaker Eli Sasich, discussing his sci-fi short film ATROPA. Three years later, we came together again – joined this time by visual […]
Phil Tippett Talks Mad God
Ask any visual effects fan who Phil Tippett is, and they’ll probably answer: “He’s the guy who did all the animation in the original Star Wars trilogy.” Or you might get: “Didn’t […]
The History of the Optical Printer
What is an optical printer? Simply put, it’s a piece of equipment designed to copy motion picture film. A typical optical printer has a projector at one end and a camera at the other. […]
How King Kong Was Filmed (Or Not)
These days, it’s pretty easy to find out how a film was made. There’s a plethora of websites, podcasts, books, you name it. Chances are you’ll even find your favourite filmmakers sharing […]
