The Illusion Almanac: Creating Godzilla vs Kong — Out Now

Issue 1 of the new filmcraft magazine The Illusion Almanac is available now as an 80-page* digital magazine formatted for Kindle. Download it from Amazon online stores worldwide — just search for “illusion almanac.”

Focusing exclusively on a single motion picture or streaming show and illustrated with a selection of stunning imagery, each issue boasts in-depth coverage of some of the craft disciplines involved in the production, including design, cinematography and visual effects.

The Illusion Almanac: Creating Godzilla vs Kong covers the making of the epic monster movie from Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. Key interviewees include production designer Owen Paterson, cinematographer Ben Seresin, visual effects supervisor John ‘D.J.’ DesJardin and special effects supervisor Mike Meinardus, plus the concept design teams at Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. and Legacy Effects, and the visual effects teams at Scanline VFX, Weta Digital, MPC and Luma Pictures. There’s also a brief history of the giant ape Kong and the fire-breathing lizard Godzilla, whose heritage goes back to the original 1933 film “King Kong,” directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, and “Gojira,” first released in 1954 and directed by Ishirô Honda.

“I enjoy a good long read that takes me behind the scenes on a movie I love,” says creator Graham Edwards, “and that’s exactly what I’ve set out to create with The Illusion Almanac. The idea of the magazine is to combine all those juicy ‘making-of’ details with a real breadth of subject matter, and then top everything off with a dusting of historical context. The only thing I can’t provide is the comfortable chair, fresh cup of coffee, and indulgent hour or two required to read it all!”

Don’t have a Kindle? No problem. Just download one of the free Kindle apps for iOS, Android, Mac or PC.

*Print equivalent