Complete show notes (with links) available at http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/026 (coming soon)

We explore the fascinating history of sound in films — the trial and error that led from silent films to the first talkies — with Fritzi Kramer of Movies Silently. Fritzi also suggests some silent VFX films, and we catch up with good news about former Cinefex publisher Don Shay.

Listen for your chance to win a free 1-year print subscription to Cinefex magazine.

Subscribe to the Podcast

• Subscribe in iTunes
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Sponsors

• Cinefex magazine --- The journal of cinematic illusions.

Features

• Movies Silently
• The Blue Bird (1918)
• The Whispering Chorus (1918)
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916)
• The Burning Crucible (1923)
• The Lost World (1925)
• The Penalty (1920)
• Follow along with our List on Letterboxd, featuring films we've covered, and upcoming films to watch.

Guests

• Fritzi Kramer, the founder of Movies Silently, a blog dedicated to making silent films fun and accessible to newcomers.

Music

• All tracks by Digital Droo

More Bits

• See http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/026 for complete show notes.

As ever

• The Optical theme by Digital Droo
• The Optical "aperture" logo by Mike Gower

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theoptical/message

Complete show notes (with links) available at http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/025

Star Trek Beyond is currently playing in a new immersive super-widescreen theatrical format called Barco Escape. For details about the presentation format, we chat with Ted Schilowitz, Barco Escape’s Chief Creative Officer and the Resident Futurist at 20th Century Fox.

Listen for your chance to win a free 1-year print subscription to Cinefex magazine.

Subscribe to the Podcast

• Subscribe in iTunes
• Follow on Soundcloud
• Enhanced AAC podcast feed
• MP3 podcast feed

Sponsors

• Cinefex magazine — The journal of cinematic illusions.

Features

• Barco Escape
• Star Trek Beyond (2016)
• Follow along with our List on Letterboxd, featuring films we’ve covered, and upcoming films to watch.

Guests

• Ted Schilowitz, Barco Escape’s Chief Creative Officer and the Resident Futurist at 20th Century Fox

Music

• All tracks by Digital Droo

More Bits

• See http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/025 for complete show notes.

As ever

• The Optical theme by Digital Droo
• The Optical “aperture” logo by Mike Gower

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theoptical/message

Complete show notes (with links) available at http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/024

We talk with Jenn Bentz, IMAX Projectionist at Pacific Science Center, about the IMAX projection experience, the move from film to DLP to LASER, and her experience running the Hateful Eight 70mm roadshow.

Listen for your chance to win a free 1-year print subscription to Cinefex magazine.

Subscribe to the Podcast

• Subscribe in iTunes
• Follow on Soundcloud
• Podcast RSS feed

Sponsors

• Cinefex magazine — The journal of cinematic illusions.

Features

• IMAX
• Pacific Science Center
• Follow along with our List on Letterboxd, featuring films we’ve covered, and upcoming films to watch.

Guests

From the Pacific Science Center:

• Jenn Bentz, IMAX Projectionist Supervisor & Audio/Visual Technician
• David Dukard, IMAX Projectionist
• Katelyn Del Buco, Public Relations Manager

Music

• All tracks by Digital Droo

More Bits

• See http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/024 for complete show notes and photos.

As ever

• Dialog Editor, Joseph Ravenson
• The Optical theme by Digital Droo
• The Optical “aperture” logo by Mike Gower

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theoptical/message

In a special edition of the podcast, remastered audio of our 2014 interview with Howie Weed, long time artist at ILM, who tells us about blowing up the Enterprise, a recipe for fake blood, mass producing Gremlins, an alligator, alien probes, and his turn as the Special Edition Wampa in the Special Edition of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theoptical/message

Complete show notes (with links) available at http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/022 We talk about The Right Stuff with Joel Page, where at the height of excellent motion control camera work, the USFX team took the shots of supersonic jets and crashing capsules, and went in an entirely different direction. Listen for your chance to win a free 1-year print subscription to Cinefex magazine. Subscribe to the Podcast * Subscribe in iTunes * Follow on Soundcloud * Enhanced AAC podcast feed * MP3 podcast feed Sponsors * Cinefex magazine — The journal of cinematic illusions. Features * The Right Stuff (1983) * Follow along with our List on Letterboxd, featuring films we’ve covered, and upcoming films to watch. Guests * Joel Page, Local know-it-all Music * All tracks by Digital Droo Research Materials * Cinefex 14 — October 1993, also available in the Cinefex iPad app * Revisiting Cinefex (14): The Right Stuff, Brainstorm, Twilight Zone by Graham Edwards More Bits * See http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/022 for complete show notes. As ever * The Optical theme by Digital Droo * The Optical “aperture” logo by Mike Gower --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theoptical/message

Complete show notes (with links) available at http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/021 Cinefex Editor Jody Duncan comes on to discuss the evolution of digital VFX technology from the original Jurassic Park to the new Jurassic World, including her time on the set of The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Listen for your chance to win a free 1-year print subscription to Cinefex magazine. Subscribe to the Podcast * Subscribe in iTunes * Follow on Soundcloud * Enhanced AAC podcast feed * MP3 podcast feed Sponsors * Cinefex magazine — The journal of cinematic illusions. Features * Jurassic Park (1993) * The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) * Jurassic World (2015) * Follow along with our List on Letterboxd, featuring films we’ve covered, and upcoming films to watch. Guests * Jody Duncan, editor of Cinefex magazine Music * All tracks by Digital Droo Research Materials * Cinefex 55 — August 1993, also available in the Cinefex iPad app * The Making of Jurassic Park by Don Shay & Jody Duncan * Cinefex 142 — July 2015 More Bits * See http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/021 for complete show notes. As ever * The Optical theme by Digital Droo * The Optical “aperture” logo by Mike Gower * Dialogue editing by Josef Ravenson --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theoptical/message

Complete show notes (with links) available at http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/020 We chat about the effects of Return of the Jedi with Filmumentaries creator Jamie Benning, covering advances in motion tracking, Steadicam, and what life was like inside Jabba the Hutt. Listen for your chance to win a free 1-year print subscription to Cinefex magazine. Subscribe to the Podcast * Subscribe in iTunes * Follow on Soundcloud * Enhanced AAC podcast feed * MP3 podcast feed Sponsors * Cinefex magazine — The journal of cinematic illusions. Features * Return of the Jedi (1983) * Follow along with our List on Letterboxd, featuring films we’ve covered, and upcoming films to watch. Guests * Jamie Benning, creator of Filmumentaries Music * All tracks by Digital Droo Research Materials * Cinefex 13 — July 1983, also available in the Cinefex iPad app * Revisiting Cinefex (13): Return of the Jedi by Graham Edwards More Bits * See http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/020 for complete show notes. As ever * The Optical theme by Digital Droo * The Optical “aperture” logo by Mike Gower * Dialogue editing by Josef Ravenson --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theoptical/message

Complete show notes (with links) available at http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/019 We chat with animator and VFX artist Robert Swarthe about his work on One From the Heart, The Outsiders, a short film test with an early HD video camera, and his unproduced adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s The Fountains of Paradise. Listen for your chance to win a free 1-year print subscription to Cinefex magazine. Subscribe to the Podcast * Subscribe in iTunes * Follow on Soundcloud * Enhanced AAC podcast feed * MP3 podcast feed Sponsors * Cinefex magazine — The journal of cinematic illusions. Features * One From the Heart (1982) * The Outsiders (1983) * Follow along with our List on Letterboxd, featuring films we’ve covered, and upcoming films to watch. Guests * Robert Swarthe, animator and VFX artist Music * All tracks by Digital Droo Research Materials * Cinefex 11 — January 1983, also available in the Cinefex iPad app * Revisiting Cinefex (11): ET and Robert Swarthe by Graham Edwards More Bits * See http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/019 for complete show notes. As ever * The Optical theme by Digital Droo * The Optical “aperture” logo by Mike Gower --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theoptical/message

Complete show notes (with links) available at http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/018 We chat with animator and VFX artist Robert Swarthe about his work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind — both the original and Special Edition, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and more! Listen for your chance to win a free 1-year print subscription to Cinefex magazine. Improve your 2015 with a 10-day free trial of training videos from http://lynda.com/optical. Subscribe to the Podcast * Subscribe in iTunes * Follow on Soundcloud * Enhanced AAC podcast feed * MP3 podcast feed Sponsors * Cinefex magazine — The journal of cinematic illusions. * Lynda.com — Start learning today. Features * Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) * Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) * Follow along with our List on Letterboxd, featuring films we’ve covered, and upcoming films to watch. Guests * Robert Swarthe, animator and VFX artist Music * All tracks by Digital Droo Research Materials * Cinefex 11 — January 1983, also available in the Cinefex iPad app * Revisiting Cinefex (11): ET and Robert Swarthe by Graham Edwards More Bits * See http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/018 for complete show notes. As ever * The Optical theme by Digital Droo * The Optical “aperture” logo by Mike Gower --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theoptical/message

Complete show notes (with links) available at http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/017 We chat with matte painter Jesse Silver about his work on Tron, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Labyrinth, moving from real paint to digital for Super Mario Bros., and one high-pressure effects house that had phones in the toilet stalls. Listen for your chance to win a free 1-year print subscription to Cinefex magazine. Improve your 2015 with a 10-day free trial of training videos from http://lynda.com/optical. Subscribe to the Podcast * Subscribe in iTunes * Follow on Soundcloud * Enhanced AAC podcast feed * MP3 podcast feed Sponsors * Cinefex magazine — The journal of cinematic illusions. * Lynda.com — Start learning today. Features * Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) * Follow along with our List on Letterboxd, featuring films we’ve covered, and upcoming films to watch. Guests * Brian Covey, Friend of the Podcast Music * All tracks by Digital Droo Research Materials * Cinefex 12 — April 1983, also available in the Cinefex iPad app * Revisiting Cinefex (12): Something Wicked, Stop-Motion and Dream Quest by Graham Edwards More Bits * See http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/016 for complete show notes. As ever * The Optical theme by Digital Droo * The Optical “aperture” logo by Mike Gower --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theoptical/message