The Filmumentaries Podcast - Jamie Benning

The Filmumentaries Podcast - deep dives into practical effects, model making, matte painting, creature creation and prosthetics, animatronics, puppetry, prop restoration and VFX. Hosted by filmmaker, author, and film historian Jamie Benning, The Filmumentaries Podcast features long-form interviews with the unsung heroes of cinema - the production designers, editors, composers, cinematographers, digital artists, puppeteers, model makers, sound designers and effects crews who actually bring our favourite films to life.

Each episode dives into the real work of filmmaking, from practical, in-camera effects to cutting-edge digital techniques. You'll hear from art directors, production designers, VFX supervisors, model makers, matte painters, creature and animatronics experts, puppeteers, performance capture artists, motion control specialists, editors, sound designers, re-recording mixers, composers, animators, prop restoration experts and Propstore archivists who helped shape iconic films like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Blade Runner, Jaws, Ghostbusters and Alien. With a strong focus on practical effects, physical filmmaking, and the craft behind the illusion, the podcast preserves the knowledge and stories of the people who built, shot and brought these worlds to life long before pixels took over - and those still pushing the boundaries today through performance capture, motion control and modern visual effects.

Jamie is also a writer for Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound, and has close ties to the BFI's film restoration and archive teams. Whether you're a cinephile, filmmaker, prop collector or simply curious about how films are really made, this podcast is your all-access pass to film history.

What You'll Discover:
First-hand stories from the artists, craftspeople and technicians behind the filmsDeep dives into practical effects, model making, matte painting, prosthetics, animatronics, puppetry, performance capture and VFXConversations on production design, art direction, cinematography, editing, sound design and film composingInterviews with veterans of ILM, Lucasfilm, Skywalker Sound, Weta, DNEG, Digital Domain and Stan Winston StudioHistoric coverage of iconic films including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Blade Runner, Ghostbusters, Alien and many moreA celebration of cinema's hidden heroesNew episodes every other week. Follow @filmumentaries on Instagram, Threads and Facebook, and @jamieswb on X. Visit filmumentaries.com for transcripts, archives and bonus content.