Cosplay began as something gloriously handmade: fans turning up in costumes because they loved a story enough to carry it into the room.

But somewhere between the early science fiction masquerades, Star Wars armour builds, convention photo galleries, viral cosplay, professional creators and the rise of organisations like the 501st Legion, something shifted.

The costume was no longer just a costume.

It became proof that a franchise mattered.

In this episode of Geekstorians, Dave looks at how cosplay grew from fan-made performance into one of the most visible forms of franchise culture, and how the work fans do for love became increasingly useful to the companies standing nearby.

Not because anyone sent a memo.

Because fandom built something too powerful to ignore.

For more geeky news, reviews, interviews, and air dates, head to Geektown.co.uk. You can also listen to Geektown Radio, our weekly podcast covering the latest in TV, film, and gaming.

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In this episode of Geektown Talks To, Dave chats with cinematographer, director and filmmaker Boris Mojsovski, whose work includes Netflix’s Harlan Coben thriller ‘I Will Find You’, along with ‘Rabbit Hole’, ‘12 Monkeys’, ‘Titans’, ‘The Lost Symbol’, ‘The Madness’ and more.

Boris talks about growing up around film sets, initially trying not to follow the family path into filmmaking, and how photography, writing and directing eventually pulled him back behind the camera. He also discusses the unusual position of being both a cinematographer and director on long-form television, and how that helps shape the visual identity of a series.

We then dive into ‘I Will Find You’, exploring how Boris and the creative team built the show’s tense, grounded visual language, from its prison-set opening to the wider mystery that follows. He talks about creating a “visual manifesto” for the series, the challenge of making something feel real while still delivering thriller-level drama, and why the “geography of a face” can be one of the most powerful tools in visual storytelling.

The conversation also moves into some of Boris’s other genre work, including the paranoia of ‘Rabbit Hole’, the time-travel complexity of ‘12 Monkeys’, and the superhero world of DC’s ‘Titans’. Plus, Boris teases his own upcoming film ‘Foreign Tongue’, talks about recent projects including ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ and ‘Into the Deep Blue’, and reveals the classic films he wishes he could have made himself.

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This week on Geekstorians, we travel to Middle-earth, not as tourists, but as slightly suspicious historians with a map, a torch, and some concerns about licensing agreements.

In 1998, Peter Jackson walked into New Line Cinema with a fantasy epic most of Hollywood considered impossible. What followed became one of cinema’s great gambles: three films, shot back-to-back, built in New Zealand by artists, craftspeople, performers, technicians, and people who apparently did not believe sleep was legally required.

But this episode is not just about how The Lord of the Rings became a miracle.

It’s about what happened after the miracle.

Because once Middle-earth proved it could be enormous, prestigious, beloved, and wildly profitable, it stopped being only a story. It became territory. A machine. A place where skipped chapters, side roads, appendices, rights deals, and strange little corners of Tolkien’s world could all become valuable.

From Jackson’s impossible pitch, to Weta’s handmade craft, to Oscar glory, to The Hobbit, The Rings of Power, and the modern hunt for whatever Middle-earth still has left to give, this is the story of what happens when a beloved world becomes too successful to leave alone.

This is Middle-Earth, Inc.

For more geeky news, reviews, interviews, and air dates, head to Geektown.co.uk. You can also listen to Geektown Radio, our weekly podcast covering the latest in TV, film, and gaming.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/geektown.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.