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  • 128 - Anthony Forrest - Star Wars Actor

    128 - Anthony Forrest - Star Wars Actor
    2025/06/10
    In this special archival episode, I speak with actor and musician Anthony Forrest, best known to Star Wars fans for playing the sandtrooper who famously waved Obi-Wan and Luke past an Imperial checkpoint with the words: “These aren’t the droids we’re looking for.” Originally recorded over a decade ago, this conversation explores Forrest’s original casting as “Fixer” in the cut Tosche Station scenes, his time filming in Tunisia, and how George Lucas unexpectedly tapped him to suit up as a trooper. Anthony also reflects on working alongside Alec Guinness, the skepticism among the British crew, and the surreal experience of flying home with champagne and Star Wars stickers courtesy of Sir Alec himself. Beyond Star Wars, we also discuss Anthony’s career in music, his time busking in the London Underground, and his low-budget feature The Ballad of Bob’s Garage.

    Listen in for rarely heard stories from behind the mask.

    Mentioned in this episode:
    • Deleted scenes from A New Hope
    • Filming in Tunisia and London
    • Busking and recording in the London Underground
    • Alec Guinness and the 2007 Academy screening
    • The Ballad of Bob’s Garage project
    GoFundMe for our Martha’s Vineyard shoot — any support is greatly appreciated!

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    43 分
  • BONUS - Director Paul King on Beneath London - The Story of Alien War

    BONUS - Director Paul King on Beneath London - The Story of Alien War
    2025/06/04
    In this bonus episode of The Filmumentaries Podcast, I catch up with returning guest Paul King, who you might remember from our previous conversation about his Shining locations documentary, Shine On. This time, Paul’s back with another nostalgic deep-dive — his new short documentary Beneath London: The Story of Alien War. We talk about the origins of the Alien-themed walkthrough experience that terrified visitors to London’s Trocadero in the early 1990s, how Paul tracked down rare archive footage and the people who made it happen, and why he thinks this story still has the potential to grow into a feature-length film. Watch Paul’s documentary on YouTube:
    Beneath London: The Story of Alien War In the episode, we cover:
    • What Alien War was and how it came together
    • The strange story of how the creators got official backing from 20th Century Fox
    • How the experience pushed boundaries long before immersive cinema became a thing
    • Paul’s process of turning archival material and interviews into a compelling short film
    I also share an update on my own documentary, Not Your Average Joe, about legendary Jaws production designer Joe Alves. I’m heading to Martha’s Vineyard this June to film key interviews during the 50th anniversary celebrations — a rare and important opportunity to capture these stories on location. If you’d like to support that project, you can find the GoFundMe here:

    https://gofund.me/13795716

    Thanks for listening. More behind-the-scenes conversations coming soon.
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    28 分
  • 127 – Max Evry on A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History.

    127 – Max Evry on A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History.
    2025/05/27
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    Our Joe Alves GoFundMe Campaign
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    Episode 129 – Max Evry on A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History.

    In this episode, I speak with film journalist and author Max Evry about his brilliant and in-depth book A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History. What began as a 150-page entry in a cult film series soon grew into a 560-page epic — much like the film it covers.

    Max and I talk about the origins of the project, how he managed to get David Lynch himself to take part, and why the oral history format was the right approach for telling this complex story. We also chat about the book’s structure, Max’s archive work, and how his own experiences as a filmmaker gave him a deeper empathy for the challenges Lynch faced.

    There’s even a fascinating discussion about Max’s restoration of a long-lost scene featuring Molly Wryn — which you can now watch here:

    You can find Max’s book here.

    If you enjoy these behind-the-scenes deep dives, please consider supporting the podcast or sharing it with a film-loving friend - patreon.com/jamiebenning

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    Our Joe Alves GoFundMe Campaign
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    1 時間 5 分
  • 126 - Inside the BFI National Archives - Film on Film Festival - Special Episode

    126 - Inside the BFI National Archives - Film on Film Festival - Special Episode
    2025/05/08
    Episode 126 - Inside the BFI National Archives - Film on Film Festival - Special Episode

    For this early release of the podcast, I’m taking you behind the scenes at the BFI National Archive in Berkhamsted. The reason for the early drop? Tickets for the BFI’s excellent Film on Film Festival go on sale to the public tomorrow, 9th May 2025, and I wanted to give you a bit of insight into what makes this event so special. The Film on Film Festival runs from the 12th to the 15th of June and is dedicated entirely to screenings on physical film – from 35mm to 16mm, and even nitrate. It’s a rare opportunity to experience films as they were originally shown, in all their analogue glory. While at the archive, I spoke with several of the experts who help make the festival possible and who work daily to preserve the history of cinema. You’ll hear from:
    • James Bell – Senior Curator of Fiction and Programme Director, Film on Film Festival
    • Chris Stenner – Film Laboratory Lead
    • Sonia Genaitay – Curatorial Archivist
    • Martin Coffill – Projectionist and QC
    • David Jones – Film Scanning Lead
    A huge thanks to Kieron Webb and Sarah Bemand for organising the day. It was a real privilege to explore the archive, meet the people who keep the machines running and the prints in circulation, and to share it all with you here. If you're attending the festival on the 12th, please do let me know and be sure to say "hi".

    BFI Film on Film

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    1 時間 40 分
  • "Suddenly Something Clicked" - With Walter Murch

    "Suddenly Something Clicked" - With Walter Murch
    2025/04/22
    Episode 125 – Walter Murch: Suddenly Something Clicked (And 5 Years of Filmumentaries!) In this special 125th episode of The Filmumentaries Podcast, I’m joined once again by the legendary Walter Murch — editor, sound designer, director, author, and true philosopher of cinema. This also happens to mark five years since I launched the podcast, so it felt only fitting to celebrate with someone whose insights have shaped not only cinema itself but how we understand it.

    Walter and I discuss his new book, Suddenly Something Clicked, which is due for release on 8th May 2025 via Faber & Faber (thank you to them for kindly sending me a preview copy). The book is a rich mix of theory, practice, and history — true to Walter’s description of it as a “twisted rope” of ideas. We cover everything from the evolution of editing, cinema as a biological and neurological phenomenon, the mysteries of sound design, and even the mechanics of live television editing.

    Walter reflects on the analog vs digital shift, why sound should be metaphorical as well as realistic, and how editing mirrors the way our own bodies process time and perception. We also get into Return to Oz, AI in filmmaking, and his thoughts on films like Adolescence and 1917 that attempt to eliminate the cut entirely.

    As ever, it’s a joy to speak with Walter — and I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did recording it.

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    Suddenly Something Clicked

    Original 1977 Star Wars Screening
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    1 時間 27 分
  • BONUS - Star Wars Celebration Japan - Day 3 Report from Rachel Pearson

    BONUS - Star Wars Celebration Japan - Day 3 Report from Rachel Pearson
    2025/04/22
    Hi all,

    Here's Rachel's second and final report from Star Wars Celebration Japan.

    We hope you enjoy it!
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    12 分
  • BONUS - Star Wars Celebration Japan - Day 1 and 2 Report from Rachel Pearson

    BONUS - Star Wars Celebration Japan - Day 1 and 2 Report from Rachel Pearson
    2025/04/19
    As promised, here's report of the goings on in Tokyo at Star Wars Celebration, day one and two from Rachel Pearson.

    More tomorrow.
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    14 分
  • BONUS EPISODE - Vickie Sampson on those stolen Return of the Jedi Tapes

    BONUS EPISODE - Vickie Sampson on those stolen Return of the Jedi Tapes
    2025/04/19
    In my previous episode I spoke with ADR specialist and dialoge editor Vickie Sampson. In that conversation she mentioned briefly about the time the Return of the Jedi audio recordings were stolen from her car. "That's a story for a whole other podcast", she remarked. So I contacted Vickie to ask her if she could record the story. She kindly obliged, and so here it is as a short Bonus episode for you folks!
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    12 分