Revisiting Cinefex (5): Ray Harryhausen, Titans, Roy Arbogast and Caveman

The hideous gorgon Medusa from Clash of the Titans stares out of the cover of Cinefex #5, begging the question: how many readers were turned to stone before they even got the damn magazine open? Inside is a still from an earlier Ray Harryhausen film: 20 Million Miles to Earth. If these two pictures don't … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (5): Ray Harryhausen, Titans, Roy Arbogast and Caveman

Revisiting Cinefex (3): Empire, Walter Murch and Phase IV

The cover of Cinefex #3 boasts a gorgeous still from The Empire Strikes Back showing Luke Skywalker astride his tauntaun. The moody lighting and artful composition - not to mention the rarity of this particular image - combine to make this my favourite of the early covers. The inside cover is a still from Apocalypse … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (3): Empire, Walter Murch and Phase IV

Revisiting Cinefex (2): Empire, Greg Jein and Star Trek

A trio of Imperial AT-AT walkers graces the front cover of Cinefex #2, in a now-familiar airbrushed publicity still from The Empire Strikes Back. The inside front cover shows the incredibly detailed Ocean Park fairground miniature built by Greg Jein for Steven Spielberg's 1941. The magazine's 72 pages feature three articles: Of Ice Planets, Bog … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (2): Empire, Greg Jein and Star Trek

“Dragoncharm” – The TV/Movie Adaptation

In 1996, my novel Dragoncharm – a fantasy adventure with a cast made up exclusively of dragons – was optioned for TV and movie production by a UK production company called Dandelion Distribution. The novel had been optioned once before, by a company in New York. They were considering a TV adaptation using Muppet-style characters. … Continue reading “Dragoncharm” – The TV/Movie Adaptation

Revisiting Cinefex (4): Outland and Altered States

The front cover of Cinefex #4 features a still from Outland: a long shot of the Con-Amalgamate mining complex on Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io. On the inside front cover there’s a full page ad: looks like Disney were hiring Special Effects Apparatus Designers for EPCOT and Disneyland. After that, we get two articles spanning the … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (4): Outland and Altered States

Revisiting Cinefex (1): Star Trek and Alien

Cinefex, in case you didn’t know, is a quarterly magazine about visual effects – specifically, behind-the-scenes articles on major movies. I’ve got a big stack of them piled on the floor beside the upstairs bookcase. It’s not a complete collection – I’ve lapsed occasionally over the years – but there’s one hell of a lot … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (1): Star Trek and Alien

“The Lord of the Rings” on BBC Radio

I love my boxed set of The Lord of the Rings. I’m not talking about the Special Edition DVDs of Peter Jackson’s movies (cherished though they are), nor my rather smart hardback of Tolkien’s novel. No, I’m talking about the radio show. The series was broadcast by the BBC way back in 1981, in 26 … Continue reading “The Lord of the Rings” on BBC Radio

Magical Patterns in Stories

I write and read in pictures. For me, all books are illustrated. Yes, it’s the words that do the hard work – God love ‘em. In the end, however, what counts is what those words help me to see. You might think I’m talking about visualisation – reading a scene in a book and having … Continue reading Magical Patterns in Stories

Liking Science Fiction and Fantasy Makes You a Genius

A lot of people are unbearably snooty about genre fiction – especially SF, fantasy and horror. I’m not the first to remark on this – the debate rages daily across the interwebs. It seems there are lots of folk who feel this way, and I think I've finally worked out why. It’s all the fault … Continue reading Liking Science Fiction and Fantasy Makes You a Genius

Why Don’t Authors Switch Genre?

Cinema and literature. Movies and books. It frustrates me how people take for granted certain things in one, but not the other. Take genre. Movie directors – if they so desire – are allowed to tackle a range of genres. In the course of his career, Steven Spielberg has bounced from The Sugarland Express to … Continue reading Why Don’t Authors Switch Genre?