One of my earliest memories is of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. I was four years old. I vividly recall watching grainy black-and-white pictures of Neil Armstrong exiting the Eagle lander through the stair bannisters. At even that young age, I understood something amazing was happening. I've wanted to go into space ever … Continue reading Goodbye Shuttle
Revisiting Cinefex (6): Early CGI, Dragonslayer and Raiders
One of the great movie dragons is Vermithrax Pejorative from Dragonslayer. And guess what? She's right there on the cover of Cinefex #6 in the form of ILM's go-motion puppet. Inside the cover is a still of actor Peter MacNicol astride the full-size dragon head built for the film's live-action shoot. This issue's 80 pages contain … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (6): Early CGI, Dragonslayer and Raiders
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
Graham Edwards – Author & Journalist 