Wait! That Won An Oscar? Switch The Envelope podcast

23:14

We can all agree that Annette Bening is one of the classiest and most talented actresses working today. Well, everybody but the Academy Awards apparently. Over the course of her 30 plus years dominating the screen with her dynamic presence, the Academy has passed over Bening 4 times, twice for the new Karate Kid. It’s a travesty of celebrity justice, and Jeff and Cory are here to shine the light back in Oscar’s face. Annette deserves gold.…

1
Untapped Adapted Screenplays 33:58

2 years ago33:58

33:58

Hollywood is always looking for that next big idea or franchise. The practice of borrowing stories from other media is so ingrained in the history of filmmaking, that there’s even an Adapted Screenplay Oscar given out every year. Even though writers and producers try to adapt anything they can get their hands on, stories still slip through the cracks. Some great stories never get their time on the big screen. Well, Jeff and Cory are here to help with four stories that would make killer movies. From recent record breaking sports to a rock n’roll concept album from the 70s to the real stories of significant times in American history, join us in asking, “why these stories haven’t been adapted into movies yet?”…

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Cinnovations: SFX Makeup Part III 36:01

3 years ago36:01

36:01

Our journey through the history of SFX makeup concludes in this third and final installment, but not before telling the tale of one of the most impactful and influential artist to wield a makeup brush. From his early days working for WNBC TV in NY to his peak cinematic work in films like The Exorcist, Dick Smith would cinnovate his way in to the annals of Hollywood history. Between Smith and John Chambers (remember him from Part II?), modern makeup would find its roots. Countless artists bred from their tutelage would reshape and further drive the art form of SFX and SFX makeup into over a half century of cinnovation after cinnovation.…

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History of Fiction: Robin Hood Prince of Thieves 27:09

3 years ago27:09

27:09

Welcome to another edition of Switch the Envelope presents History of Fiction. On this installment, Jeff and Cory explore the real history behind the legend of Robin Hood as depicted in the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Turns out the Robin Hood story that we all know and love is wrought with historical inaccuracies including, but not limited to, misplacing the era it takes place by almost a century. Journey with us to 12 (or 13th) Century England, deep into the forest of Barnsdale as we seek to find the true history of this fiction.…

1
Rules For Surviving A Horror Film 25:01

3 years ago25:01

25:01

Not every character in a horror film makes it out alive. If they did, the film probably wouldn’t be a very good horror film. Nevertheless, as an audience we’re always rooting for the survivors. Those few that make it to Saturday the 14th. The small group that wake from their nightmares on Elm St.. They are what makes all the jumps cares and gore worth wincing through. But what makes a horror survivor? Randy Meeks in the movie Scream has his set of horror rules, so Jeff and Cory compiled their own set of rules, that if followed, just might help you survive to make the sequel.…

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Connotations: SFX Makeup Part II 29:40

3 years ago29:40

29:40

Jeff and Cory venture out of the shadows of black and white film into the merry ole land of color, where makeup practices open the door to the future. The new invention of foam rubber becomes a real game changer for those willing to adapt to new techniques, while those who carved paths with the films of the previous era found themselves working on the smaller screens of television. New technology and practices give way to a new class of masters of the trade. When progress in Hollywood’s makeup stiffens, the next wave of artisans emerges from an unlikely place.…

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Cinnovations: SFX Makeup Part I 29:40

3 years ago29:40

29:40

Makeup has played an important role in moviemaking since the earliest days of the film industry. It can transform actors into wild characters or grotesque monsters. On this episode, Jeff and Cory explore those early days of film where a world on screen without color, meant actors on set done up in makeup that looked rather odd. Until color film became the new normal, the science behind how black and white film translated real world colors made the art of makeup, in and of itself, one of Hollywood’s first widely used special effects. Join us for the first of two episodes celebrating the pioneers, artisans, and cinnovators of special effects makeup!…

1
I See Ghost Writers 27:32

3 years ago27:32

27:32

On this episode Jeff and Cory get to the bottom of the question: Did M. Night Shyamalan write She’s All That? The answer to the question is one that has lurked on forgotten webpages and cryptic comment sections for nearly a decade. One brave twitter user dared to uncover the controversy, and so our fearless host fell deep into an internet rabbit hole to find the truth. Was M. Night responsible for the rich characters in the teen flick? Was the credited writer, R. Lee Fleming, the sole hand penning the story? Was the Studio under special contract stipulations to only hire writers with an initial for a first name? All will be answered and more!…

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Cinnovations: Bullet Time 14:53

3 years ago14:53

14:53

In 1999, many moviegoers were wowed by the time-stopping fx shots in the Matrix. The success of the film’s stunning visual shots branded the technique with the moniker Bullet Time. The origins of this Cinnovation, however, take its roots from some unlikely sources that predate motion pictures. Join Jeff and Cory as they uncover the history of a sensation that was a century in the making.…

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The Movie-wed Game 33:19

3 years ago33:19

33:19

On this episode our hosts find out just how intimately they know each other (cinematically speaking) with a movie themed revamp of the Newlywed Game. Jeff and Cory go back and forth answering the important question for each other, like “which Star Wars film should you show first to someone who’s never seen a Star War?” or “top comfort binge watch tv series?” Will our dynamic duo prove their significant other right by knowing far more about each other than they do about their life partners? Or will their lack of co-host knowledge mark the end of a podcast friendship? Play along at home, or on the freeway you’re commuting on, and find out just how well these Movie-weds know each other.…

1
Seat Fillers: Peter O’Toole 13:31

3 years ago13:31

13:31

Only 1 out of every 5 Oscar nominated actors actually gets to enjoy the ceremony with a win. The remaining 80% of the audience then become very talented Seat Fillers. Join Jeff and Cory on this inaugural StE Presents series, as they take you through the many Oscar misses of the King of Seat Fillers, Peter O’Toole. His career was heralded, his characters iconic, but for every nomination he faced, The Academy had other plans. Were his performances under appreciated? Was the deck constantly stacked against him? Did he spend more time drinking with Richard Burton than Burton’s own 2nd and 3rd wife Elizabeth Taylor to care? All this and more on Seat Fillers: Peter O’Toole.…

1
History of Fiction: Young Guns 26:05

3 years ago26:05

26:05

Hollywood loves to pull stories from the history books. They also feel the need to alter that history to be more entertaining, even when the real history is sometime better than the movies. In this StE Presents series Jeff and Cory are traveling through time, going after Hollywood’s historically fictional history of reframing actual history. Stop one on this quantum celluloid journey, the old west, and how the history and historical figures from the film Young Guns were way more interesting in real life.…

1
Film Sagas With the Need, the Need For Three 44:46

3 years ago44:46

44:46

On this episode we’re all about film trilogies. The standard marker of a successful film used to be defined by the achievement of a trilogy. The success of that third film typically determines if that set of films will become a franchise gold mine. Jeff and Cory take a journey through some thirds that worked, thirds that saved a franchise, and some thirds that bombed. Then our galant hosts take on some duologies that deserve to reach the coveted trilogy status.…

1
Cinnovations: The Steadicam 27:13

3 years ago27:13

27:13

Nothing quite moves an audience of filmgoers quite like camera movement. Suppose that’s more literal movement than being moved emotionally, but go with us on this. This episode of Cinnovations explores Garrett Brown and his Steadicam, a marvel of modern cinema technology that combined the movements of larger camera moving devices into a single operator rig that could move a camera with a weightless like ease. Join Jeff and Cory as they take you through the history of motion in motion pictures that led one inventor to revolutionize the industry.…

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What Would George Lucas Do? 32:40

3 years ago32:40