Happy Halloween! In this special episode Mark and Joseph take a look at the production design of two iconic horror movies. First, our oldest selection to date, 1920s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, is considered by most to be the first horror movie of all time. Comparing that to Martin Scorceses neo-noir thriller Shutter Island sets the stage for a terrifying showdown. They cover topics like setting, character design, costume and makeup, and even the idea of art direction itself. Thanks for listening!

Today Joseph and Mark explore two tales of wanderlust and desert dust. Perhaps the most epic tale of all time, Lawrence of Arabia crosses blades with the masterpiece Dune: Part Two in the finale of our Cinematography mini-series to determine how the elements of film has changed through the sands of time. These two films have defined and redefined genres, need no introduction, and have produced some of the most stunning visuals of all time. Thank you so much for tuning in!

In today’s bonus episode Mark interviews co-host Joseph W. to look at two of his favorite films that tackle how we utilize the weight of expectations: Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse, a revolutionary animated film, and Oppenheimer, a revolutionary tale of the Nuclear frontier. Afterwards they discuss topics like rewatchability, technical achievement, and the personal baggage we bring into the films we hold near and dear to our hearts.

Today’s episode sets the stage for our mini series on the elements of cinematography through the years. In this first episode Mark and Joseph critique film cinematography by looking at the genre defining 2001: A Space Odyssey, and a monolith in and of itself, Interstellar. Tune in as they discuss topics like lens selection, films place in a digital world, the physical limitations of film stock, modeling spacetime itself, and more!

Today’s Bonus episode is all about Frames of Reference co-host Mark! Joseph interviews Mark; centered around his life experience with film, his favorite films, and filmmakers, before diving into a thorough cross examination of Marks two favorite movies: Seven Samurai, and How to Train Your Dragon.

Today’s episode covers sound design old and new. By analyzing Ridley Scott’s 1979 masterpiece Alien against its modern analog, John Krazinski’s A Quiet Place, Mark and Joseph set out to determine if modern technology has made sound design inherently better. They go over important aspects of a movies mix such as music, dialogue, and sound effects—while also exploring how sound can be used to assist the narrative and bring focus to a films thematic heartbeat.