Verbal Diorama

Verbal Diorama
Verbal Diorama

Are you interested in how movies are made? Do you wonder how a film went from conception to completion? If so, Verbal Diorama, hosted by Em, is the award-winning(!) podcast for you! Movies are tough to make, and Verbal Diorama is here to celebrate the coming together of teams of extraordinary cast and crew, bringing us movies that inspire us, delight us, make us laugh, make us cry and frighten us. This podcast discovers the stories behind the scenes, and proves how amazing it is that movies actually exist! Welcome to Verbal Diorama. The podcast all about the history and legacy of movies you know, and movies you don't! Subscribe on your favourite podcast app, and enjoy new episodes every week. Winner of the 2024 Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards for Best Movie Podcast, and Golden Lobes 2025 Earworm Award nominee! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

  1. Tombstone (1993)

    6 DAYS AGO

    Tombstone (1993)

    What happens when Hollywood egos, sabotage campaigns, and directorial chaos collide in the Arizona desert? Tombstone is a film that survived one of the most tumultuous productions in Western movie history to become a beloved cult classic. You think the gunfight at the O.K. Corral was dramatic? That's nothing compared to Kevin Costner's alleged studio sabotage campaign, the director who got fired just one month into filming, and how Kurt Russell allegedly secretly took over directing duties while refusing to put his name on the film. A bitter rivalry with Costner's competing Wyatt Earp nearly killed Tombstone before it reached cinemas, and Val Kilmer's career-defining performance as Doc Holliday only really happened because of studio interference, which came from Costner's attempt to derail the production. From the scorching Arizona heat, to the replacement director brought in with just three days of preparation; a director who made the cinematographer quit three times, as well as various other crew members, Tombstone is a masterclass in how great movies can emerge from absolute production disasters. It's a tale of Hollywood hardball, Western justice, and that sometimes your worst enemy can accidentally become your greatest asset. I would love to hear your thoughts on Tombstone (1993) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and was nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes. CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Heather, Danny, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle and Aaron. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

    51 min
  2. Cutthroat Island

    3 JUL

    Cutthroat Island

    Cutthroat Island has quite the reputation. It's known as the infamous pirate flick that sank a studio, as well as the entire pirate genre, but that's not completely true. In many ways, Cutthroat Island might just be more of a misunderstood gem, that happens to have been created when Carolco Pictures was at the very end of its life - mired in debt, and struggling to stay afloat. Cutthroat Island was its last chance. Cutthroat Island was never the reason Carolco fell into bankruptcy, but it didn't exactly help matters either. It is true that the movie faced a storm of production woes, casting drama, and a box office disaster that left it walking the plank. Female-led action movies like Cutthroat Island often face harsher scrutiny than their male counterparts. But Cutthroat Island also deserves a second look, showcasing epic stunts, lush visuals, huge pyrotechnics, and a swashbuckling adventure that’s way more fun than its critics would have you believe. It's time to navigate the choppy waters of pirate cinema, and explore why it’s high time we give this movie more love! Savvy? I would love to hear your thoughts on Cutthroat Island ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and was nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes. CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Heather, Danny, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle and Aaron. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

    56 min
  3. Lake Placid

    26 JUN

    Lake Placid

    In 1999, Stan Winston Studios and Digital Domain joined forces to create one of cinema's most convincing monsters - the massive crocodile from "Lake Placid." Winston's team, fresh off "Jurassic Park," built a groundbreaking 30-foot animatronic that could actually function underwater using waterproofed hydraulics and urethane skin - a technical marvel that had previously destroyed lesser movie creatures. With snapping jaws, moving eyes, and a thrashing tail, this mechanical beast terrorized actors in the frigid lakes of British Columbia while creating genuine fear on set. Digital Domain seamlessly handled what the animatronic couldn't, crafting stunning CGI sequences of the crocodile diving and surfacing with explosive water effects. This hybrid approach - blending Winston's tactile craftsmanship with cutting-edge computer graphics - produced just under four minutes of unforgettable screen time. Weather delays, waterproofing challenges, and the genius of two legendary effects houses brought Lake Placid to life, but in a crowded summer of 1999, this croc would struggle to dominate the box office, instead becoming a cult classic creature feature. I would love to hear your thoughts on Lake Placid ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and was nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes. CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Heather, Danny, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle and Aaron. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

    38 min
  4. Anaconda (1997)

    19 JUN

    Anaconda (1997)

    In 1997, Anaconda slithered into cinemas with a secret: every second of computer-generated snake footage cost $100,000 to create. This wasn't just another creature feature—it was Sony Pictures Imageworks' first fully computer-animated character and a technical nightmare that pushed both digital and practical effects to their limits. To mitigate that cost, and to the benefit of this movie, they decided to rely heavily on practical animatronic snakes. The real hero of this movie was Walt Conti, whose company Edge Innovations faced an impossible challenge: creating two colossal animatronic snakes that could actually swim. Drawing on his experience with aquatic mammals, like the whales of Free Willy, Conti engineered a waterproof marvel requiring ten puppeteers to operate, with pre-programmed movements. The legacy of Anaconda extends far beyond its box office success and Jon Voight's memorably unhinged performance. This film helped launch Jennifer Lopez's movie career and established the template for "so bad it's good" cinema. But is it really "so bad it's good"? Or is just actually one of the greatest creature features of the 90s? I would love to hear your thoughts on Anaconda (1997) ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and was nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes. CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle and Aaron. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

    48 min
  5. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim & The legacy of The Lord of the Rings [Part 5 of 5]

    29 MAY

    The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim & The legacy of The Lord of the Rings [Part 5 of 5]

    The final of five special episodes to celebrate this podcast's 300th episode, focused on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, this episode goes into what happened after The Lord of the Rings - namely The Hobbit trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: the Rings of Power, and the various struggled with the rights, plus multiple lawsuits that were filed after The Lord of the Rings. The possibility of losing the rights led to New Line and Warner Bros fast-tracking The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, itself an ambitious anime that needed help from 60 international animation studios to get finished on time. This is the end. The everlasting legacy of The Lord of the Rings, from Tolkien’s stories, through each adaptation we’ve gone into, to this, the end of all things. It’s time to drop the One Ring into the fires of Mordor and think about how far we’ve come... This episode is Part five of a five-part group of episodes. You probably should take a listen to the previous episode(s), if you haven't! I would love to hear your thoughts on The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim & The legacy of The Lord of the Rings [Part 5 of 5] Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and was nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes. CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip  ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Dave, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle and Aaron. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

    55 min
  6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [Part 4 of 5]

    22 MAY

    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [Part 4 of 5]

    In the fourth of five special episodes to celebrate this podcast's 300th episode, focused on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, and we're diving deep into the epic finale of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King. The Return of the King had a monumental impact on the film industry, and epic box office success, raking in over $1.1 billion worldwide. The film swept the Academy Awards, winning all 11 nominations, including Best Picture, a feat shared only with Titanic and Ben-Hur. But it's not all awards and box office records; it's an incredible journey of characters we love, breathtaking visual effects, and the unforgettable musical score by Howard Shore, which has left an indelible mark on cinema. This episode also goes into the incredible work by Weta Workshop on the rest of the visual effects, plus the award-winning hair, make-up and prosthetics. Peter Jackson proved unfilmable material was not only filmable, but that he could create a cinematic trilogy masterpiece with an inimitable legacy, that even he himself couldn't match again, but I’ll come back to that next episode. This episode is Part 3 of a three-part story, as well as Part 4 of a five-part group of episodes. You probably should take a listen to the previous episode(s), if you haven't! I would love to hear your thoughts on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [Part 4 of 5] Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and was nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes. CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Attribution Link: Rate & Review Join the Attribution Link: Patreon | Send a Attribution Link: Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | Captivate Affiliate Link Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Dave, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle and Aaron. Thanks for being here for 300 episodes! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

    1h 4m
  7. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [Part 3 of 5]

    15 MAY

    The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [Part 3 of 5]

    In the third of five special episodes to celebrate this podcast's 300th episode, focused on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, this episode is the second middle chapter, with no beginning and no end, just like The Two Towers. The Two Towers ups the ante from The Fellowship of the Ring, balancing intense action with rich storytelling. This episode focuses on the pivotal Battle of Helm's Deep and the groundbreaking introduction of Gollum, a character that redefined motion capture in film. Gollum's evolution from CGI concept to a fully realized character, is thanks to Andy Serkis' groundbreaking performance. The filming for The Two Towers included gruelling night shoots, and the sheer scale of the battle scenes meant that the crew ended up with "I survived Helm's Deep" t-shirts. It was a monumental filmmaking achievement, taking months to shoot under challenging conditions. The Lord of the Rings wouldn't be The Lord of the Rings, if it didn't feel like The Lord of the Rings, and esteemed Tolkien illustrators Alan Lee and John Howe were brought on as conceptual designers, ensuring visual continuity with the imagery many readers associated with the books. The artistry behind the sets and props in the series reflects a rich history, with every detail crafted to enhance the authenticity of Middle Earth. We wants it, we needs it. This episode is Part 2 of a three-part story, as well as Part 3 of a five-part group of episodes. You probably should take a listen to the previous episode, if you haven't! I would love to hear your thoughts on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [Part 3 of 5] ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and is also now nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes. CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Dave, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete,...

    48 min
  8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [Part 2 of 5]

    8 MAY

    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [Part 2 of 5]

    In the second of five special episodes to celebrate this podcast's 300th episode, focused on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings was 18-years-old by the time Peter Jackson started considering making his own version in live action. Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh wanted to make something high fantasy, but kept coming back to Tolkien's stories. Acquiring the rights from Saul Zaentz took a while, and at the time Jackson was contracted to Miramax, so Harvey Weinstein took charge. With a planned two-film adaptation, filmed back-to-back, this The Lord of the Rings adaptation was worked on under Miramax. Then the budget started to balloon, but parent company Disney refused to help. Jackson was given an ultimatum by Weinstein - either reduce the number of films to one, continue with two on a heavily reduced budget, or abandon the project entirely and find another studio willing to take it on within four weeks. Jackson and his "fellowship" would choose their own quest to find a new studio, and they ended up at New Line Cinema, where something incredible happened... This episode is Part 1 of a three-part story, as well as Part 2 of a five-part group of episodes. You don't need to have listened to the previous episode, but it might help for context of the story as a whole to this point. I would love to hear your thoughts on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [Part 2 of 5] ! Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and is also now nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes. CONTACT.... Twitter @verbaldiorama Instagram @verbaldiorama Facebook @verbaldiorama Letterboxd @verbaldiorama Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com Website verbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Sade, Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Dave, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle and Aaron. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe -...

    52 min
4.9
out of 5
54 Ratings

About

Are you interested in how movies are made? Do you wonder how a film went from conception to completion? If so, Verbal Diorama, hosted by Em, is the award-winning(!) podcast for you! Movies are tough to make, and Verbal Diorama is here to celebrate the coming together of teams of extraordinary cast and crew, bringing us movies that inspire us, delight us, make us laugh, make us cry and frighten us. This podcast discovers the stories behind the scenes, and proves how amazing it is that movies actually exist! Welcome to Verbal Diorama. The podcast all about the history and legacy of movies you know, and movies you don't! Subscribe on your favourite podcast app, and enjoy new episodes every week. Winner of the 2024 Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards for Best Movie Podcast, and Golden Lobes 2025 Earworm Award nominee! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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