The Puppet Master: An Interview with Kevin McTurk by Kent Hill

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They say in the film business, never work with children or animals. Of course you may find yourself working with dinosaurs, aliens, lions, beast-people, scrunts, kothogas, ghosts, morlocks, Batman, Spiderman, Hellboy, kaijus, wolfmen, clones, cliffhangers, vampires, giant crocodiles, homicidal maniacs, killer sheep, Predators, cowboys and mysterious brides out to Kill Bill.

Sounds ominous, doesn’t it? But that’s just some of the astounding creations and magnificent beasts that Kevin McTurk has encountered in his eclectic career in the realms of special effects.

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Working under the banners of legends like Stan Winston, Jim Henson and the new titans like Weta Workshop, Kevin has had his hand in erecting and simulating everything from the real world as he has from empires extraordinary. And, while I could have spent the entirety of our chat talking about his adventures working on the countless films, which are favourites of mine, he has in his CV, his impressive effects background is only part of the story.

For Kevin McTurk is a bold and visionary filmmaker in his own right. His puppet films, The Narrative of Victor Karloch, The Mill at Calder’s End and now The (forthcoming) Haunted Swordsman are exercises in capturing a style from a bygone era with modern filmmaking techniques. The results are beautiful, not only in their aesthetic quality, but in the level of excellence from the many different disciplines on display.

There is still time for you to join Kevin in his latest cinematic offering (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/935772123/the-haunted-swordsman-a-ghost-story-puppet-film), and to listen in now to the man himself talk about his movies, influences and career.

I give you the talented Mr. McTurk.

Visit Kevin’s website for more: http://www.thespiritcabinet.com/

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PTS Presents WRITER’S WORKSHOP with JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY

JPS POWECAST

5beaee3a-69a9-4b9d-9d72-3d9c6a142ff0Podcasting Them Softly is thrilled to present a discussion with the phenomenally talented playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker John Patrick Shanley. An Oscar winner for his MOONSTRUCK screenplay, John has a list of incredible big screen credits which include the Andes mountain plane crash drama ALIVE, the hilarious and offbeat cult classic JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO, which he also directed, and the 2008 feature film version of his Pulitzer and Tony award winning dramatic play DOUBT, which he also directed, and which starred Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. An NYU graduate, John has written over 20 plays, he’s worked in television, notably on the HBO war drama LIVE FROM BAGHDAD, and has even dabbled in the opera, with a version of DOUBT put on by the Minnesota Opera in 2013. His most recent endeavor on Broadway was the limited engagement of his original play OUTSIDE MULLINGAR, which looked at life on an Irish country farm, and which received a Tony and a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Play. It was a real honor to be joined by someone of this magnitude, and we hope you enjoy listening to this fascinating and passionate discussion!