Complete show notes (with links) are available at http://opticalpodcast.com/episode/008/We chat with creator and publisher of Cinefex, Don Shay, about the life and work of stop motion pioneer Willis O’Brien, including The Lost World, King Kong, Mighty Joe Young, and more. We also interview animation director Rob Shaw about his films and experience as a stop-motion animator. Listen for your chance to win a free 1-year print subscription to Cinefex magazine.Subscribe to the PodcastSubscribe in iTunesEnhanced AAC podcast feedMP3 podcast feedSponsorCinefex magazine — The journal of cinematic illusions.FeaturesWillis O’BrienThe Lost World (1925)King Kong (1933)Mighty Joe Young (1949)Follow along with our List on Letterboxd, featuring films we’ve covered, and upcoming films to watch.GuestsDon Shay, Creator and publisher of Cinefex magazine, and Willis O’Brien biographerRob Shaw, Stop-motion animation directorMusic(Almost) all tracks by Digital Droo(Except) a teensy snippet of the James Bond Theme by Monty Norman and John BarryA small clip of the 1938 re-release trailer for King Kong features the music of Max Steiner.Research MaterialsCinefex 7 — October 1981, available in the Cinefex iPad appCinefex 138 — July 2014, with “O’Brien vs Dawley” update by Stephen CzerkasRevisiting Cinefex (7): Willis O’Brien by Graham EdwardsThe Making of King Kong, by Orville Goldner and George E. TurnerKing Kong: The History of a Movie Icon from Fay Wray to Peter Jackson, by Ray MortonMore BitsWillis O’BrienThe Dinosaur and the Missing Link (1915), on YouTubeEdison Conquest PicturesR.F.D. 10,000 BC (1917), on YouTubeThe Edison film monopoly — The Motion Picture Patents CompanyThe Ghost of Slumber Mountain (1918), on YouTubeHerbert M. Dawley’s “Articulated Effigy” patent for stop-motion animationRalph Hammeras’ glass painting patent for in-camera compositesThe Lost World (1925), on YouTube, or the Lumivision DVD which also features several of O’Brien’s Edison shorts.Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. SchoedsackKong pitch painting, “Giant Terror Gorilla” by Willis O’Brien and (via Giant Monsters Among Us)King Kong title sequence at Art of the Title1938 re-release trailer for King KongDeLaurentis’ full-size Kong is discussed in this delightful AV Club review of King Kong (1976)Hays Motion Picture Production CodePeter Jackson and WETA’s Lost Spider Pit SequenceLinwood Dunn and the optical printerThe Most Dangerous Game (1932)How King Kong was Filmed (or Not), on the Cinefex Blog, about the 1933 King Kong magazine article with effects misinformationSon of Kong (1933)The Last Days of Pompeii (1935)WAR EAGLES: The Unmaking of an Epic - An Alternate History for Classic Film Monsters by David Conover & Philip J. RileyThe Valley of Gwangi (1969)George Lofgren, taxidermistWillis O’Brien accepts his Oscar — “Thank you very, very much.” Delightful.The Black Scorpion (1957)Pete Peterson, stop-motion animatorThe Giant Behemoth (1959)The Lost World (1960)It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)Jim Danforth, stop-motion animatorNitrate film stockCelebrating Cinefex — The VideoRob ShawDragonframe motion controlDownshooter for animationHappy Tree Friends. “Cubtron Z”They Might Be Giants, “I’m Impressed”Article on George Pal’s Puppetoons, with a picture showing Willis O’Brien and Ray Harryhausen working on the shortsPuppetoons replacement animationPortlandia RatsCoralineFlushed Away (2006)How to use a Surface Gauge for Stop Motion Animation](http://www.animateclay.com/index.php/articles/8-video-tutorials/18-how-to-use-a-surface-gage-for-stop-motion-animation)Dragonframe Frame Grabber softwareRob’s Two Bottles BlogThe Five Deadly Venoms (1978)As everThe Optical theme by Digital DrooThe Optical “aperture” logo by Mike Gower