Filmed in Supermarionation

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Filmed in Supermarionation
Film poster
Directed byStephen La Rivière
Written byAndrew T. Smith
Stephen La Rivière
Produced byStephen La Rivière
StarringGerry Anderson
Sylvia Anderson
David Graham
CinematographyDave Hicks
Edited byStephen La Rivière
Andrew T. Smith
Music byBarry Gray
Animation byJustin T. Lee
Distributed byNetwork Distributing
Release dates
  • 30 September 2014 (2014-09-30) (BFI)
  • 11 October 2014 (2014-10-11)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Filmed in Supermarionation is a 2014 documentary film about Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson and the struggling group of filmmakers who found success producing puppet television series such as Supercar, Joe 90, Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Thunderbirds. Directed by Stephen La Rivière, and based on his book of the same name, it was released theatrically in the UK on 11 October 2014, having premiered at the British Film Institute on 30 September 2014. The film was favourably received by critics. It was later released on DVD and Blu-ray.[1]

Synopsis

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Filmed in Supermarionation tells the story of the development of Supermarionation, a term coined to describe the form of marionette puppetry employed by the teams at AP Films (APF) and Century 21 studios under the management of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. The documentary is hosted by Lady Penelope and Parker, puppet stars of Thunderbirds, who seek to uncover the story behind their creation.[2][3]

Production

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The film includes puppet and special effects sequences designed to match the look and feel of the 1960s APF productions. Dialogue was recorded with members of the Thunderbirds voice cast, and puppets and sets were recreated to mirror the Supermarionation productions as closely as possible.

Although the effects sequences were shot on 35 mm movie film (like the original productions), the puppet scenes were filmed digitally. As well as puppet wire removal and digital set extensions, this workflow allowed the image to be manipulated in post-production to better imitate 1960s film photography.[4]

Century 21 promotional stills photographer Doug Luke was interviewed for the documentary[5] but does not appear in the final cut, nor in the deleted scenes.

Reception

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On release, Filmed in Supermarionation was generally well received by critics across a wide range of publications.[6] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film four stars, writing that "There is something very romantic about this success story of British entrepreneurial creativity."[7] Rich Trenholm of CNET was similarly positive, stating, "the documentary's vibrant storytelling captures the vitality, innocence and sense of joy of the series themselves".[8]

Empire Online rated the film four out of five, commenting that "aficionados will relish this mix of clips, gossip and nostalgia".[9] The Sussex Express gave five out of five, calling the film a "fitting tribute".[10] Total Film's Neil Smith considered it "lovingly assembled".[11] However, Time Out described it as "overlong and overexcited".[12]

Martin Townsend, in his New Year's editorial for the Sunday Express, enthused: "The likes of Apple and Microsoft may be very impressive companies, but if I wanted to inspire children to be creative entrepreneurs I'd show them the Supermarionation film."[13]

References

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  1. ^ Filmed in Supermarionation, Screening Info. Official Site.
  2. ^ "Stand By For Action!". Network On Air. 3 April 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  3. ^ Leane, Rob (22 October 2014). "Filmed In Supermarionation DVD review". Den of Geek. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  4. ^ Filming in Supermarionation, YouTube.
  5. ^ "Doug Luke: Photographer recruited by Dick Lester to work on 'Help!'". Independent.co.uk. 30 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Filmed in Supermarionation". Rotten Tomatoes.
  7. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (9 October 2014). "Filmed in Supermarionation Review – Inspiring British Puppetry Success Story". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  8. ^ Trenholm, Rich (30 September 2014). "Delightful 'Thunderbirds' Documentary Goes Behind the Strings". CNET. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  9. ^ Parkinson, David (1 October 2014). "Filmed in Supermarionation Review". empireonline.com. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  10. ^ Payne, Steve (17 October 2014). "Review: Filmed in Supermarionation". sussexexpress.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  11. ^ Smith, Neil (6 October 2014). "Filmed In Supermarionation Review". gamesradar.com. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  12. ^ "Filmed in Supermarionation". timeout.com. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  13. ^ Townsend, Martin (4 January 2015). "A Word from the Editor: I Grew up Mildly Obsessed with Thunderbirds". Sunday Express. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
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