
James Clarke
James has written about movies and popular culture since 2001. His books include Blue Eyed Cool: Paul Newman, Bodies in Heroic Motion: The Cinema of James Cameron, The Virgin Film Guide: Animated Films and The Year of the Geek. In addition to his books, James has written for magazines including 3D World and Imagine FX.
In addition to writing on film and animation, James teaches screenwriting. He has taught on the MA Screenwriting course at London Film School and is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Birmingham City University. He has worked as a Script Reader for the British Film Institute and as a tutor for the BFI Film Academy scheme.
Latest articles by James Clarke

Best cartoons of the 1970s – from The Lord of the Rings to The Rescuers, filmmakers pick their favourite animated movies
By James Clarke published
Disney had competition from Hayao Miyazaki, Ralph Bakshi and the rise of rotoscope animation.

Creating the whimsical digital art for hit trading card game Disney Lorcana
By James Clarke published
James Clarke speaks to a trio of artists about their work illustrating beautiful card art for hit TCG Disney Lorcana

Behind the scenes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – iconic Star Wars shots and epic world-building secrets!
By James Clarke published
Which shot is the real "classic Star Wars"?

Love Neel? Here's how DNEG nailed the perfectly lovable, endearingly anxious look for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew's popular hero
By James Clarke published
They went back to the film series' roots.

"Everyone thinks they know what a lightsaber looks like, but now I really know," teases the DNEG artist behind Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
By James Clarke published
There's a secret magic to creating the perfect lightsaber.

Cartoons of the 1960s – the best animated movies feature the work of Chuck Jones, who ensured characters were "not realistic, but believable"
By James Clarke published
Today's filmmakers pick the best animated movies of the 1960s, including The Jungle Book and Yellow Submarine.

The art of Alien film series – how a fearful future was crafted
By James Clarke published
We explore the visual heritage of the visceral Alien cosmos and its development over the franchise’s history

Paddington in Peru's use of previz turned a London studio into a jungle
By James Clarke published
Framestore reveals its VFX secrets.

"It was one of the most complicated scenes we had to do" – how Paddington in Peru's Citadel was made
By James Clarke published
Framestore reveals how Paddington's Peruvian bear-city was made.

Cartoons of the 1950s – the best animated movies from Lady and the Tramp to Animal Farm
By James Clarke published
The best animated movies of the 50s chosen by today's professionals.

Paddington in Peru's animation works because of one small detail
By James Clarke published
Framestore's VFX team explain why the famous bear is so realistic.

How Wicked's terrifying flying monkeys were created
By James Clarke published
ILM made them incredibly lifelike.

31 pieces of spellbinding Wicked concept art, from flying monkeys to the epic Emerald City
By Ian Dean published
I'm bewitched by ILM and John M. Chu's vision for Wicked's design.

Why Defying Gravity was Wicked's "most difficult sequence" to film
By James Clarke published
Cynthia Erivo was committed to the visual effects spectacle.

How Wicked's magical VFX was made (and why a single scene was make or break)
By James Clarke published
ILM's VFX supervisor reveals how Oz's world was more.

50 years of Dungeons & Dragons: art and insights from Tony DiTerlizzi, Ralph Horsely, Anne Stokes and other leading illustrators
By James Clarke published
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons with a look at its rich tradition of fantasy illustration and digital art.

How AI was used to create 'melty' VFX transitions in Here, the millennium spanning movie starring Tom Hanks
By James Clarke published
Martine Bertrand, Senior Researcher in AI at DNEG, shares how the epic effects were created.

Creating the subtle VFX behind Here, the new movie from Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks
By James Clarke published
Alexander Seaman, Visual Effects Supervisor at DNEG, reveals how he and his team met the challenge of creating a sense of place across millennia.

"We believed in the details": animating the world of The Imaginary
By James Clarke published
Studio Ponoc founder Yoshiaki Nishimura discusses the anime adaptation of a whimsical children’s book.

"It feels exactly like we wanted it to": the making of Ultraman: Rising
By James Clarke published
Shannon Tindle and co-director John Aoshima discuss the character design and visual style of the Netflix superhero movie.

Flights of Creativity: the VFX behind Masters of the Air
By James Clarke published
DNEG visual effects supervisor Xavier Bernasconi discusses working on high-flying WWII series.

Creating a whole world with Jellyfish Pictures
By James Clarke published
New creative director Archie Donato discusses the VFX and animation studio’s philosophy, leading a team, and the joy of creativity.

Artist insight: pro advice from The Gnomon Workshop's best instructors
By James Clarke published
Art advice from four digital art masters - Pascal Blanch, Andy Park, Hamish Frater and Rembert Montald.
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