Celluloid Dreams: The Psychology of Film – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

Celluloid Dreams: The Psychology of Film

Michael

Tv & Film

Frequency: 1 episode/13d. Total Eps: 11

Join Matt & Mike as they discuss the psychological underpinnings of films from the beginning of film as an art form to the present. Subject matter includes discussion of films addressing psychological issues, whether it be mental illness or a psychological or spiritual exploration with more universal applicability, the techniques used to create an emotional or intellectual reaction when watching a film, and the ultimate psychological impact of a film.

Read moreCollapse

Site

RSS

Apple

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇺🇸 USA - filmHistory
11/07/2026
#87
🇺🇸 USA - filmHistory
19/04/2026
#90
🇺🇸 USA - filmHistory
14/03/2026
#58
🇺🇸 USA - filmHistory
13/03/2026
#75
🇺🇸 USA - filmHistory
10/03/2026
#79
🇺🇸 USA - filmHistory
09/03/2026
#57
🇺🇸 USA - filmHistory
04/03/2026
#95

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.

See all

No links shared by this podcast

RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

See all

RSS feed quality

To improve

Score global : 68%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

See all

An Introduction to Matt & Mike

Episode 1

Sunday, March 1, 2026 • Duration 01:34:53

In this first episode, Matt & Mike provide their bios to familiarize the listening audience with their backgrounds in order to convey the perspective through which they analyze films. They also begin the process of listing their top 30 favorite films, to share why those films are important to them, and reveal why listeners should follow along as Matt & Mike explore the psychological elements that drive the narratives of the greatest films of all time.

Read moreCollapse

Episode 2 - More of Matt & Mike's Favorites

Season 1 · Episode 2

Saturday, March 14, 2026 • Duration 01:00:33

For their second episode, Matt & Mike continue with their filmic "Rorschach Test" in describing the films that have meaning to them and the personal reasons why. Once they reach the end of this short series of episodes, the hope is that the audience will understand the psychological prism through which Mike & Matt view movies as they break down the elements of individual films in future episodes.

In particular, Matt shares his family connection to "The Right Stuff" due to his father's lifetime of military service and flight experience. Mike relates how Christopher Nolan keeps making films he wishes he had the chance to make, with "Interstellar" having particular personal meaning for its exploration of the boundary between the scientific and the spiritual that has fascinated Mike since he was in high school.

Other films discussed range from the political, such as the journalistic "All the President's Men" and wickedly satirical "Robocop," to the darkly thrilling, like "The Shining" and "Seven." And there's much more to come in future episodes...

SPOILER ALERT: Discussion of all time great films at times must include mention of a film's ending or key twists in the story, so be forewarned that all aspects of a film are fair game for discussion!

Read moreCollapse

Episode 5 - Celluloid Dreams Film School Part 1: The Psychology of Cinematography

Season 1 · Episode 5

Friday, April 17, 2026 • Duration 01:28:30

Delves into the art of cinematography, including such topics as the elegance of slow-motion, use of natural light, impact of color versus black & white, and role of framing and different aspect ratios. The conversation covers the evolution of film formats, strategies for utilizing point of view shots, lens choice and lighting, and the contribution of Steadicam on tracking shots.

Takeaways

Cinematography is a complex aspect of filmmaking that directly affects the psychological impact of a film.
Understanding the historical evolution of film formats provides insight into the development of cinematographic techniques.
Cinematographic perspective, including the use of point of view shots and camera movement, plays a crucial role in creating a compelling cinematic experience.
Choices of lenses, angles, lighting and filming speed can convey a skewed world view to alter the psychological landscape of a film.

Read moreCollapse

Episode 4 - The Conclusion of 30 Film Favorites with Matt & Mike plus Honorable Mentions

Season 1 · Episode 4

Sunday, April 5, 2026 • Duration 02:51:43

Matt and Mike complete discussion of their 30 Film Favorites.

The final lists are as follows:

Matt's 30 Favorites:

2001: A Space Odyssey

Alien

Apocalypse Now

Blade Runner

Chinatown

The Dark Knight

The Empire Strikes Back

The French Connection

The Godfather

Goodfellas

Goldfinger

Heat

Inception

Jaws

King Kong (1933)

L.A. Confidential

Lawrence of Arabia

LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Psycho

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Road to Perdition

Robocop

The Right Stuff

Scarface

Seven

The Shawshank Redemption

Star Wars

Superman - The Movie

Episode 3 - Favorites Films of Intrigue & the Criminal Underworld

Season 1 · Episode 3

Friday, March 27, 2026 • Duration 01:41:16

Matt & Mike resume their discussion of their favorite films, this time focusing on stories touching upon the criminal underworld or the world of intrigue. The list of films this time out is as follows:

Chinatown

LA Confidential

The French Connection

Die Hard

Goldfinger

Marathon Man

Heat

Manhunter

Goodfellas

Scarface

Road to Perdition

The Shawshank Redemption

Requiem for a Dream

SPOILER ALERT: Again, all elements of a film are fair game for discussion, so if you haven't seen all of these films and you don't want to know the ending, skip past that film and listen to the next entry.

Read moreCollapse

Episode 11: Celluloid Dreams Film School Part 7: First Person Mindscape Narratives

Season 1 · Episode 11

Sunday, July 5, 2026 • Duration 01:32:22

Matt & Mike discuss first person story elements that place the audience into the mindscape of either a protagonist or a group of characters within a narrative.

Topics include the following:

Indications of a standard first person narrative structure include use of narration and/or point of view shots.
However, in many instances, a third person limited perspective that shows only the environment the protagonist sees throughout a story is the format for conveying a specific character's perspective.
Voiceover can take the form of either a character relaying information directly to the audience through narration or in the form of a flow of consciousness voiceover within the character's mind.
Some films use voiceover by multiple characters to either convey competing views of the characters ("Casino") or a collective consciousness of the characters ('The Thin Red Line").
Some meta films that address the filmmaking process work as first person narratives by personifying the filmmaker within the film with either minimal voiceover exposition ("8 1/2") or explicit narration detailing the creative process ("Adaptation").
Some unreliable first person narrative structures, such as "Rashomon," are designed to convey the subjective nature of reality, while others convey the warping of reality by mental illness.
Dream sequences can be used to reveal the inner world of the protagonist visually, or otherwise serve as internal catalysts for actions they take.
Hallucinations can be used in storytelling to either project the warped perspective a character experiences or reveal aspects of a greater reality not normally perceived by the character.
Flashbacks are typically used to convey how a character subjectively experienced events that happened in the past, but also can be used to convey how a listener perceives a version of events conveyed to them by that character.
Flashforwards raise the issue of whether the future is predetermined or if there is free will to change what has been prophesized.
Ultimately, all of these narrative devices enable filmmakers to address subjective reality and emotional truth, which is at the heart of storytelling.

Episode 10: Celluloid Dreams Film School Part 6: Narrative Structure & the Origins of Story

Season 1 · Episode 10

Monday, June 22, 2026 • Duration 01:23:57

Matt & Mike explore sources of inspiration for films, as well as the various narrative structures through which those storylines are conveyed.

Even though plot details may differ between narratives, universal themes are often explored through storylines that long predate the existence of film. Additionally, other sources of inspiration can influence various aspects of a film, including its visual expression of ideas and tone. Examples of sources of inspiration include the following:

Oral storytelling history
Religious and mythological stories
Stage Plays - both classic and modern
Short Stories & Novels - both classic and modern
Graphic Novels & Comic Books
Videogames
Artwork & Music
Radio, newsreels & newspapers
Other Films - both foreign & domestic
The Entertainment Industry itself
Actual Life Events and Non-Fiction materials based upon such events
The Collective Unconscious (assuming Carl Jung is correct)

Some examples of Themes explored in film and its source material include the following:

Good vs Evil
Coming of Age
Search for Identity
Death & Rebirth

Archetypal characters depicted in films and its source materials include the following:

Hero
Shadow
Mentor
Trickster
Shapeshifter
Herald

Narrative structures for storytelling discussed within this video include the following:

Episode 9: Celluloid Dreams Film School Part 5: Cinematography & Rhythms of Performance

Season 1 · Episode 9

Sunday, June 7, 2026 • Duration 01:56:23

In this episode, Matt & Mike revisit filmmaking elements addressed in prior episodes of the film school to discuss the following:

Techniques used when filming the performance of actors.
Editing techniques for dialogue scenes.
Establishing character through action.
How dialogue styles and rhythms either elevate or ground the execution of a film.

Primary takeaways are as follows:

Distance, framing and motion of cinematography can be used to balance between establishing geography and highlighting key emotional moments that a filmmaker seeks to accentuate.
The most important aspect of editing character interaction is to capture the emotion of a scene, with other key aspects being maintaining essential elements of the plot and not disorienting the audience with a bad cut.
Elevated dialogue creates a more poetic version of reality, while naturalistic dialogue grounds a film in a less stylized manner to resemble the real world.
Voiceover narration can at times be straightforward to bring to light additional plot details or provide insight into a character's inner world. However, narration can also be unreliable to make the audience believe something other than what actually transpired in the story.

Read moreCollapse

Episode 8: Celluloid Dreams Films School Part 4: The Psychology of Mise-en-Scene & Performance

Season 1 · Episode 8

Friday, May 29, 2026 • Duration 01:52:55

Matt & Mike return to discuss the elements that "set the stage" for performance, which make up the Mise-en-Scene of the film. Aspects which comprise Mise-en-Scene include the following:

1) Locations - whether it be a soundstage or a natural location.

2) Costumes - past, present, or future all require authenticity.

3) Props - what are the props that either make the film feel lived in or define character.

4) Makeup - especially that which fully transforms the actor into the character he or she assumes.

5) Visual effects - to either enhance the setting or character transformation, including motion capture.

Once the setting is established for the actor, the primary aspect required to bring the scene to life is performance. A few aspects regarding performance explored in the episode include the following:

1) Casting - whether to typecast or cast against type.

2) Exterior vs interior acting - stagecraft to play to the back row in comparison to the Method taught by Lee Strasberg or the Adler technique attributed to Stella Adler.

3) Non-professional actors - under certain circumstances, is it better for a person to simply be who they are before the camera?

4) What is the future for AI characters in film?

Read moreCollapse

Episode 7: Celluloid Dreams Film School Part 3: Synched Sound & Music

Season 1 · Episode 7

Friday, May 15, 2026 • Duration 02:04:57

Hosts Matt & Mike continue their journey through the process of filmmaking from a psychological perspective, along with special guest, Nick, a podcaster in his own right, who happens to also be Mike's nephew.

The reason for Nick's inclusion in this particular episode is his musical background as an experienced drummer, as well as his knowledge of film and film scores.

The first portion of the episode concerns the impact on film by the addition of synchronized sound, as well as how sound is mixed to add psychological resonance to a film. The second portion dives into film scoring and use of needle drops to promote associations to particular songs.

Some of the composers and their important works discussed in this episode include masters like John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, John Barry, James Horner, Hans Zimmer, Wendy Carlos, Tangerine Dream and Angelo Badalamenti.

Read moreCollapse

Celluloid Dreams: The Psychology of Film – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Celluloid Dreams: The Psychology of Film – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify