Production
The documentary includes puppet and special effects sequences that were designed to match the look and feel of the 1960s APF productions. Dialogue was recorded with members of the original Thunderbirds voice cast, and puppets and sets were recreated to replicate the Supermarionation style as much as possible. The wiring for Penelope and Parker was provided by Ormiston Wire Company, APF's wire supplier in the 1960s. [4]
While the effects sequences were shot on 35 mm film like the original productions, the puppet scenes were filmed digitally. This workflow allowed for electronic wire removal and set extensions, as well as manipulating the image during post-production to better imitate 1960s film photography. [5]
Although Century 21 promotional stills photographer Doug Luke was interviewed for the documentary, [6] he does not appear in the final cut, nor in the deleted scenes.
Reception
On release, Filmed in Supermarionation was generally well received by critics across a wide range of publications. [7] 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." [8] 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". [9] Empire Online rated the film four out of five, commenting that "aficionados will relish this mix of clips, gossip and nostalgia". [10]
The Sussex Express gave five out of five, calling the film a "fitting tribute". [11] Total Film 's Neil Smith considered it "lovingly assembled". [12] Time Out , however, described it as "overlong and overexcited". [13]
Oxford Mail 's reviewer commented that it "might have been fun to have included contributions from some celebrity fans, or those diehards who keep the Supermarionation myth alive at conventions". He added that "anyone with fond memories of Gerry Anderson's pioneering programmes will forgive the odd moment of self-indulgence and naff humour, as this picture is pretty much critic-proof." [14]
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." [15]
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