Mark Kermode's Secrets Of Cinema: Disaster Movies

With his trademark blend of wit, passion and strong opinion, Mark Kermode uncovers the cinematic and storytelling secrets of one of the oldest and most spectacular genres of all: the disaster movie.

Earthquakes, explosions, eruptions - since the earliest days of cinema film-makers have understood that true spectacle lies not in building things up, but in bringing them crashing down. Mark Kermode grew up in the 1970s, the heyday of the all-star Hollywood disaster movie, and he’s always been fascinated by the genre, which continues to thrive today.

Mark shows how disaster movies use stunts and sound, editing and special effects to bring us jaw-dropping visions of destruction. But spectacle alone isn’t enough, and Mark reveals how film-makers rely on recurring story devices, themes and character types to build drama and maintain our sense of jeopardy. Mark also showcases the remarkable range of disaster movies, from claustrophobic solo survival stories, to films that explore the ultimate catastrophe - the end of the world.

Mark Kermode’s Secrets Of Cinema: Disaster Movies (1 x 60’) is produced by BBC Studios Pacific Quay Productions. Commissioned for BBC Arts and BBC Four by Commissioning Editor Mark Bell. Written by Kim Newman and Mark Kermode, the Series Producer is Nick Freand Jones, the Producer is Kath Pick, and the Executive Producer is John Das.

Publicity contact: CR3