Announcing The CMBA Fall Blogathon: Cinema Couture | The Art of Illusion

The focus of this Blogathon is on the artisanal element of film, where the only A.I. is not artificial intelligence but actual intelligence: knowledge, skill, emotion, human endeavour and effort.

The board invites members to explore the detailed crafting of films with both big and small budgets. How did directors and studios with limited resources and crews achieve spectacular and impressive results on screen? How many staff did a director with unlimited finances employ to design costumes for a particular costume epic? What steps to overcome racial or gender barriers did some directors take in order to achieve their screen vision? How did the Silent pioneers literally invent the very language and imagery of cinema to begin with?

This is your chance to dive deep into the history of a particular film, studio, designer, element of filmmaking etc, in order to share the stories of how the magic happened. The films and topics that you could write about for this are endless.

The Cinema Couture & The Art of Illusion Blogathon (which is only open to CMBA members) will take place between the 9th and 13th of November, 2026. Due to the vast array of possible topics, we will not be accepting duplicates, but members may submit up to two reviews/articles each, so please let us know your desired film or topic as soon as possible by completing the sign-up form below. If you have any questions, please contact us at the CMBA email.

How to participate: