Behind the VFX of Sinners Spectrum FX’s Donnie Dean on Fire Effects, IMAX & The Oscars

In this episode of the Fable House Podcast, we sit down with Donnie from Spectrum FX, a special effects professional from Slidell, Louisiana, to talk about the incredible practical effects behind the film Sinners. Donnie shares behind-the-scenes stories about creating massive practical effects for the movie, including a 60-foot fire tornado, burning a full-scale roof over IMAX cameras, and the extensive testing required to make these sequences both safe and cinematic. We also discuss working with director Ryan Coogler, the collaboration between practical effects and digital VFX teams, and how the Spectrum FX team approached building believable large-scale effects grounded in reality. The conversation also explores the Oscar campaign and nomination journey surrounding the film and what it was like for the team to suddenly find themselves competing for an Academy Award after years of work behind the scenes. If you're interested in filmmaking, visual effects, practical effects, or behind-the-scenes movie production, this episode offers a rare look into the craft that makes movie magic possible. The Fable House Podcast features in-depth conversations with filmmakers, musicians, and entertainment professionals to uncover stories you won’t find anywhere else online. Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro 2:02 – Working with Ryan Coogler 4:00 – Script secrecy & test screenings on Sinners 6:00 – Burning a real roof over IMAX cameras 8:00 – Why testing special effects matters 11:02 – Creating the 60-ft fire tornado 12:12 – Practical effects vs VFX 13:08 – Shooting Sinners on IMAX film 15:20 – Explaining the VFX during the Oscar campaign

You can listen to Behind the VFX of Sinners Spectrum FX’s Donnie Dean on Fire Effects, IMAX & The Oscars online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Behind the VFX of Sinners Spectrum FX’s Donnie Dean on Fire Effects, IMAX & The Oscars is an episode from Yeah, But Seriously... by Yeah, But Seriously....

This episode is 00:18:00 long.

This episode was published on Mar 15, 2026.

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