Perf Damage Podcast
Hosted by Perf Damage
A husband-and-wife team of film industry insiders explore the technical history, restoration, and preservation of classic and modern cinema.
This is a 'how the sausage gets made' podcast for serious film enthusiasts, hosted by two professionals with direct, hands-on experience. Charlotte, a restoration director, explains the painstaking technical and ethical choices in bringing classics like 'Sunset Blvd.' back to life, while Adam provides context from his work in production and development. Episodes are a mix of deep-dive discussions on specific formats like VistaVision and Technicolor, interviews with archivists and authors, and recordings of their live film introductions at festivals.
“Unlike most film podcasts, Perf Damage is grounded in the hosts' professional careers. Charlotte's role as a restoration director for a major studio and Adam's as a camera assistant provide an unparalleled level of insider detail, turning abstract topics like aspect ratios and film formats into concrete, engaging stories.”
Who hosts this show
Perf Damage is hosted by Adam and Charlotte Barker, a husband and wife who are both film industry professionals. Charlotte is the Director of Film Restoration and Preservation at Paramount Pictures, specializing in the VistaVision format. Adam is a two-time Emmy Award-winning camera assistant with a background in studio development at Paramount. Together, they analyze films, explain complex restoration processes, and interview fellow industry experts to shed light on how movies are made, saved, and seen.
Credentials & credits
- Charlotte Barker: Director of Film Restoration and Preservation, Paramount Pictures
- Adam Barker: Two-time Emmy Award-winning Camera Assistant
- Charlotte Barker: VistaVision format expert
- Adam Barker: Former Development professional, Paramount Pictures
- Charlotte Barker: HPA Award winner for Best Restoration (The Godfather)
- Charlotte Barker: Presenter at TCM Classic Film Festival, SMPTE, and Il Cinema Ritrovato
Other ventures
- Charlotte Barker: Authoring a book on the history of VistaVision
- Adam Barker: Authoring a book on a lost Cecil B. DeMille short film
- Adam Barker: Co-host of 'Geek Motif' podcast
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01Alchemy In Technicolor: The Post-1950'sDec 16, 2025 · 47 min
- 02Popeye Intro - Friend of the Fest American CinemathequeNov 2, 2025 · 20 min
- 03VistaVision Expert: The Best Film Format to Watch One Battle After AnotherSep 22, 2025 · 17 min
- 04Sunset Boulevard: The Real Story Behind the New RestorationSep 4, 2025 · 48 min
- 05
- 06
- 07Film Restoration Stories: From Silent Seas to Saturday CartoonsJun 15, 2025 · 35 min
- 08Unmasking Danger: Diabolik in 4KMay 25, 2025 · 29 min
Notable episodes
- 01VistaVision Expert: The Best Film Format to Watch One Battle After Another
Establishes Charlotte's specific credentials as a leading expert on a rare film format and demonstrates the show's ability to explain complex technical topics.
- 02Alchemy In Technicolor: The Post-1950's
A prime example of their expert interview style, where they collaborate with an author to correct a long-standing myth in film history.
- 03Popeye Intro - Friend of the Fest American Cinematheque
Showcases the hosts' direct involvement in the film community and their alternative format of sharing live event recordings from major cinema institutions.
- 04Sunset Boulevard: The Real Story Behind the New Restoration
A signature episode where Charlotte details her own professional work, taking listeners behind the scenes of a major restoration project at Paramount.
What you'll be asked on this show
As co-hosts, Adam and Charlotte conduct interviews as a collaborative exploration with an expert guest. They begin by establishing the guest's credentials and the origin of their work, such as a book or project. Their questions are specific and informed, designed to clarify complex technical processes for the audience (e.g., explaining the Technicolor IB process) or to probe nuanced historical details and controversies. [xPLZCBd52-I] The hosts use their own expertise to frame the conversation, making it a discussion among peers rather than a standard Q&A.
Co-hosted by a knowledgeable and passionate husband-and-wife duo, the show's format is flexible. Some episodes are focused conversations between the two, often using animated explainers; others are interviews with industry colleagues or recordings of their live presentations at theaters and festivals. The tone is educational but accessible, celebrating the deep-cut technical details of cinema.
Questions Perf Damage keeps coming back to
4 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when Perf Damage reaches for it.
origin
1- Q.01
“Could you introduce yourself and tell us how this project or book came to be?”
This is their standard opening move to establish a guest's authority and the origin story of their work.
process
1- Q.01
“Can you walk us through the technical details of this specific process?”
Asks the expert guest to simplify a complex topic like a film format or restoration technique for the audience.
controversy
1- Q.01
“Why do people mistakenly believe this common misconception about film history?”
Used to directly address and correct a popular but inaccurate industry narrative.
personal
1- Q.01
“What's your take on this specific, unusual detail about a historical figure?”
Probes a niche historical detail, inviting the guest's informed speculation on a person's motives or actions.
Signature segments
- · Explaining rare film formats (VistaVision, Technicolor)
- · Sharing recordings of their live film introductions
- · Animated technical explainers
- · Correcting common film history misconceptions
- · Deep dives into specific film restorations
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are industry professionals and experts who can provide deep, specific knowledge. They include authors of film history books (Bob Hoffman), film librarians from studio archives (Jeffrey Osmer), and film preservation managers (Graham), booked to correct historical records or explain their craft.
- Bob Hoffmanon Alchemy In Technicolor: The Post-1950's
- Jeffrey Osmeron Inside the Archive: How Lost Director's Cuts Like Jade and Star Trek: The Motion Picture Are Found!
- Grahamon Film Restoration Stories: From Silent Seas to Saturday Cartoons
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast appears to be sponsor-free, based on the episodes provided. They have done viewer giveaways for prizes.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch Perf Damage
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People also ask
- What are the hosts' real names?
- The hosts are a husband and wife team, Adam Barker and Charlotte Barker.
- What are the hosts' jobs?
- Charlotte Barker is the Director of Film Restoration and Preservation at Paramount Pictures. Adam Barker is a two-time Emmy Award-winning camera assistant who previously worked in development at Paramount.
- Is the podcast still active?
- Yes, the podcast is active and releases episodes on a roughly monthly basis.
- What is the show's format?
- It's a mix of co-hosted deep dives on film history and technology, interviews with industry experts, and recordings of the hosts' live film introductions at festivals and theaters.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on YouTube and major podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Official Websiteperfdamage.com
- [02]About Page - Perf Damage Podcastperfdamage.com
- [03]Perf Damage Podcast - YouTube Channelyoutube.com
- [04]Charlotte Barker - Lone Pine Film Festival Biolonepinefilmfestival.org
- [05]Interview: Charlotte Barker On Restoring 'Chinatown' And Preserving Paramount's Classicsawardsradar.com
- [06]Charlotte Barker talks VistaVision at TCM Classic Film Festivalyoutube.com
- [07]Perf Damage - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
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