OPENING CREDITS®

Welcome to OPENING CREDITS®, the podcast that goes behind-the-scenes of the latest and greatest films and TV shows to meet the crew behind the camera. As two Graphic Designers who’ve dabbled in the film industry, we realised that today’s relentless streaming and never-ending content has made it feel more closed off than ever, and audiences rarely get to see how any of it actually gets made anymore...

In a special episode to round off Season 2, Stephen decides to spring a surprise pop quiz on Laura - or, as it's about the podcast, a pod quiz. Play along to test your own knowledge of the previous episodes, and hear some of the best bits from our guests this season. The podcast will return for Season 3 in the Spring, so make sure you're following on the socials to be the first to know when we're...

We're opening up another one of the big Art Department credits this week: the Art Director. Ayden Millar chats with us about what the job involves, shares her advice to anyone who wants to follow in her footsteps, and speaks frankly about the importance of mental health in the film & TV industry. Ayden will be joining us for a LIVE Q&A on Instagram very soon, so stick around to the end to...

Tim Simpson is the Creative Director at Plunge Creations, who are best known for making those crazy costumes on 'The Masked Singer' (UK). Settle in for a bit of workshop ASMR as Tim takes Stephen on a tour of Plunge to meet some of the crew and see how the costumes are brought to life. Tim then joins us to share some of the secrets of the show, and tells us about the other weird and wonderful thin...

Laura has returned from her first credits-digging expedition having successfully found the Graphic Artist for 'Hello Tomorrow!' Max joins us from Austin, Texas, to not only tell us about creating the retro-futuristic world of Apple TV's sci-fi series, but also how he worked on HBO's 'Succession' and designed the famous logo for Logan Roy's company, Waystar Royco . Make sure to follow us on the soc...

The podcast heads to Scotland this week to meet Glaswegian scenic painter and prop maker, Gary Loughran. In this episode, Gary tells us why he loves making stuff look like other stuff for the big screen, using paint to turn rubber into wood, foam into marble, and polystyrene into stone. Hear how Gary has brought props and sets to life on 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves', 'Outlander,'...

This week, we meet the head of the Art Department; the Production Designer. And WHAT a Production Designer we have for you. Tom Bowyer is a hugely experienced, award-winning designer, with over 34 credits including ' Misfits ,' ' Harlots ' and ' The Capture .' In this episode, Tom breaks down how an Art Department works, talks through his creative process, and answers some of your questions, givin...

Natasha and Jack Carty are a creative power couple from Brisbane, Australia. Not only are they both graphic designers, but Natasha is also a talented illustrator and Jack is a successful singer/songwriter. In this episode, Stephen and Laura chat to our first Aussie guests about their work in the film industry, and also their creative endeavours outside of it, as Tash and Jack are now combining the...

In this episode, Stephen is joined for the first time by his new co-host, Laura Whitehouse, who brings along Greens Team Supervisor, Bethany Spence. Get ready to want to change your job once you discover the weird and wonderful world of greens - building natural environments for film sets - and how it's so much more than 'just plants.' Hear how Beth creates everything from spooky tombs to alien pl...

Join us for Part 2 of our night at the museum (of brands), recorded LIVE at the Graphics Union’s Golden Nib Awards 2023. In this episode, Stephen is joined by our very first celebrity guest on the podcast: BBC Radio 1's resident film critic and host of the evening, Mr Ali Plumb! Ali chats all things movies, the end of the strikes, Oscars buzz, and the interviews that made him. Don't forget to chec...

The podcast returns with the first of a two-part special, recorded live at the Graphics Union’s Golden Nib Awards 2023.  Join us for a night at the museum (of brands), and hear from some of the award winners as they join Stephen for a chat in the ‘Time Tunnel.’ Guests this episode include Drew George-Foster, who accepted the Best Contemporary Graphics in a TV Drama award of behalf of Jack Bow...

LA-based designer Tina Charad has worked on some of the biggest blockbuster films you could probably think of, including 'The Batman,' 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood,' 'Blonde,' 'Avengers: Infinity War,' 'La La Land,' 'Maleficent,' 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' to name but a few, and she’s most recently worked on 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,' and Marvel’s 'Werewolf by Night.' But,...

Kaush Bharti has been a Graphic Designer for 28 years, 15 of those in the film industry, where he currently works as a Graphic Art Director. His list of credits include films and TV shows such as 'Doctor Strange', 'I May Destroy You', 'The Lazarus Project', and 'Mother Father Son'. In this episode, Kaush tells us how working in design agencies at the beginni...

Dd Etherton is an up-and-coming designer who has developed somewhat of a niche for making screen graphics. In this episode, Dd tells us about her work on BBC drama 'The Split' , and how she’s worked with Idris Elba twice so far, on his film 'Yardie' and the upcoming Netflix 'Luther' movie. Dd shares with us some of the secrets of product placement, and how she hopes h...

In this special episode of the podcast, we're joined by not one, but two guests. Andy Bottomley and Camise Oldfield are the co-chairs of the Graphics Union UK, which represents freelance Graphic Designers in the UK film & TV industry. Like Opening Credits, the Graphics Union UK are all about championing creative talent and building supportive communities for film pros, so it was really gr...

Laura Whitehouse is a designer who, in her own words, juggles two very excellent balls: branding work for ‘real world’ clients, and creating graphic props for shows produced by the likes of Paramount, Netflix, the BBC, and Disney. Laura discusses her on-screen work for films and TV shows including ‘Dungeons & Dragons,’ ‘The Princess Switch 3,’ and a secret upcoming Marvel show.  Laura also tel...

Gina Alessi is a graphic designer specialising in design for film, television and brands. In this episode, Gina talks to us about the film that inspired her to get into the industry, her variety of TV work including 'American Horror Story' and 'Manhunt' , and how she unknowingly made one particular prop for none other than Michelle Obama. Gina also shares details of her upcomin...

On this episode, Stephen's guest is Erica Dorn, who is none other than the graphic designer for director Wes Anderson, having worked with Wes on Isle of Dogs and The French Dispatch . Erica talks about adapting from life in a design agency to the chaotic world of movie-making, and how her working relationship with Wes Anderson has developed over their projects together. Erica also tells us ho...

Sophie Powell has designed for a huge variety of films and TV shows including Rocketman , Black Mirror , Transformers , and Last Night in Soho . In this episode, Sophie tells us the difference between working in movies and TV (and which is her favourite) and how she finds time in her busy schedule to design for small businesses and sell her own designs on Etsy. Sophie also talks about building the...

Leah Spencer is a graphic designer for film and TV, a job she describes as ‘the coolest niche job in the world’. In this episode, Leah tells us how her work in corporate graphic design gave her an advantage when she eventually made the switch to film and TV, landing her dream job working on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel , and how she takes inspiration from living and working in New York to authentical...

Flora Fricker is a graphic designer working in film, TV and animation. In this episode, Flora talks about her role on the upcoming Netflix re-make of Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, and the as yet untitled Bridgerton spin-off, making graphic props such as shop signage, medicine labels and love letters. Flora tells us how she balances her time between film work and her own clients, creating brand ident...