DESIGNERS ON FILM

Jason Tselentis
  • 5.0 (7)
  • DESIGN
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Every episode, host Jason Tselentis speaks with a phenomenal guest, usually a designer, about their favorite movie. It might be worth watching over and over, and over again. Maybe it left them with more questions than answers, or a lingering feeling. Learn about art direction and set design, cinematography and performance, casting and screenwriting, acting and costume design, makeup and music, as well as advertising, marketing, media, technology, unforgettable quotes, and so much more. Whether or not you are a designer, you will enjoy every revealing conversation that explores creativity and strategy, perseverance and leadership, craft and style.

  1. FEB 12

    Amélie (2001) with Zipeng Zhu

    Zipeng Zhu talks about his time studying design in New York and learning from Debbie Millman. He also gives thanks to all the amazing people who helped him on his creative journey, including Jessica Walsh who loves the movie Amélie as much as Zipeng. Amélie lives in a world unto herself, full of imagination and creativity, but she's kind and gives back to others, creating joy in a variety of ways. - Zipeng Zhu is a Chinese-born artist, designer, educator, and founder of the award-winning creative studio Dazzle in New York City. He wants to make every day a razzle-dazzle musical and has collaborated with iconic brands such as Apple, Adidas, Adobe, Coca-Cola, Instagram, MTV, Microsoft, Netflix, The New York Times, The New Yorker magazine, Samsung and Uber. His work has been exhibited at major museums and institutions in cities all over the world, including New York, Barcelona, Dubai, Shanghai, Beijing, and Mumbai. Zipeng dedicates his days running both the Dazzle Studio and merch shop Dazzle Supply, bringing his dazzling design to clients and fans around the globe. https://dazzle.studio/ https://dazzle.supply/ https://x.com/zzdesign https://www.instagram.com/zzdesign https://sva.edu/features/sva-creators-zipeng-zhu-makes-exuberant-designs-that-leave-you-dazzled - Amélie (2001) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/‍ ‍ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yy0dc-mzTM https://www.npr.org/2001/11/02/1132568/amelie https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210916-amlie-the-most-stylish-film-ever-made

    51 min

  2. FEB 5

    Miracle (2004) with Sam Potts

    Sam Potts talks about his comfort movie, Miracle starring Kurt Russell and Patricia Clarkson. Based on real life events, Miracle tells the story of the American hockey team and the 1980 Olympics Miracle on Ice. Russell plays Coach Herb Brooks, who leads the underdog American hockey team on a challenging journey and through rigorous training and a series of wins, they eventually face the seemingly invincible Soviet Union team. We also discuss the Cold War backdrop looming over the characters and events in the movie, teamwork on and off the ice, and how teamwork and accountability are a part of the design world. - Sam Potts has over two decades of graphic design experience across print and digital media. He brings humanity and personality to a project using voice, elegance, and intelligence to solve visual communication problems, taking the long view while also attending to the details. From his first job editing college textbooks to his wide-ranging career as a graphic/ux designer, the thread that runs through everything is a search for meaningful expression, whether the task at hand is a book jacket, a digital experience, or a hardware store for superheroes that's also a writing center for kids. Sam was the original UX/UI designer (first designer on the Games team) for The New York Times Crossword app. He created signage, packaging, posters, books, branding, and websites for the original Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. and 826NYC. And designed the book and jacket for all three of John Hodgman's humorous books of complete world knowledge. You may have also seen his complete branding of the Independent Film Channel's flagship theater in New York for their IFC Center. When he's not working as a designer, Sam plays left wing for the Geri-Hat-Tricks in his local beer league. https://sampottsinc.com/‍ ‍ https://sampottsinc.com/present_tense/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHzsbfltdFM - Miracle (2004) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349825/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd0_Dm2xlEM‍ ‍ - The 1984 USA vs USSR Miracle on Ice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR56GJ05IMs&t=5224s‍ ‍ https://www.si.com/olympics/2014/10/28/reminder-what-we-can-be-1980-us-olympic-hockey-team-si-60‍ ‍ - Other movies and shows discussed: American Flyers (1985) Breaking Away (1979) Hoosiers (1986) Of Miracles and Men (2015) Quicksilver (1986) Red Army (2014) - Art, books, design, shops discussed: Breaking Away poster, affiliate link https://amzn.to/4a3H9x2 Frenchtown Bookshop https://www.frenchtownbookshop.com/

    55 min

  3. JAN 29

    Blade Runner (1982) with Kevin Finn

    Brand expert, author, internationally recognized designer, and TEDx speaker Kevin Finn joins the show to talk about Blade Runner starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah, Brion James, and Joanna Cassidy. Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, is brought back to an elite unit that hunts and retires rogue Replicants, bioengineered beings virtually identical to humans but often used for slave labor. We also discuss the movies Alien and Aliens, as well as Blade Runner 2049 and Barry Lyndon. - Kevin Finn is a brand expert, author, internationally recognized branding designer and TEDx speaker. Having begun his career in Dublin, he later moved to Sydney, where he became Joint-Creative Director of Saatchi Design, part of the Saatchi & Saatchi global network. From 2003-2018 he wrote, edited, and published the independent design journal, Open Manifesto, which included interviews, essays, and conversations with some of the most influential designers and global thinkers, including: Michael Bierut, Milton Glaser, Jessica Walsh, Edward de Bono, Noam Chomsky, ex-CIA operative Larry J. Kolb, and Neil Harbisson, a real-life cyborg, among many others. During a time when weblogs and Tumblrs had overtaken the design landscape Open Manifesto's print publication was a refreshing approach. In 2022, Open Manifesto, An Anthology was published by Formist. In 2007, Finn founded his independent design practice, TheSumOf, in remote Australia before moving to Brisbane in 2010, where he now lives and works. His award-winning book Brand Principles: How to be a 21st Century Brand was published in 2022. He is also founder and creator of DESIGNerd, the trivia app where the most influential designers test your knowledge and share theirs. Finn acknowledges Australia's First Peoples as the original knowledge holders of the Country, paying respect to Elders, both past and present. https://thesumof.com.au/ https://designerd.global/ https://www.instagram.com/just.kevin.finn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-finn-3aa8a33/ - Blade Runner (1982) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/ https://collider.com/blade-runner-tears-in-rain-monologue/ https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/inspiration/hong-kong/welcome-ridleyville-hong-kong-inspired-blade-runner.html - Other movies and shows discussed: Alien (1979) Alien: Earth (2025-) Aliens (1986) Barry Lyndon (1975) Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

    46 min

  4. JAN 22

    Her (2013) with Weber Wong

    The 2013 movie Her, written and directed by Spike Jonze, stars Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson, and Rooney Mara. We see Phoenix as Theodore living an isolated life, occasionally recalling his marriage to Catherine played by Mara. The movie explores loneliness, love, and divorce, as well as technology. When Theodore acquires a new, advanced operating system that is able to relate to him and communicate with him, the Samantha artificial intelligence changes his life. Weber Wong joins the show to talk about the 2013 movie, and we also discuss FLORA, a professional creative tool with all the best text, image, and video AI models on one infinite canvas. Weber started building FLORA to help him make his own art projects at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program, a graduate program focused on using technology to make art. - Weber Wong is the Founder and CEO of FLORA, a professional creative tool with all the best text, image and video AI models on one infinite canvas, which you can connect these together to concept rapidly and build scalable generative media workflows to accelerate your creative workflows. FLORA's aim is to build a creative operating system for the creative team of the future. Since FLORA launched their product, it has been used by hundreds of world-class creative teams (such as Pentagram, Publicis, Denstu, Lionsgate) to accelerate their creative workflows for branding, marketing, and VFX. Weber started building FLORA to help him make his own art projects at NYU ITP, a graduate program focused on using technology to make art. Weber has also been an investor at Menlo Ventures before his forays into creative technology. https://flora.ai/ https://weberwong.cargo.site/ https://x.com/weberwongwong https://www.linkedin.com/in/weberwong/ - Her (2013) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709 https://www.facebook.com/herthemovie - Other movies and shows discussed: Blade Runner (1982)

    34 min

  5. JAN 15

    Tron: Ares (2025) with Tim Lapetino

    Greetings, Programs! Designer, writer, curator, and historian Tim Lapetino, who's the Creative Director at Atari, shares insights about Tron: Ares, which tells the story of two tech giants battling for digital dominance. We also talk about video games, the fantastic Nine Inch Nails music, Disney, Star Wars, Marvel comics, Alien, and artificial intelligence. - Tim Lapetino is an award-winning designer and author who has helped brands tell their stories through design and writing. Tim enjoys working with geeky brands and their passionate fans, telling stories and inspiring generations of collectors, creators, programmers, tastemakers, and artists. His best-selling book, Art of Atari, has been published in four languages, and his writing appears in publications worldwide. https://www.timlapetino.com/ https://www.instagram.com/timlapetino/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/timlapetino/ - Tron: Ares (2025) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6604188/ - Other movies and shows discussed: Alien (1979) Alien: Earth (2025) Batman Beyond (1999-2001) The Mandalorian (2019-) Oblivion (2013) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) Tron (1982) Tron: Legacy (2010) Tron: Uprising (2012)

    48 min

  6. JAN 8

    RE-RELEASE: Tron (1982) with Tim Lapetino

    Greetings, Programs! Meet designer, writer, curator, and historian Tim Lapetino, who's the Creative Director at Atari. Armed with a passion for digital and visual culture, Tim shares insights about 1982's Tron, its production, sequels, and video games. We also discuss WarGames, classic sci-fi, artificial intelligence, and The Big Lebowski. This episode was originally released for our 1st Season in July 2024 and during this recording, Tim was working on a Visual History of Tron book, in mid-pitch mode. - Tim Lapetino is an award-winning designer and author who has helped brands tell their stories through design and writing. Tim enjoys working with geeky brands and their passionate fans, telling stories and inspiring generations of collectors, creators, programmers, tastemakers, and artists. His best-selling book, Art of Atari, has been published in four languages, and his writing appears in publications worldwide. https://www.timlapetino.com/ https://www.instagram.com/timlapetino/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/timlapetino/ - Tron (1982) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084827/ https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/movies/disney-tron.html - Other movies and shows discussed: The Big Lebowski (1998) The Black Hole (1979) The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Photo Tronology (2011) The Shining (1980) Time After Time (1979) Time Bandits (1981) Tron: Ares (2025) Tron: Legacy (2010) Tron: Uprising (2012-2013) WarGames (1983)

    54 min

  7. JAN 1

    Groove (2000) with Michael Sinanan

    Designing a rave requires planning and patience, it also requires a vision. Get the proper space, the best DJs, and electronic dance music (EDM) that gets people dancing all night and into the early morning, until the last record spins. It's all captured in the movie Groove (2000) which Michael Sinanan fell in love with after the first viewing, not only because EDM has the beats that keep his design process going, but the movie also inspired him to become a DJ himself. Michael talks about what makes the movie so iconic, and touches on the current club and dance culture, from musical tastes, to ticketing and admission, to people being distracted by their phones. - Designer Michael Sinanan loves searching for the big idea, creating visuals and visual worlds that fascinate people, pulling them into a unique experience full of wondrous layers and textures. Based in Toronto, he's the creative director running Brainmetal Design and his 20 years of experience shape impactful visual communications that connect meaningfully with target audiences, aligning with marketing and business objectives. He's insatiably curious about AI and like technology itself, Michael is constantly evolving but always puts clarity and strong visual impact first. Whether building a brand, telling a story, navigating change, or spinning as a DJ, Michael moves with purpose, asks the right questions, and pursues excellence. https://www.brainmetaldesign.com/ https://www.instagram.com/brainmetaldesign/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-sinanan-3336a86/ - Groove (2000) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212974/ - Other movies and shows discussed: Clerks (1994) Friday (1995) Go (1999) House Party (1990) Last Days of Disco (1998) Night at the Roxbury (1998) Singles (1992) Swingers (1996)

    53 min

  8. 12/25/2025

    Die Hard (1988) with handfellas

    Omar Diaz and Manny Colon, who work together as handfellas, bring iconic movie moments to life with custom-made puppets, cardboard props, creature designs, and special effects magic. Their puppet-powered parodies include The Matrix, Pulp Fiction, Jaws, and just in time for the holidays, Die Hard. The team brings unapologetic comedy, vintage puppet vibes, and handcrafted absurdity right to your eyeballs, through painstaking craft and an insatiable curiosity. https://www.instagram.com/handfellas/ https://www.youtube.com/@HandFellas https://www.patreon.com/handfellas/ - Die Hard (1988) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095016/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_Lasts_Forever_(Thorp_novel) - Die Hard by handfellas https://www.instagram.com/p/DSeWijfDrgA/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DSjZ1ufjtT3/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DSoOnJqjsoS/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DSoiz4ujsFs/ - James Cameron named Die Hard his favorite action movie during Stephen Colbert's "Questionert." https://youtu.be/7x3Gp2yXuxw&t=354‍ ‍ - Other movies and shows discussed: The Dark Knight The Fifth Element Goodfellas Independence Day Jaws Jurassic Park Last Action Hero Psycho Pulp Fiction Staying Alive The Terminator Top Gun The Wizard of Oz

    47 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Every episode, host Jason Tselentis speaks with a phenomenal guest, usually a designer, about their favorite movie. It might be worth watching over and over, and over again. Maybe it left them with more questions than answers, or a lingering feeling. Learn about art direction and set design, cinematography and performance, casting and screenwriting, acting and costume design, makeup and music, as well as advertising, marketing, media, technology, unforgettable quotes, and so much more. Whether or not you are a designer, you will enjoy every revealing conversation that explores creativity and strategy, perseverance and leadership, craft and style.

Information

  • Creator
    Jason Tselentis
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    93
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    DESIGNERS ON FILM