Inside “The Residence”: Creator Paul William Davies on Crafting a White House Whodunit

The Residence, produced by Shondaland for Netflix, is the much-anticipated whodunnit that is Shonda Rhimes’ second show set in the White House. The first, of course, was another beloved, Kerry Washington-led Scandal, which dealt in the shadowy world of Washington’s Olivia Pope, the queen of fixers. Now Rhimes and her collaborator Paul William Davies return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to follow Uzo Aduba’s Cordelia Cupp, a world-famous detective and obsessive birder,

How “Severance” Cinematographer David Lanzenberg Captured a Chilling Corporate Nightmare

Severance earned 14 Emmy nominations the first time around, and after a three-year hiatus, the show has reignited fan frenzy as it builds toward the Season 2 finale streaming Friday [March 21] on Apple TV +. Again, bifurcated employees and their bosses (Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman and Christopher Walken) navigate the tortuously fascistic world of Lumon Industries, which severs employees from their civilian selves — but now,

How Director Mohammad Rasoulof Shot his Oscar-Nominated “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” in Secret

Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof wanted to tell a big story — so he went small. The Seed of the Sacred Fig explores his country’s authoritarian rule, repressive justice, patriarchal dominance, and women’s rights through its impact on one family.

Taking place during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, a nationwide protest sparked by the arrest of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman jailed for not wearing a hijab and beaten to death while in custody,

“The Brutalist” Production Designer Judy Becker on Designing Fictional Mid-Century Modernist Masterpieces

A World War II refugee architect and a robber baron meet in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and modernist design history is made. The premise of The Brutalist, a 3.5-hour critical darling and Golden Globe winner from writer/director Brady Corbet, is as American as apple pie. But from the moment Holocaust survivor Làszló (Adrien Brody) pulls into New York Harbor, the film was shot in Europe. Working primarily in and around Budapest, production designer Judy Becker (Carol,

“Wicked” Cinematographer Alice Brooks on Casting a Magical Light Over This Dazzling Adaptation

Embracing Old Hollywood and a plethora of source material, cinematographer Alice Brooks knew her Wicked vision for Oz would be rich and luxurious.

Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, inspired by the long-running stage show based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel. It stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a misunderstood green-skinned woman. She finds an unusual kinship with Ariana Grande’s popular girl, Glinda. When their paths lead them to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz,

“Casting Director Jennifer Venditti’s Intuitive Touch in “The Sympathizer”

Casting director Jennifer Venditti had one of Hollywood’s great chameleons to work with when she was putting together the pieces for HBO’s limited series The Sympathizer. Robert Downey Jr. plays a quartet of characters in Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar’s adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel as the Oscar-winning performer is in a constant swirl of dramatic action among performers less well-known but all of them entirely game.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” Editors Dean Zimmerman & Shane Reid on the Killer Cut

When a movie trailer makes history by snatching 365 million views in 24 hours, at the very least, the studio behind it knows they have an interested audience. Deadpool & Wolverine did so in February this year and then trickled out a treasure trove of marketing materials leading up its July release. Everything from conspiracy riddled images, popcorn bucket sets, possible cameos,

“King Ivory” Cinematographer Will Stone Illuminates John Swab’s Fentanyl Crime Drama

“This was a very important script for him,” says cinematographer Will Stone about writer-director John Swab and his latest project, King Ivory, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Swab is a recovering drug addict, and with his feature film Body Brokers (2021), he took first-hand accounts of time he spent in drug rehabilitation centers to deliver a visually gritty narrative about scammers profiting off keeping people in recovery.

“Emily in Paris” Star Ashley Park on ‘brat summer’, Her Singing Chops, and Season 4’s Stakes

As the first five episodes of season four of the hit series Emily in Paris dropped on Netflix on August 15, fans were eager to delve back into the world of Emily (Lily Collins) and Mindy (Ashley Park) as they navigate messy relationships, major career changes, and general adulthood woes, in Paris. 

At the conclusion of season three, Mindy was dating her former high school crush (and real-life boyfriend) Nicolas (Paul Forman) and also found out she had been accepted to the Eurovision competition with her former boyfriend,

“Twisters” Editor Terilyn A. Shropshire on Whipping Up a Winning Cut

For editor Terilyn A. Shropshire, Twisters was a homecoming. Director Lee Isaac Chung shot the satisfying popcorn picture on 35mm, and Shropshire, who cut her teeth on 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm, was thrilled to see flash frames again on Twisters. Most of the excitement came in color timing and seeing the end results, but still, the texture alone of the footage shot by cinematographer Dan Mindel, was a thrill to cut.

“Sing Sing” Cinematographer Pat Scola on Capturing a Raw, Moving Portrait of Humanity

“It was really about getting out of your own way and allowing these men’s story to come to the forefront,” cinematographer Pat Scola tells The Credits about the emotionally stirring film Sing Sing from director Greg Kwedar, which shines a delicate light on the arts rehabilitation program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. “Greg was the one who led from the front on this, and we were there to help tell the story without putting our hands all over it,” Scola says.

“Knuckles” Composer Tom Howe on Scoring the Speedy Warrior’s Paramount+ Debut

Composer Tom Howe constructed the score for Paramount+’s superpowered new series Knuckles, putting the warrior Knuckles the Echidna from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe at the center of the action.

“He’s like Sonic, but more fun, more attitude, and probably more fun to have a beer with or go out for dinner with,” Howe says of the titular character. Howe also benefited from an added element that made the sound of Knuckles so appealing—the voice of Knuckles himself,

“The Garfield Movie” Director Mark Dindal on Taking a Famously Lazy Indoor Cat Way Outdoors

Garfield, the lasagna-eating original grumpy cat, has been painted with a fresh coat of animated fur and given a new voice in actor Chris Pratt for director Mark Dindal’s The Garfield Movie, a hilarious roller-coaster romp that’s going to bring out the kid in you, nostalgia aside. Garfield purred into theaters on May 24.

Published as a comic strip in 1978, the beloved feline has made its way onto television series,

Unveiling the Bene Gesserit’s Secrets With “Dune: Part Two” Costume Designer Jacqueline West

After just nine days in release, Denis Villeneuve’s much-anticipated sequel to his first Dune film has already scored $367 million in worldwide box office. The massive response to Dune: Part Two is due in no small part to costume designer Jacqueline West’s intricate designs that went beyond adding depth to the characters—they are integral in building a complex, harsh world thousands of years into the future.

After designing 2,000-plus costumes—including the bespoke stillsuits—for the first film,

Architect of Arrakis: “Dune: Part Two” Editor Joe Walker on Forging a Ferocious Masterpiece

There’s a scene in Dune: Part Two where Chani (Zendaya) tells Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), “You’ll never lose me as long as you stay who you are.” Editor Joe Walker, who won an Academy Award for his work on Dune: Part One, allowed the foretelling moment to breathe. “There’s quite a pause after that line,” he shares with The Credits about the tragedy to come.  The chemistry between Paul and Chani was just one of several storylines in the second installment of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune saga Walker navigated with ambition and care.

“Lakota Nation vs. United States” Director Jesse Short Bull & Editor Laura Tomaselli Bring a Profound Injustice to Life

Director Jesse Short Bull knew he’d found the right collaborator in editor Laura Tomaselli when he watched her early cut of Lakota Nation vs. United States, their documentary about the Lakota’s ongoing quest to reclaim the Black Hills of South Dakota, sacred land that was stolen by the government in violation of the Black Hills treaty of 1868.

“Laura cut an amazing scene with a ‘50s western where a man and woman are in a wagon signing about the Black Hills and why ‘the Indians fight so hard for their land,’” recalled Short Bull.

How the “Wednesday” VFX Supervisor Created Thing, Nevermore, and More

The “mysterious and spooky” Addams Family gets revitalized in Tim Burton’s hit series Wednesday, which stars Jenna Ortega as the emotionally reserved child, complete with pigtails, black attire, and a deadpan affect that suggests this youngster is the oldest of souls.

The story, from creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, is directed by Tim Burton and charters Wednesday to Nevermore Academy – a school her parents Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and (Gomez (Luis Guzmán) attended 25 years before.

“Arnold” DP Logan Schneider on Shooting Schwarzenegger

What more can be said about Arnold Schwarzenegger that hasn’t already been said? Plenty, as it turns out. Arnold, the three-part documentary (streaming now on Netflix), includes loads of archival footage, plus interviews with famous collaborators like Jamie Lee Curtis and James Cameron, but the core story comes directly from the world-famous bodybuilder-turned-movie star-turned-California governor. Filming intermittently over two years mainly at Schwarzenegger’s Brentwood home, director Lesley Chilcott and cinematographer Logan Schneider also visited the Austrian village where Schwarzenegger grew up.

Director Dawn Porter Details a Complex First Lady in “The Lady Bird Diaries”

In filmmaker Dawn Porter’s newest documentary, The Lady Bird Diaries, Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Johnson speaks for herself. Porter’s film is based on 123 hours of audio diaries that Lady Bird recorded during the presidency of her husband, Lyndon Baines Johnson. The personal, often poignant diaries reveal the First Lady’s key role as her husband’s advisor and confidante during his tumultuous presidency.

“I knew very little about Lady Bird, though I knew a lot about President Johnson,” says Porter,

“Raymond & Ray” Writer/Director Rodrigo Garcia Digs Deep With Ewan McGregor & Ethan Hawke

Writer/director Rodrigo Garcia‘s initial idea for Raymond & Ray was simple—a trumpet player is digging his father’s grave—but something wasn’t quite working. “I can’t even remember if the digging of the grave was his idea or the father’s requirement,” Garcia admits, reflecting on the first draft of what would become his surprisingly funny, raw look at father/son relationships in his new Apple TV film. “The reverend was there, and a woman showed up with a child,