What's the best movie trilogy? For Liz Hunt, there's only one answer to that question: The Lord of the Rings. The CEO and Chief Creative at DayCloud Studios weighs in on the original books, the 1977 animated film, Peter Jackson, and also Dune (with some Duplass-puppet-Togetherness memories), the Spider-Verse, Superman, and Batman. Plus we attempt to answer the question, "Does Henry Cavill's wig work in The Witcher?" And just for fun, we touch on board games and why being a Dungeon Master sounds like the best part of fantasy tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG). 

DayCloud Studios, a branding and creative agency: https://www.daycloudstudios.com/

Liz Hunt consulting and links: https://lnk.bio/LizHunt_Consulting

Looking for another cool podcast to add to your library? Listen to Liz Hunt and Chelsea Poppens who host The Agency Rocket Show Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agency-rocket-show/id1711823295

https://open.spotify.com/show/2uHRZCU1w4uCqBOLF4LoMr?si=9e803b34424f4f6a&nd=1&dlsi=8d060c4401d54736

https://www.youtube.com/@AgencyRocketShow

November marks 25 episodes of Designers On Film, and it's been a fun ride. Let's look ahead, learn what's coming soon.

Tom Muller comes back to the show for American Psycho: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHMaiPPjHHg

Liz Hunt of DayCloud Studios on Lord of the Rings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bo1XFtQbMs

Keaton Haines from DayCloud Studios, a lifelong fan of Princess Mononoke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OiMOHRDs14

The site: https://www.designersonfilm.com/

The writing about movies, pop culture, and more: https://www.designersonfilm.com/musings

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): https://www.designersonfilm.com/frequently-asked-questions

Young Frankenstein brought together so many talented actors and comedians, to create a memorable and re-watchable Gothic horror comedy. Artist and designer Mike Wirth explains how Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein and its various adaptations and tributes and parodies connect to and relate to the Jewish golem story. We also touch on not only the classic movies of Mel Brooks, but also Sam Raimi, Airplane 2, and What's Up, Doc? as well as movies becoming musical theater. Plus, some vaudeville history, and Hitchcock, with Dr. San Guinary's Creature Feature thrown in for good measure. Listen closely and you'll hear Mike's cat, our special guest. This episode is dedicated to Teri Garr.

Jen Hood, Co-Founder and Design Lead at Hoodzpah http://hoodzpahdesign.com/, provides plenty of reasons to watch and re-watch Edgar Wright's 2004 horror/comedy classic Shaun of the Dead. Not only is Simon Pegg cute, but he and Nick Frost are also such a dynamic duo that you might find yourself drawing comparisons to Abbott and Costello, or Laurel and Hardy. Appropriate since, like those comedy legends, Pegg and Frost had their own streak with Shaun of the Dead, plus Hot Fuzz and The World's End. We also get into Wright's Baby Driver versus Gosling's Drive, with some talk about hair and highlights, and the problem with two similar movies debuting around the same time, A Bug's Life and Antz, we're looking at you too. In addition to this episode, and Hoodzpah, where else can you find Jen Hood? Some snazzy fonts https://hoodzpahdesign.com/product-category/fonts/ plus freelance and business courses https://courses.hoodzpahdesign.com/courses/freelance-and-business-and-stuff too. Oh, and you may find her on one of those Viking Cruises too, sooner or later, touring one of Wright's movie locations. Would it be Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz or The World's End? Listen in to find out.

Chelsea Poppens, Chief Operating Officer at DayCloud Studios, joins the show to talk about the fun, family-friendly Halloween classic, Disney's Hocus Pocus. We root for sister and brother Dani and Max, with Allison, who battle the Sandersons! But don't take the movie too seriously, enjoy it for what it is, appreciate the nostalgia, and take in all the nifty practical effects from the glory days before computers became the norm for post-production. In addition to Hocus Pocus, we touch on Hocus Pocus 2, and Chelsea shares stories from not only the design-side of her daily routines, but also talks about how she makes time for herself. As a former WNBA/Pro/ISU athlete, she opens up about being a fish out of water, traveling for games. What's the best way to travel? By plane, train, automobile, broom, vacuum cleaner, or Swiffer? Choosing might be easier than you think. Also! Be sure to follow Chelsea at the podcasts Champion This and Agency Rocket Show.

Artist, illustrator, and designer Diane Faye Zerr returns to the show to talk about Prey. Admittedly, she's never been a Predator fan but when she found out about Prey's premise, she jumped right in. Yes, this is a "Predator Movie" but Prey is all about Naru, a strong woman fighting multiple battles, dealing with wild animals, and on top of it all, Naru takes down an alien. "She doesn't have assault rifles, she doesn't have grenades," says Diane, moreover, Naru doesn't have roid-built muscles either. "You don't want to tailor to just guys bringing their girlfriends along to movies," says Diane, "you want to bring girls into things too." Diane also talks about the forthcoming Predator movie starring Elle Fanning, plus, we touch on rights of passage for heroes, sequels as pure money makers, 1979's Alien, the erstwhile smoking sections in theaters, and the forthcoming Alien TV series. Learn more about Diane's work at https://fayeandco.etsy.com and https://www.instagram.com/fayeandco.

Digital and graphic designer Catalina Olvera has not only seen Saw once, but she's also gone back to it time and time again, having been fascinated with it since age 8. A big fan of true crime stories, she explains why the first Saw holds up. Sure, designers will appreciate Jigsaw's crafty "measure twice and cut once" methodology, but it's the story and set pieces that leave an impression. In addition to Saw, we also discuss Saw X and Shawnee Smith who portrays Amanda, aka Mandy, plus we get into 2024's Longlegs and 2022's Smile, as well as Guillermo del Toro. We conclude with a discussion about the movie-watching experience, theaters or streaming and the right time for each, and why trailers should be avoided due to their very spoilery content.

Giovanna Chung of Kindred Spirits Design Co. isn't necessarily a horror fan, but Get Out struck such a chord that she finds herself thinking about it time and time again, and not just because of Jordan Peele's considered use of type, color, and graphics. The movie delivers a horrifying and memorable story with seemingly authentic human interactions used for something else, something evil and horrifying. Not only does Giovanna bring a designer's perspective to her analysis of Get Out, but with a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Neuroscience, Minor in Sociology, she's also able to go beneath the surface. "It's a really good movie for people who like to study people," she says. In addition to Get Out and its alternate ending, we discuss Peele's Us and Nope, the Key & Peele cat comedy Keanu, and improv, Ari Aster, and being a "theater kid." Learn more about Giovanna at https://kindredspiritsdesign.co/ and in AIGA Houston's Hispanic Heritage Month feature.

Motion designer Steven Tapia shares his fondness for The Matrix, from the fantastic story to the cliffhangers and fight scenes, up to and including its commentary on identity, technology, and humanity. A successful designer who's worked with clients like James "Latin" Clark on Tony Yayo's Pass the Patron video featuring 50 Cent, Tapia is also an accomplished teacher with After Effects & Visual Effects Tutorials on YouTube. In addition to The Matrix, we touch on The Acolyte (2024), Bound (1996), the freedoms that come with freelancing, AI and generative art tools like Midjourney, going hard at that thing that you love, and a little bit of Max Headroom.

Is Joe Dirt the best movie to watch while you crush Mountain Dew and hang out with your pals in a garage? There's only one answer to that question, according to James Edmondson, who studied at TypeMedia in The Hague, Netherlands. In 2015 he launched his type company Ohno whose specimens do include Joe Dirt references, or crumbs if you will. Edmondson has grown Ohno into an awesome company and brought in more people who care as much about type as he does. "Taking something silly very seriously," matters to James and as Ohno's Instagram suggests, "Graphic Design should be fun." Yes, Joe Dirt has plenty of problems, but looking broadly at its humor, music, and story, would this sprawling romp make a fun Broadway Musical? Listen in to discover why, or why not.