Press

Ludwig bosses explain genius hidden puzzles fans can solve – but might have missed

Publication: Radio Times

Date: Oct-2024

“Keeping a sense of playfulness but also making sure it wasn’t too unrealistic.”

Fallon explained that director Robbie McKillop drew inspiration from interview rooms in the likes of Barbie, Decision to Leave and Jacques Tati’s Playtime in a bid to create “a station that appeared to be structured and uniform but that would nonetheless be hard for John to navigate – a workspace that was seemingly simple but one that John felt incredibly uncomfortable in, and did not understand”.

She continued: “We agreed it should be contemporary to contrast with John’s personal aesthetic and only make the slightest nod to privacy – having John in the middle of the office in a booth where his colleagues could pop in and catch him off guard but also a space that he could look out from on his tip toes and spy on what was going on in the office.”

But the intricacies don’t stop there! Along with designer Melanie Allen, she and McKillop used panelling and tiles in the station. While this was a “perfect way” to add detail on camera, “it was also a way of working in some puzzle motifs”.

“Puzzles are so crucial to the show and to John’s character – we were always looking at ways to layer it into the design,” Fallon explained further.

www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/ludwig-genius-hidden-puzzles-exclusive-newsupdate

These TV Show Interiors Are Inspiring Our Decorating

Publication: House & Home

Date: Jul-2022

Anatomy Of A Scandal

While a British politician and his wife walk through their home arguing in this Netflix drama, you might find yourself tuning them out as you stare at the gorgeous interiors. The rooms definitely steal the spotlight. Throughout the elegant London home you’ll see lots of stunning wallpaper, ornate fireplace mantels and perfectly styled coffee tables. One of our favorite touches? Those amazing floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves!

houseandhome.com/gallery/these-tv-show-interiors-are-inspiring-our-decorating

Melanie Allen on subliminally telling the story of a drama

Publication: goldderby.com

Date: Jun-2022

“We’re much more involved in subliminally telling the story of a drama,” argues Melanie Allen about her role as a production designer on Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal. Based on the popular novel by Sarah Vaughan, the limited series tells the story of Sophie and James Whitehouse (Sienna Miller and Rupert Friend), an upper class couple who have everything they want. Their marriage is thrown into turmoil after James, a rising star in British politics, is accused of sexual assault. In our exclusive video interview, Allen describes creating the world of an upper class couple and the challenge of bringing a page-turner to the screen.

www.goldderby.com/feature/melanie-allen-anatomy-of-a-scandal-production-designer-video-interview-1204979300/

How Netflix’s ‘Anatomy of a Scandal’ Uses Luxe Style as Metaphor

Publication: Frederic

Date: Apr-2022

Take power and privilege, add secrets and a dose of scandal, toss in some Law & Order drama with a stylish London townhouse and Old Bailey courtroom as a backdrop, and you have the perfect recipe for a weekend binge.

Based on author Sarah Vaughan’s best-selling book Anatomy of a Scandal, the Netflix series of the same name tells the tale of Sophie (Sienna Miller), the attractive albeit long-suffering wife of James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend), an ambitious Tory MP in the British government. Whitmore has an affair with his aide Olivia Lytton (Naomi Scott), is accused of assault, and a trial and cover-up ensues. The six-part psychological thriller series also stars Michelle Dockery of Lady Mary Crawley/Downton Abbey fame, who plays Barrister Kate Woodcroft, prosecuting the biggest trial of her career…

fredericmagazine.com/2022/04/anatomy-of-a-scandal-set-design

Imagine creating that place so that other people will believe it is real

Publication: Anyone At Home

Date: Jan-2022

That, is the power of storytelling.

As a story unfolds from the magic of words on a page, or screen, it captures a mood, a place, an event.

At the heart of every story, there are people.

First: there is the creative imagination of the story and/or script; the world as the author sees it. Then, there is what the reader imagines it to be – prompted by illustrations. Further down the line, there is a complete visual interpretation for TV, stage or film realised by the production leads – the director, producer and production designer.

The production, stage and event designer’s job is to create a make-believe space; a place and world that ‘seems’ real…

www.anyoneathome.com/imagine-in-your-minds-eye-a-place-that-doesn

Behind the scenes on ‘The Paradise’

Publication: The Telegraph

Date: Oct-2012

It’s late August and I’m being led down the creaking corridors of a dilapidated castle in County Durham. In one dusty room we pass, an interior wall is crumbling and the floor has fallen through. Not exactly what you’d expect from the set of The Paradise, the BBC’s sumptuous new Victorian drama.

Loosely based on Émile Zola’s 1883 novel The Ladies’ Paradise, the series, which began last week, follows ambitious Denise Lovett (Joanna Vanderham) as she joins the staff of the first department store in a thriving North East city, and falls for its charming, reckless owner John Moray…

(Paywall)

www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9571910/Behind-the-scenes-on-The-Paradise.html

The Line of Beauty

Publication: BBC Website

“A set designer does all the backdrops for the film. We don’t do costume, but we do all the props, furniture and locations,” explains Melanie.

“We choose the locations with the director (Saul Dibb) and the locations manager, and we dress all the interiors.”

For a drama like this, where getting the right look is vital, research is key, says Melanie. “The research is an ongoing thing. You start immediately and you never finish. I have ten weeks prep and the entire time alongside everything else, somebody on the team is researching.”

Melanie and her team looked at a huge range of references to get the design on The Line of Beauty right…