Responses by Rachel Brickel, art director and cinematographer; Mason Nicoll, executive creative director; and Peter Pak, art director and designer, Digital Kitchen.
Background: “Smoke, an Apple TV+ show inspired by the popular podcast Firebug, follows a detective and an arson investigator reluctantly working together to hunt down serial arsonists,” says Mason Nicoll. “The title sequence was designed to evoke the emotional landscape of the show, subtly layering in symbols tied to its central plot. Stylistically dark and cinematic, the series speaks to fans of prestige crime dramas, true crime enthusiasts and psychologically driven thrillers. It aims to captivate an audience that craves layered storytelling, slow-burn suspense and elevated genre work.”
Design thinking: “The original concept, developed by our designer Ana Criado, explored the beauty in unrecognizable objects from burn sites, treating both the objects and the cinematography as fine art,” Nicoll says. “We wanted to get into the mindset of an arson investigator, so we approached the sequence design as a visual interpretation of how they might reconstruct the scene and trace the fire’s origin. If we watch the burn in reverse, it is akin to winding back time to unravel the mystery.”
Challenges: “Technically, our biggest challenge was experimenting with the various ways we could manipulate how fire burns objects while still creating something that felt controlled and art directed,” explains Rachel Brickel. “Before shooting, we ensured we had a robust, extensive pre-production phase in which we tested various objects—as well as ignition and burn methods—to see how the materials reacted. That way, when we got to the actual shoot, we had a much clearer idea on how and what to film.”
Favorite details: “There are so many details we love,” says Peter Pak, “from the way the manuscript at the end transforms back to its original state, which serves as a strong nod to the storyline, to how Rachel filmed the potato chip bags melting and bubbling into an ooze that felt alive, echoing the show’s mantra: ‘Fire is an organism.’ My personal favorite is the little complexities we added into the title card animation. We experimented with a blend of practical and digital effects across multiple layers and carefully selected certain visual details to use, like the way a letter’s corner warps or how another develops a subtle smudge. We even added digitally created microcracks to enhance the authenticity of the burn effect. Then, we chose the best moments from each experiment and composited them together for the final logo.”
Visual influences: “We found inspiration from many places and pulled from a wide range of visual references,” says Pak. “From the documentation-heavy look of forensic photography, we studied fire forensics, vintage microfiche readers and macro photography. From the world of fine art, we were influenced by artists such as Edward Weston and Doug and Mike Starn. We were also inspired by the early typography and design work from the United Kingdom–based design collective Tomato. All of these helped shape the movement, tone and overall aesthetic of the main title.”
Specific project demands: “The experimental pre-production time that we invested into this was critical,” Brickel says. “Once something is burned, it is burned. Exploring how different materials ignited and behaved on camera, such as potato chips, milk jugs and paper, allowed us to see the different textures, burn rates and overall visual effect it created. That prep gave us the knowledge of how to design the choreography of combustion that is both beautiful and narratively relevant.”
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