How Green Was My Valley (1976)

Concept and creative process

Opening titles for an adaptation of the novel by Richard Llewellyn. Life is harsh but uncomplicated and happy for the Morgan family in their coal mining village in the Rhondda Valleys. But as the 20th century approaches, the younger generation is restless. The titles emphasise the hearth and home of the family by using a specially created cross-stitch sampler depicting the valley and the programme logo. The texture of the stitched background was used as a texture layer over the live action shots of the local environment to suggest that it was the very fabric of the people’s lives.