Opened up, one thing at a time.

Behind The Things explains the hidden workings of everyday things, in about a minute each.

Every episode takes one ordinary object or moment, like a card tap, a barcode or a traffic light, and opens it up: what's inside, how it works, and the part nobody expects.

How an episode is made

1. Research. Every claim in the script is checked against a standard, a manufacturer, a government agency or a reputable publication. The sources are listed on each episode page.
2. Script. Around 140 words, written to be heard rather than read.
3. Voice. The narration is generated with a synthetic voice, then timed word by word.
4. Animation. Every frame is drawn in code, in one consistent style: an engineering cutaway on warm paper. There's no stock footage and no image generator in the film.

Simplified, never wrong

A minute is short, so some details get simplified. When we simplify, we say so on the episode page under “Simplified on purpose”.

Browse the episodes →