Wednesday, December 8, 2004

THE SECRET LIFE OF US (TV Series)



After two stellar seasons of the hit Australian drama, The Secret Life of Us, Southern Star commissioned Chroma to update the shows existing HD opening and closing titles. Director Matthew Saville worked closely with Chroma to deliver the carefully crafted visuals.

Matt shot the source footage around St.Kilda on a hand-held Bolex 16mm camera. The optically graded film was transfered to HD before compositing began. As the treatment of the titles still needed a strong connection to the original version, the box-out style was kept with attention being paid to the treatment of the imagery. This resulted in a more deconstructive approach with a faster pace than the original, complementing the new title track by Motor Ace.

Chroma went on to produce a series of visual effects for the shows final episodes which required stylish, on-screen incarnations of SMS and email messages between the characters. Added to this were several complex montage sequences and post support for the final episodes.

Saturday, December 4, 2004

LAST MAN STANDING (TV Series)



Due to air early next year on the Seven Network, Burberry's new series ' Last Man Standing' got the Chroma treatment with purpose shot opening titles and program identification for the show. Previous work for Burberry includes titles for children's drama ' Bootleg' (2003), ' Fergus McPhail' (2002) and ' Short Cuts' back in 2001.

The shows black comedy take on the Melbourne alpha male required a edgier look to suggest its 'low-brow' inner city backdrop, with the resulting treatment using bold, black-and-white footage depicting the cast's journey through North Melbourne.

As the show uses a subtle blend of drama and comedy, the cast's representation required a fine balance to maintain a mature and candid look. The decision was to go for a more minimal treatment, with the black and white footage intercut with simple panels of colour and typography that works with the title track to create a retro, 60's feel.

Other post production deliverables included the assortment of breakers that punctuate the show. Chroma also provided ongoing production support with identity development and publicity tools being produced.

The footage of the cast at night was shot in both exterior and interior locations around North Melbourne. A studio shoot was required to capture the cast in the car, later combined with background footage to create the look of a b-movie rear projection. A time-lapse of Melbourne was also captured to create the final shot in the sequence. Chroma provided all studio services and crew including the sourcing of locations, vehicles and extras.