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.

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.

ONE PERFECT DAY (Feature Film)

Few projects showcase the eclectic nature of Chroma's expertise than the beligured Australian film, One Perfect Day.

With all post and visual effects being produced by Tide, Chroma were originally commissioned by Lightstream Pictures to create the 2K opening titles for the film in addition to some animation components. However, over the period of the films production, Chroma became increasingly involved in a wide range of roles that illustrate the breadth of our support services. Chroma provided a vital inter-departmental support network for the entire production, providing a diverse range of production, post production and 'to market' services over the two-year project.

On-set Content

Being the leading provider of cutting edge visuals for live acts at the time, Chroma was also responsible for the creation of several projection shows which appear in club scenes throughout the film. But it's the final scene of the film, set at a huge live event with over 8,000 extras where the visuals we're a key storytelling element. The script called for a massive projection show that helped to tie the story threads together while still looking like an actual performance by the films VJ character. Chroma produced a deconstructive live performance of original footage and visual elements which was projected in HD using two Barco projectors. This final edit was then scored by none other than the Dust Brothers (Fight Club) who added their signature sound to the final act.

Although only a small piece of the complete show made it into the final cut, the unique visuals continued for 5 hours with a whole show produced to support superstar DJ Paul van Dyk as he played to the 8,000+ party goers of his 2004 Australian tour.

Behind the Scenes Production

In what ended up becoming a huge acquisition project, Chroma we're responsible for the shooting and production of the 'Making of featurette as seen on the official DVD release. Shot over 2 years, the resulting hour programme was cut from over 80 hours of footage taken during pre-production, principal photography and post with interviews from the entire cast and crew. It became an honest and realistic account of the trails and tribulations of making a 'first' feature and the unseen hardships for such an ambitious project.

Online strategy

As with all first features, a crucial aspect of film making is the ability to raise capital and awareness of the project before there is really anything to show. Chroma designed a co-ordinated promotional kit including the construction of a full-featured company website and separate 'teaser' site for the film itself. This was combined with a 12-page colour booklet and DVD package.

As the project progressed into production, the second stage of the web concept was put online. This new site covered the 'production' of the film with daily behind-the-scenes galleries and notes as shooting progressed, a point-of-communication between the production office and the thousands of extras who were required, and presented competitions and promotion relating the the film.

The final stage of the web strategy involved the construction of the official site to promote the films release. This huge online portal was made up of two separate, integrated sites working together. The first, was a detailed insight into the films production, the people involved and industry information. The other section presented the world of the film, a 3D map allowing visitors to journey through the city, visiting the locations from the film and meeting its characters along the way. The site was designed to be an emersive experience that strongly conveyed the 'feel' of the film, reflecting a journey of discovery like that of the film's main character as visitors browse through the huge amount of audio, video and downloadable content.

Sound plays an incredibly important role in the story of OPD and it was vital that this be kept a big part of the online experience. A huge amount of audio assets were produced to create the constant mix of sound and music that can be heard on the site. Aside from an integrated MP3 player that allowed visitors to browse through the soundtrack while they explored the city, ambient effects, dialog and music stings were also triggered by user actions, creating a unique soundscape for each visitor.

To add even more to the online experience, interactive 'toys' were created to discover in each location, each one providing more clues to the story and were modeled on key props from the film. This included an answering machine, music box, video players and a DJ mixer that lets visitors try their hand at mixing their own track. Chroma also produced a range of downloadable content for use on the site which included screen savers, desktops and music players and over 20 minutes of exclusive behind-the-scenes material.

FERGUS MCPHAIL (TV Series)

It's titles time again this month with Chroma producing another HD title with Director, Matt Saville for Burberry's new series, ' Fergus McPhail'. The title features the main character interacting with his imaginary twin in a constantly revolving scene. Footage was shot on S16 and the two fergus' composited digitally into the master shot with 3D tracked type elements added throughout.

This is the second title produced for Burberry with ' Short Cuts' being the first, produced in 2001.

ROY HOLLSDOTTER LIVE (Tele Movie)

Matthew Saville's 2003 film ' Roy Hollsdotter Live' surprised audiences with its strong performances and clever writing.

Having worked with director, Matthew Saville for many years on a range of projects, Chroma were brought in to produce a variety of effects for his first full-length feature. Work required compositing and creation of several digital mattes, addition of various visual effects and production of the opening titles. Chroma also produced the 'Claire De Loon' sequence that features in the film, with footage shot and post completed overnight.

A simple titles treatment was produced along with the regrading and effecting of several key scenes throughout the film. Various visual themes, such as lens flares and subtle effecting of background elements were added throughout and several digital mattes were produced to transform a midday exterior scene into a late afternoon thunderstorm.

To assist with the film's hectic shooting schedule, Chroma were also employed to create the 'Claire de Loon' musical sequence which required the acquisition of night-time traffic footage and a composited edit where the lights begin to dance to the Debussy track. The sequence was shot and posted overnight to meet the tight production schedule.

The film was well received by audiences, picking up a Dendy award, an ACS Golden Tripod and an official selection at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2003.

NOKIA EVENT, HONG KONG (Visuals)

I recently returned from Asia after performing a live visual show for the Nokia 'Musiconnects' launch event in Hong Kong.

Chroma were commissioned by Megaworks HK to produce a live themed visual show for the launch of the new Nokia range. This amazing event was held in a massive inflatable dome on the end of the old Hong Kong runway and featured incredible decor, food and live music. We put together a whole range of visuals and purpose shot footage depicting how music effects different lifestyles. I kept the content flowing throughout the night on dozens of plasma panels and massive wall projections, while long-time Chroma buddies, 'Lychee Martini' provided the sounds.

BOOTLEG (TV Series)

Chroma have just been brought in to produce the opening titles for the upcoming BBC childrens drama, 'Bootleg'.

Set in an alternate future, chocolate is banned and a band of kids take matters into their own hands.

The title features huge vats of melted chocolate about to take their final form with titles appearing before being stirred in to the mix. Directed by Matthew Saville. Chroma also produced a ‘One News’ opener that appears during the series.

WORST BEST FRIENDS (TV Series)

Working again with director, Matthew Saville, the opening titles for Cox Knight production 'Worst Best Friends', required a cel-shaded animated sequence with 2D characters walking around a 3D environment. The original hand-drawn source sketches were scanned before being digitally traced and colored, creating a sharp cartoon look. The three animated characters were then composited into the 3D backgrounds and timed to match object and camera moves.

The 3D backgrounds were designed to continue the flat look of the characters, but enable more movement and interactivity with the environment, such as the large extruded numbers which were added along with the retro-styled typography to complete the sequence.

SHORTCUTS (TV Series)

Chroma are pleased to be producing the opening titles for Burberry Productions new youth series, Short Cuts.

Art directed by Matthew Saville, the title was shot on 16mm and then composited and finished in HD. As the series revolves around a group of film school students, the titles called for a deconstructive mix of imagery, mediums and looks - and Matt is the guy for the job. The result is a densely layered, visually rich mash-up running nearly 80 seconds (nearly 2% of the programs duration!)