Concept and creative process
‘Chronicle’ was produced by the Archaeology and History Unit at the BBC and became one of the longest running programmes on BBC Two. It aired from 1966 to 1991, covering topics that were wide and varied, ranging from the death of the Prince Imperial in the Zulu wars to the excavation of the grave of Alexander the Great. The programme brief widened over time, but the emphasis always remained on dirt archaeology. Bob English’s response in the title sequence to that core focus was a very simple visual solution: a ‘Chronicle’ logo that was itself a treasure to be discovered buried beneath the earth. He designed a new programme logo that felt historic and had it made as a model to be buried in sand in a studio and revealed by blowing the sand away using a wind machine. He was able to shoot many takes of the sand blowing, and to achieve a slow-motion effect he shot at high speeds. After picking the best shots he simply assembled them in the editing process by dissolving between each shot. This gave the impact of a slow reveal of the ‘Chronicle’ logo. Finally, the music was composed to the picture to help create a sense of mystery.
Music Composer - Peter Howell.
Lighting Cameraman - Doug Adamson.
Editor - Roderick Longhurst.
Designer/ Director - Bob English.