Concept and creative process
Title sequence for a cookery programme series, but which also encompassed the cultural and historic aspects of the various Asian countries visited. This series was more like a travelogue but with cookery. The sequence was a combination of a motion control film shoot with props and models composited with live action. Various artefacts from different Asian countries were sourced. A Japanese style screen was built and the logo was printed onto this. Everything was positioned in a studio and choreographed to allow the camera to move seamlessly through, revealing the artefacts and the pre-shot programme footage which was projected onto the blank areas of the Japanese screen. By projecting the footage, the effect of the silk was highlighted and the rough silk texture became apparent, ensuring that the live action didn't appear stuck on. The shoot was on a 35mm film camera on a motion control rig suspended from the ceiling. Multiple passes were shot in sync. For instance there was a pass specifically for the projected live-action, during which the foreground objects were back-lit so that they became black mattes with which the live-action could be inserted later on a separate pass. The passes were composited digitally on a Quantel Harry by Rob Harvey at Cell Animation, where it was also shot and lit by Doug Foster. The logo was drawn up by lettering artist Fen Field.
Concept and Creative Direction - Liz Friedman.