Rory McGrath's Commercial Breakdown (1997)

Concept and creative process

Opening titles for a series in which Rory McGrath takes a comical look at television commercials from around the world, ranging from the most bizarre to the most hilarious ever seen on British TV. The title sequence had him floating past and interacting with stacks of jumbo-size products, with spoof names and his image incorporated in the pack designs. In a digital edit the sequence was composited and the supports that enabled him to ‘float’ were painted out. The titles end spectacularly with Rory leaping out of the giant TV screen in the studio set. This was achieved by animating a cut-out video still image of him up and out of the TV screen and making a clever transition to the real Rory dropping on a wire to the studio floor and landing on his feet. As he does so, the programme title animates on to the TV screen from which he had just jumped.