Shakespeare in Perspective (1979)

Concept and creative process

‘Shakespeare in Perspective' was a series which each week gave a famous person a platform on which to air their personal view of a Shakespeare play. For the title sequence, the actor Michael Theodore was commissioned to re-enact a series of actions and stances which epitomised an easily recognisable Shakespeare play. Costumes and props were chosen to complement the choices made. The shoot took place in the photographic studio at BBC Television Centre, against a white back drop. A motorised Nikon stills camera was used to capture every fourth frame of action. The set-up was created to shoot the shadows of the action and not the action itself. The stills were photographically printed onto clear Kodaliths, so they could be positioned and pegged as animation cells over the hand drawn background of floorboards.

Live Action Direction and Creative Direction - Liz Friedman.