Taking Liberties (1994)

Concept and creative process

'Taking Liberties' took up the cases of people who found themselves the victims of those institutions they thought would protect them. The idea for the title sequence was to represent 'the system' of justice and society as a series of spinning plates, which were perilously close to falling. The falling plate is a metaphor for the people that are failed by the system and as a result have lost their liberty. A real circus juggler and plate spinner was cast and, with careful wardrobe and make-up, took on the character of the faceless bureaucrat. Shot at high speed, frame interpolation and blurring were added in digital post-production to make the action ghostly and atmospheric, less real and literal.

Winner of a Broadcast Designers Association Silver Award.

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