Concept and creative process
Joan Bakewell and Bob Wellings presented ‘On the Town’, a programme on the Society of West End Theatres awards, including excerpts from various plays. Richard Markell devised a scenario for the opening titles which encapsulated some of the many possibilities conjured up by the programme’s title, from dancing to dining, from concert-going to the theatre. The animated logo was made as a practical illuminated neon model and filmed in a studio, together with the many blue screen shots involving the performers. They were all individually lit, framed and filmed to match the backgrounds with which they were ultimately composited in the video edit. The backgrounds were specially shot coloured photographs, artwork or actual small sets in the studio, some with additional foreground practical props. The titles were filmed over two days on super 16mm, with a further long day in post-production, editing and marrying up all of the blue screen shots with the pre-shot backgrounds.