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BBC Post Production's Special Effects Team Strike Gold

BBC Post Production London has won a Gold World Medal in the 2005 Television Programming & Promotion Competition at the New York Film Festival. It came top in its category to win an award is for the special effects it created for BBC Broadcasts’ title sequence for BBC Sport’s coverage of the Olympic Games.

The Olympic title sequence follows a torch bearer through ancient sites of Greece, as he reignites the Olympic flame. It features a giant swimmer rising out of a wave, a runner generating a sandstorm, a discus thrower emerging from particles of rock and a gymnast spinning through the air before disappearing in a glint of light. The athletes were filmed both on location in Greece and against green screen. BBC Post Production 3D matched moving athletes and attached custom particle effects using Maya, to create the impression they emerge from the elements. Shake was used for compositing the discuss thrower and Inferno for the rest of the effects and final polishing.

Ian Simpson Digital Effects Supervisor, BBC Post Production says: “We’ve worked with Director Paul Mitchell from BBC Broadcast for a number of years and have built up a high level of trust, which made it possible to create the shots we did given the short time scale. We achieved bronze for a joint project ‘Rage to Revenge’ at the New York Film Festival back in 2000. It’s brilliant to have been promoted to Gold this time round.”

-ENDS-

* BBC Post Production – Located in London, Bristol and Birmingham, BBC Post Production offers award-winning creative solutions using the latest technology. BBC Post Production facilities are the largest of their kind in the UK. Its extensive range of services include 3D animation and digital effects through to editing, audio and telecine. Using the most up-to-date technology in comfortable and inspiring surroundings the team bring talent and experience to a range of productions, trails and promos.

* In 2004 BBC Post Production won an RTS Award for editing 2 Pints of Lager and a Pack of Crisps, an RTS Award for sound on BBC1’s ‘Massive Nature: The Crossing’ capturing the dangerous lives of Wildebeest, plus 2 Jackson Hole Wildlife Awards and a BAFTA for a short film. Recent projects include: Live Aid Anniversary DVD, Dead Ringers, Olympic title sequence, Blue Planet, Daziel & Pascoe, Casualty, Waking The Dead and Shoebox Zoo.
Further information can be found at: www.bbcresources.com/postproduction.

* The New York Festivals International Television Programming and Promotion Awards recognize "The World's Best Work" in news, documentary, information and entertainment programming as well as in music videos, infomercials, promotion spots, openings and I.D.s. Now entering its 48th year, the total number of entries in TV Programming continues to grow. Judging took place between October and December 2004 and involved producers, directors, writers and other television professionals in the New York area and around the world. The results will be announced in January 2005 in New York.

For further information, please contact:

For further press information and pictures, please contact:
Georgie Hollett, PR and Communications Executive, BBC Resources
Tel: +44 (0)20 8576 2350
Mobile : +44 (0) 783484 5612
Email : georgie.hollett@bbc.co.uk

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