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BBC BROADCAST & BBC POST PRODUCTION TEAM UP FOR EURO 2004 TITLE SEQUENCE

04 June 2004: BBC Broadcast and BBC Post Production have collaborated to produce the title sequence for Euro 2004. The piece depicts leading European players such as Henry, Owen and Del Piero as superhuman and draws on the skills they possess which characterise their game. The larger than life players, who each have an energy vapour trail, are shown bursting in and out of various locations across Portugal - jumping over roof tops, volleying off castle walls and flying mid-air volleys across cathedrals and palaces. The sequence will form the opening and intermediary sections of the BBC Sport broadcast of the championships, which kicks off from 12 June.

The sequence, created and directed by BBC Broadcast, opens on the dawn of a new day in a tiny Portugese coastal village with gas-like vapour trails, which guide through each frame – from Henry’s swift and nimble footwork, which carries him across the roof tops of Porto to Michael Owen’s lightning speed dribble through the streets of Lisbon. From there Sol Campbell defends a castle walls before heading the ball over to Paval Nedved. It is quickly passed on to Del Piero, who performs a mid-air volley straight across some of Portugal’s leading landmarks. It then carries on its journey through Zidane, Beckham, Rooney and Ljunberg and finishes up with Klivert striking the ball past tournament winners and climaxes with the explosion of the vapour trail leading to the Euro 2004 cup.

To create the sequence, unique on location footage was combined with detailed digital effects work on the 42 shots. To ensure that the giant figures fitted in seamlessly with their surroundings, the on location camera lens, angles and tilts were measured exactly. In addition, a variety of frame rates were used and the back plates were filmed in time-lapse and the foreground player action was shot high speed against a green screen to create a surreal motion. This enabled the 3D and digital effects team at BBC Post Production to marry the background and foreground action and by tracking the player’s extremities such as heads, hands and feet, they could use them as a source for particles to create the vapour trail, which acted as an electrical link to teleport from one scene to another. The team also used reactive lighting, time-lapsed clouds, ground shake and glows to generate a hyper-real look.

Paul Mitchell, Director, BBC Broadcast comments on the project:
“I worked very closely with Jason Bernard, Producer, BBC Sport who set the brief to achieve this adventurous sequence. Jason negotiated access to Europe’s top players: Henry, Owen, Del Perio, Klivert, Sol Campbell, Rooney, Nedved & Ljunberg. It was key that we drew on the strengths and trademarks of these sporting heroes to create this almost supernatural look to the sequence. By making the players physically larger than life we have been able to reflect their prowess and capture them in action across these stunning locations – from Porto to Faro.”

James Adamson, Inferno Artist, BBC Post Production adds: “We wanted to emphasise the scale of the players and being able to input the exact camera measurements in to the Inferno helped us to create a surreal effect that was still in perspective. Our main challenge was to create the vapour and generate the turbulence which besides linking the players carried a life of its own”.

-ENDS-

Credits
Title Producer: Jason Bernard, BBC Sport
Director: Paul Mitchell, BBC Broadcast
Design Producer: Janet Smith, BBC Broadcast
Post Producer: Ashleigh Lane, BBC Post Production
Inferno Artist: James Adamson & Paul Dixon, BBC Post Production
Editor & Fire Artist: David Moyes, BBC Post Production
3D Artists: Andy McNamara & Peakash Patel, BBC Post Production
Audio: Chris Graver and Kian Wong
Colourist: Simone Grattarola, OnePost

About BBC Broadcast Limited
BBC Broadcast, one of the commercial companies of the BBC, offers a comprehensive range of services to play-out, publish, promote and provide media access for content across all media platforms. Key services include: new channel launches, play-out and channel management; channel branding & promotion; and subtitling & other media access services. BBC Broadcast currently provides services for 37 public service and commercial television channels, 5 national radio networks, 39 local radio stations and BBCi. BBC Broadcast works closely with its customers to understand their broadcasting needs and to determine the right combination of editorial, technical and creative skills required to deliver innovative and cost-effective solutions.
For more information access: www.bbcbroadcast.com

About BBC Post Production
BBC Post Production, a division of BBC Resources, offers award-winning creative solutions using the latest graphics technology. BBC Post Production facilities are the largest of their kind in the UK. Located in London, Bristol and Birmingham 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. Further information can be found at: www.bbcresources.com/postproduction

For further information, please contact:

Georgie Hollett, PR & Comms Exec, BBC Resources
Tel: +44 (0)20 8576 2350
Mobile: +44 (0)7834 845612 (Mobile)
Email: georgie.hollett@bbc.co.uk

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