Blue And Prime Focus London Post-Produce 'The American Future: A History'

Post-production facility blue has been commissioned by Oxford Film & Television to grade, online and sound design the four-part HD series 'The American Future: A History', while the title sequence was designed and created by blue's sister company, Prime Focus London.
The first 60-minute show will air on October 10 at 9pm on BBC Two.
Against the backdrop of this year's historic US presidential election, Simon Schama takes the long perspective, looking at four of the critical issues facing the country - immigration and national identity, war, religion, and the increasingly difficult relationship between economic growth and the environment.
In his travels through America, past and present, Schama aims to reveal the big picture at a critical moment of choice - for the United States and for the world.
The series was graded by Graeme Hayes, onlined by Clive Mattock and Ronnie Newman and sound mixed by Phitz Hearne at blue.
Prime Focus London's graphic designers Stephen Waugh and Faye Brown created the title sequences.
Dubbing Mixer Phitz Hearne said: "A lot of work went into making a full sound track. There was a good deal of archive footage that needed audio, so I had to source lots of period sound effects and then treat them with various EQs to make them sound like they were recorded when the archive was filmed.
"As events in America constantly change, so did the films - which meant delegating various tasks to assistants in different studios, and then reassembling them into one session to create a finished tracklay."
Stephen Waugh at Prime Focus London said: "Faye and I were briefed by Oxford Film and Television to create a 20-second HD title sequence for 'The American Future: A History'. The client wanted a sequence that reflected how America's history is shaping its future with particular reference to the upcoming elections.
"After watching offline edits to get a feel for the show we designed mood boards and a story board that reflected the sophisticated nature of the content. The next stage was to create an animatic using the archive footage used in the series. By using the stars and stripes as a device to bed archive footage and by using seamless transitions we were able to symbolise how America is a product of its history.
"A textural 'painterly' look was designed which was used to unify the range of footage. Due to the long title of the series, particular attention was paid to the typography and animation of the logo resolve."
Further information is available at: www.bluepp.co.uk.
(KMcA/JM)