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Formula One (& Fleetwood Mac) Is Back On BBC

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Posted by Gavin Lucas, 30 March 2009, 14:57    Permalink    Comments (8)

Die-hard Formula One fans will have been up early yesterday to watch the first event of the new season, the Australian Grand Prix which was broadcast on BBC - after several years of exclusive ITV coverage in the UK. Instead of the usual flurry of chequered flags, stock footage of races gone by, and dodgy photography of pit girls and racing drivers, the BBC's new title sequence (created by Liquid TV) is a mainly CG affair that looks to have been inspired by high octane video games and movie car chases. And, perhaps most reassuringly of all, the new title sequence and on screen branding is accompanied by the tune the BBC has used for previous Formula One coverage: Fleetwood Mac's ridiculously catchy tune, The Chain – the bassline of which, no doubt, F1 fans all over Britain are now humming incessantly.

"Specially filmed footage shot on redcam was combined with original CGI created in Maya and rendered using HDRI (high dynamic range imaging) techniques," Liquid TV tells us. "Over 40 shots were composited with sometimes up to 20 separate layers. The sequence was exhaustively pre-vized before any high resolution work was commenced to ensure maximum drama and narrative flow. Filmic constraints were used, inspired by car chase action movies to evolve a credible race sequence."

Credits:
Design: Asra Alikhan, Tim Varlow, Victor Martinez and Michael Sutton Long
Head of animation: Gabriel Edwards

8 Comments

It isn't terribly interesting, is it?
Nathan David Smith
2009-03-30 20:28:32


Dummm du-du-daah du-du-dumdu-daah dummmmm
Bentos
2009-03-31 08:31:33


Would have to agree with Nathan.

The music 'makes' it. No music, and it becomes as limp as a limp lettuce limping around. Seen to many PS3 takes on this, actually that are more interesting.

The music is what got my heart pumping, as it always does.

Glad it's back on BBC tho, and good to hear the tune again.

Graham
Graham Smith
2009-03-31 09:39:48


In this day and age I would have hoped for something slightly more ground breaking or at least a couple of rungs high up from the video games graphics I see... being a 3D animator myself I cant help but watch it and not feel completely immersed which is a shame as the music and iconography has the potential to be a lethal mix - really getting your heart racing; here I’m left feeling slightly disappointed though. Never mind, just my 2 cents.
William
2009-03-31 13:57:33


I have to agree..its not terribly interesting...but it sure is better than "flurry of chequered flags, stock footage of races gone by, and dodgy photography of pit girls and racing drivers"! A step in the right direction..

AND with good music to boot.
Mark
2009-04-01 02:07:35


Nothing special, I much prefer the pre-title sequence, the one that's in black and white? Has anyone seen that? Much more interesting than this.
Claire
2009-04-01 16:16:21


Have to agree the pre-title sequence is excellent, very much like the old guiness ad. The CG titles, arent great but they couldn't be any worse than crap ITV subjected us to. Thank God for "the chain"
Ben
2009-04-02 11:54:04


this is really cool stuff.
it's always nice to come across mediums where such inspiring work is converged, thanks.
check this out.
http://www.onedotzero.com/submissions
dayo fawehinmi
2009-04-02 12:13:53


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