Blue posts 'Timewatch' murder special for BBC Two

Full-service postproduction facility blue has completed offline, online, grading and audio work on the first episode of the new series of 'Timewatch'.
The BBC Two history series begins on Friday March 4 with 'Murder in Rome', a re-enactment of the one of the most significant murder trials in history.
Directed by Dave Stewart, and based on a genuine trial record, it’s set in Rome in 81BC. Sextus Roscius is accused of murdering his father, and if found guilty he’ll face an agonising death. However, the stakes are just as high for Cicero, the lawyer defending him. If he wins the case, he could be killed.
Audio postproduction, undertaken by blue’s dubbing mixer Matt Skilton using ProTools, formed a major part of the project. The actors’ dialogue was recorded using radio microphones, which tends gives a very dry sound, so a major task was to lift the audio track and bring it to life. Skilton used reverbs to create the right sound and to give the impression of an amphitheatre, with a cheering crown that had to sound almost like a stadium full of football fans.
Foley tracks were used to provide the tiny nuances needed to bring the audio to life. They were used to provide a range of sound effects - from the clinking of bangles whenever the female lead moved and the sound of footsteps, to the way the wind made the fabric of the actors’ robes rustle.
“From a sound point of view, Murder in Rome was treated more like a drama than a documentary,” Skilton explained. “We did the dialogue and FX pre-mix and had to deliver delivered an international M&E (music and effects track), so that foreign language dialogue could be added.
“Dave wanted a big, feature film-like sound and he allocated quite a lot of time to the audio work. As a result, there is such a huge contrast between the original and final audio track.”
Producer and Director Dave Stewart said: “Blue met every requirement we threw at them and were able to deliver amazing results. They have all the latest kit and a strong pool of talent, which is a great combination. Matt's the best dubbing mixer in London and all of the operators are a joy to work with – we couldn’t have asked for a better set up for this job.”
(GB)