Rushes Times Travels With Angellica To Mark End Of British Slave Trade

CBBC’s Angellica travels back in time to mark the anniversary of the end of the British Slave Trade.
By following the Atlantic Triangle she traces her family roots back to Senegal in West Africa [through DNA] and on to the Caribbean Island of St Lucia. But hers isn’t the only story. Meet Little Fadu, cruelly taken from her family, and Abou who dreams of freedom while working as a slave on the plantations.
Through clever use of computer-generated imagery we see what Bristol looked like in 1780, re-live life on the shores of West Africa once the slaves arrived, and travel across the Atlantic in a slave ship.
The story is brought up to date by the great great great great great grandson of William Wilberforce, [the MP from Hull who introduced the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act into parliament in 1807]. Eight-year-old Robby Wilberforce shows us the tobacco box, said to be made from the melted down chains of slaves, given to his ancestor by freed slaves.
Kez Margrie, producer/director, approached Rushes Postproduction in January 2007 to work on the CGI used throughout the programme to assist in illustrating the history and geography of the journey from Bristol to Senegal and then Saint Lucia.
The work included three major transitions from Bristol, Senegal and Saint Lucia in the current day back in time to the early 19th Century. Alex Jenyon and Lee Tibbetts created animated matte paintings using a mix of 3D and 2D techniques.
Jonathan Privett, Head of 3D, commented: “Since the programme is for a children’s audience it represented a great opportunity to step outside our normal photo-real work as Kez wanted to ensure that all the work was visible enough for the transitions to be noticed and act as an obvious marker for the changes back in time. The end result looks fantastic and has a fresh and vibrant feel that is carried on throughout the film.”
(DS/SP)