Film Short Backing London's Olympic Efforts

The mixed media and animation studio, th1ng, has created a short film to help raise the profile of London's film industry and talent in the build-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games. The film was commissioned by London Development Agency and overseen by Film London.
The clip, first shown at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, promotes London's creative industries to international business audiences.
It will be screened nationwide and worldwide as part of London Development Agency's wider campaigning initiative.
The brief was to make a promotional film that embodied the edge and glamour of London. The film had to showcase the wealth and breadth of London’s creative expertise and reaffirm its world class reputation for combining quality and skills with high end innovation.
The production features sequences of iconic London themes and highlights the city's cultural diversity.
Directing the film was th1ng's Martyn Pick. He said that it is five minutes long and uses a distinct artistic approach to capture the essence of London.
He said that it portrays a slice of London life, depicting a number of its typical inhabitants, including 'City' boys, 'fashionistas' and even a rock band.
The main idea is based around the journey of a free newspaper, which is folded into the shape of a boat and floats along the river Thames.
Live action sequences are the core of the film and these are enhanced by a range of effects including a series of time lapse, motion blurs, and light variations.
Most of the film was shot in HD although some scenes were treated with Minidv and then blown up to create a smeary motion blur.
The sequences were edited in Final Cut Pro and compositing was completed in After Effects.
After Effects was also used to do transitions while other elements were created in 3D Studio Max. Corel Painter was used for hand painting into live action.
The ad heavily relies on Pick's 'fine art' credentials to hand paint images into the texture of live action. The hand painting technique was used to artistically capture the essence of London.
The film was entirely storyboarded, directed, edited, and composited in-house at th1ng.
Martyn Pick, th1ng's Director said: "Our main challenge was to use a distinct artistic approach to create a film which captures the timeless feel and essence of London. Hence, we relied on unique painterly manipulation of live action."
Commenting, David Adam, Head of Emerging Markets at the LDA, said: "When you see London you recognise it instantly as one of the world’s most vibrant and creative cities and the leading location for business, investment and tourism. Through this film more people across the world will see what London has to offer."
To watch the film please visit: www.th1ng.com/newsletter/london.mov
(BMcC)