Prime Focus London posts Macleans ad

Prime Focus London has used the top-end HDCAM SR high definition format to post a glamorous new spot for Macleans toothpaste in which two well-heeled strangers dance an impromptu tango on a street at night. The 60-second cinema commercial is filmed in trademark theatrical style by acclaimed director David La Chappelle for production company H.S.I and agency M&C Saatchi.

The producers were looking for a creative facility to enhance the classic Hollywood style of the shoot, and they turned to Prime Focus London and colourist Tareq Kubaisi. “David La Chappelle had shot the story as if it were a golden era drama,” explains Kubaisi. “Our job was to accentuate that classic look and provide a sheen to the whole picture.”

Film rushes mastered to HDCAM SR

Working with the existing colour palette, Kubaisi devised a look on Spirit 4K with Pogle Revolution which enhanced the skin tones, added a little more depth to the image and used large swathes of non-primary colour. He composed additional highlights and light flares to accentuate the romantic, night-time mood. The original film rushes were telecined by Kubaisi and Duncan Russell. The commercial was then mastered to HD 422 1080P on HDCAM SR.

Flame artist Derek Moore was also briefed to enhance the fantasy atmosphere of the piece. This included the final scene in a white bathroom, to which he applied a bespoke effect to make it appear as if the shot was filtered through glass.

“I arranged Evian bottles, tumblers and a glass necklace against a black background in a studio here and shot some HD reference frames of the light refracting through the objects,” explains Moore. “Using the Batch nodes in Flame and various sparks I applied it to the bathroom sequence to give it an extra twinkle and glow with soft focus at the edges.”

Moore took cues from the lights of a 1950s-style cinema outside which the couple were dancing, and ensured that the characters interacted with the lighting a little more. “The client had a strong visual sense that the piece required a magical quality so I tweaked the lighting to put a glint and a suffused glow around the characters’ heads to help bring the scene back to life,” he said.

6 February 2009

www.primefocuslondon.com