UNIT Film & TV have delivered the full picture post and colour grade for the new Stephen Knight BBC1 drama series, This Town.
Working closely with director of photography Ben Wheeler, production company Kudos and the BBC, UNIT delivered the full picture post across the series, with colourist Dan Coles carrying out the grade, said the company,
Ensuring a filmic feel, Coles enhanced colour separation, adding shape and depth to the characters through the use of a soft highlight and shadow roll off, and embracing the natural texture provided by the lenses. Commenting on the grade, he said: “DOP Ben Wheeler BSC and I have collaborated many times before. We were able to do a pre-production camera test on the Alexa35 using vintage Hawke anamorphic lenses. We looked at most of the key cast members with makeup and in costume – this was an invaluable part of the process and allowed us to make some subtle changes to Ben’s shooting LUT giving us something more appropriate for This Town. Once in the grade Paul Whittington (Director) along with Ben and I decided we wanted to enhance the stunning and authentic ‘80s feel to this drama. Whilst incredibly cinematic and at times quite gritty we wanted, where possible, for the images to convey a strong sense of optimism, hope and joy.”
Filmed on location in Birmingham and at Steven Knight’s new Digbeth Loc. Film and TV Studios, This Town premiered on BBC1 last week. Louise Stevenson, head of film and TV at UNIT, said: “This Town was a fantastic project to work on. We always love working with Kudos – some of the team have worked with them for over 20 years. Dan ensured the grade played a key part of the atmosphere and storytelling, transporting us to the 80s, Sion ran the online side completing multiple VFX shots, whilst Greg worked closely with the whole team to bring everything together to ensure smooth delivery to multiple broadcasters.”
