The awards recognise the huge variety of skills and processes involved in programme production, from editing to lighting, and costume design to digital effects. This year saw a host of television professionals competing in 25 categories for a coveted Royal Television Society Award. In addition there were three awards given at the discretion of the Jury Chairs: the Design & Craft Innovation, Judges’ and Lifetime Achievement Awards.
The RTS Craft & Design Awards2013 were chaired by Nigel Pickard, CEO Zodiak M.E.E.A. and UK Kids & Family. The awards ceremony, which was hosted by Brian Conley, took place on Monday 18 November 2013 at The Savoy, London.
“Believable, memorable costume and subtle characterisation enhanced the remarkable performances. ‘The show of the year!’ said the jury.”
“The winner’s work showed attention to period detail with surreal elements and great comic characterisation on a restricted comedy budget.”
“Beautifully reconstructed shots and clearly made with a love of the source material, the winning effects were faultless and delivered on a small budget, which in no way shows in the finished work.”
“The winner’s bold comic book-style grade and exceptional work truly added to the show, aiding the unsettling oppressive atmosphere. Strong, without being overbearing, the grade demonstrated an understanding of the show's context and delivered a defined unique look.”
“Making a bold decision to use practical models where CG would have been an easier choice these days, the winners successfully captured the look and spirit of the old episodes, and continued the heritage of a much loved TV show.”
“The range of graphic devices used in this production come together to make this historic subject feel new and novel, contrasting the use of space age satellite images with a modern computer style and 1940s style photography and type. The jury agreed that the mix of styles and standard of execution was outstanding.”
"The jury saw this title sequence as a lesson in “less is more”, with fascinating images which draw the audience into the drama. The red liquid, evocative of both red wine and blood, builds images that are both beautiful and chilling at the same time. The typography and white background draw hints of the surgery and clinical menace to come.”
“…the winning trail was truly outstanding. The images herald the natural curiosities we will see in the series and then add a visual twist. There is so much to see in this trail that its ‘watchability’ makes it a perfect example of a graphics design led trailer campaign.”
“The winner’s beautiful use of colour enhances the action to create a magnificent spectacle. The lighting is both immersive and complementary. Never distracting or overwhelming, it brilliantly focuses the viewer’s attention on the action itself.”
“Under the director’s guidance every craft is seamlessly brought together, every shot is expertly chosen and every camera used to its optimum value. The coverage complements the action and enhances every moment.”
“Never missing a beat of this intense gladiatorial contest, the winner captures the atmosphere of the whole event in a truly dramatic style. Their choice of shot and the timing of each cut mean that every second of this intense battle is powerfully enhanced.”
“The jury praised the winner’s perfect interpretation and faultless characterisation, as well as her skill and lightness of touch.”
“The jury said that the overall make-up design and comic characterisation made a major contribution to the originality of the project.”
“Startlingly original scoring of hyper-reality, and unlike anything we’ve heard before. The winner’s work blurred the lines between sound design and score, creating a soundtrack that the jury said felt like it was being played inside your head.”
“The jury said that this contemporary, intriguing and stylish theme lends itself wonderfully to the bittersweet complexities of modern dating.”
“An intuitively shot documentary highlighting the understanding between the crew and the families, with a great eye for detail and composition resulting in some highly emotive images.”
“Bold, brave and beautiful framing…, with innovative use of lenses and excellent flashbacks. The lighting is wonderfully controlled and enhances or evokes the mood at any given time.”
“The winner very successfully achieves a coherent design throughout, including timelines, scale and palette. Even though it effectively adheres to historical accuracies, it is very much a production made for a modern audience.”
“The winning design has an energetic set which effectively marries light and stylish design. Delivering a ‘good night out’ for the viewer, it deals well with the design constraints of the studio audience.”
“The winning work is a perfect marriage between the soundtrack and the sensitive nature of the story - an incredible achievement given the short time span and budget allotted to the project. A tasteful and extremely supportive piece of work, both technically excellent and highly creative.”
“An incredible sounding mix and a superb tracklay. Considering that not much sound made its way back to the cutting room, the winners’ research and attention to detail was enormous. A world class soundtrack.”
“Seamless editing with thoughtfully selected arresting images created an immediacy and sense of place that gave the viewer a fresh, human and brutal insight into the realities of war. The jury felt that it induced an emotional connection rarely felt with this kind of material.”
“The jury was impressed by the clever, engaging cutting, and the consistently brave decisions in the editing throughout. The use of space and shadow created a bold look and feel to the series.”
“Smart and slick, the winning editing demonstrated a huge attention to detail and rich knowledge of craft. The jury was impressed by the terrific range of sophisticated, funny material with extremely high production values that easily rivals its adult competitors.”
“Outstanding films, with clever ideas that brought the emotion of the subjects through the screen. Beautifully crafted, the stories were told with real feeling and sensitivity and the judges were extremely moved by them.”
“The Design and Craft Innovation Award is made for any area of production that demonstrates innovative use of new technology or techniques, D-Day: As It Happens, truly was a new and unique way of bringing alive the greatest amphibious invasion in history. On the anniversary of D-Day, viewers could follow the lives of seven real people in 1944 across TV, the web and Twitter - in real time. Groundbreaking new research involving thousands of hours of analysis, allowed the team to put names to anonymous faces and allow viewers to follow them throughout the day. The production team were able to plot when and where each frame was shot and play footage at the precise moment it was filmed, on TV and online. As the day progressed, one thousand rich media updates including archive footage, stills, documents and testimonies, were posted to a specially developed, mobile-accessible, website built by Digit London. Every single piece of archive film was geo-tagged and the route taken by each of the seven characters meticulously plotted. D-Day: As It Happens not only pioneered a new form of story-telling, but was a compelling tribute to those that risked their lives to change the course of history.”
“This year’s Judges’ Award goes to the creation of a highly flexible ‘L’ shaped studio which can cope with three live broadcasts on air at the same time, for up to I5 hours each, in the same studio space. The two linked three-sided studios are the largest LED-lit studios in the world. The use of LED was considered the only energy efficient way to light such a mammoth space and the LED floodlights are calibrated to be able to create shadow. The key visual elements of the studio are generated from 27 various sized screens which are driven by a ‘Spyder’ control system that can drive all or some of the screens required. Each screen has to be able to show a single image or part of a much larger image, moving or still, and instantly updatable in continuous live broadcasting. The LED under-lit glass floor featuring eight different pitch markings including football, tennis, basketball, and rugby has NEVER been used in a TV studio anywhere in the world before and was specifically adapted and designed to meet their requirements. The central hub, a tower in the middle of the studio has been designed with 13 large screens, so no matter what area you shoot from you can see video backgrounds for all the programmes. It is possibly the most innovative use of purpose-built screens in Europe.”
“With over 35 years in the industry, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award has provided stunning visual and special effects for many of the UK’s favourite TV shows. Combining his creative background at art school with 25 years’ experience at the BBC, this year’s winner set up his own effects company at Pinewood Studios in 2002. Over the last 11 years the company has gone from strength to strength, with its production portfolio dominating the primetime weekend ‘shiny floor shows’. But no job is ever too small or request too strange for our recipient, from blowing up over 100 caravans on Brainiac to electric shocking Jedward…….he’s done it all! He has a fantastic reputation throughout the industry and works closely with production designers, art directors and producers and with his knowledge and seamless approach to providing special effects, he’s the ‘go to’ expert for any requirement. These are just some of the shows he has worked on - Top Gear, X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Comic Relief, Children In Need, Dancing On Ice and Graham Norton."
Follow us on Twitter @RTS_media. And keep up-to-date with news about the RTS Craft & Design Awards at #RTSCraft.
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