The Queen’s Guards: A Year In Service
Proper Content for Channel 5
Clear Cut have recently delivered a unique series for Proper Content. Shot over more than a year amid production challenges arising from COVID restrictions, this series gained exclusive access to the oldest regiment in the British Army - The Coldstream Guards.
Head of Picture, Dan Preston blended footage from multiple shoots and locations to form a cohesive series of cameos within the programmes. He used feathered masks, tracked within the Baselight Editions plug-in, to give greater control when blurring certain military personal and vehicles. In the grade, Colourist Damion Katwaroo gave series a modern, clean look that gelled well with the archive, achieved by layering different levels of contrast and saturation to blend the different formats together, while also keeping the signature colours of the uniforms authentic.
The overall series was mixed by Senior Dubbing Mixer, Nick Ashe. Using the Iztope RX, he cleaned up audio recorded in training sessions where elements such as weather or lack of microphones caused distortion. Using the visual clues in the footage, combined with the well-known character of the ceremony and routines of this military and ceremonial fighting force, his sound design delivers a fully immersive soundscape that reflects a real sense of life in The Coldstream Guards.