Press Release
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Click 3x has produced a new 45-second promo marking the triumphant return of Showtime’s original series about gay relationships, Queer as Folk. Co-directed by Click 3x’ Iain Greenway and Peter Corbett, the promo kicks off the fourth season of the show, Showtime’s most popular prime-time original series, with the tagline “This spring the original comes of age.”
The promo is designed to resonate with Queer as Folk fans by playing off the crowning event of the show’s last season: the electoral defeat of an anti-gay mayoral candidate. In the promo, the show’s cast—who worked for the candidate’s defeat—strides through the Babylon nightclub past cheering admirers. Echoing a scene from the season finale, the actors head out onto the street to celebrate and form a tableau as the show title appears. [an error occurred while processing this directive]
The moody imagery is complimented by graphics that emerge out of the nightclub lighting. Together they convey a sense that a big event is about to unfold. “We wanted to communicate the sense of pride they have in their victory and show that they are truly enjoying this moment of glory,” explained Greenway. “When they leave the club, they are entering a new space, one that symbolizes a coming of age for the cast members—and for the show itself. We are saying that with its fourth season, the show, too, has come of age.”
Greenway and Corbett shot the spot in Toronto on the actual Babylon nightclub set used in the show. In addition to the show’s nine cast members, some 180 extras were employed as nightclub patrons for the shoot, which was accomplished in a single day, despite its more than two dozen set ups.
“We changed the lighting on the set, making it a monochromatic blue tone and supplemented that with the silver light from a mirror ball,” Greenway recalled. “In addition, we dressed the extras in dark colors to create a special look and make the cast stand out.” That look was further enhanced in post production with the application of a defocus effect that helped to make the cast look heroic.
Corbett and Greenway took time in pre-production to plan each shot and set up down to the smallest detail so that the production could be accomplished in just one day. The tight scheduling was necessary due as it was being squeezed in between shoot days for the show itself. “It was incumbent upon us to be as efficient as possible out of consideration to the show’s cast and crew,” explained Corbett. “For them, this was an extra day of work.”
“We were also very cognizant of the need to make the cast look great as they have a large vested interest in their characters and the show,” he added. “In the end, it all went smoothly and we finished exactly on time.”
Credits for Click 3x go to Iain Greenway, co-director/creative director; Peter Corbett, co-director/technical director; Susan Armstrong, visual effects artist; Abbe Daniel, executive producer; and Cass O'Meara, editor.
For Showtime Networks credits go to Tony Castellano and Angie Speranza, creative directors; Howard Sherman, v.p./head of production; and Diane Johnson-Cooper and Lorraine O'Connor, line producers.
Music was composed by Dave Baron of Edison Music Company, New York. Live action production was handled by The Revolver Film Company, Toronto; Jannie McInnes, executive producer; Mark Hesselink, producer; James Gardner, director of photography (Sesler Company). Film to tape was done at Postworks, New York, Eric Alvarado, colorist.
Click 3X provides visual effects, computer animation and broadcast design services to the advertising and television industries. The studio is located at 16 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010. For more information, contact Phil McIntyre, Click 3X Partner and Head of National Sales and Marketing at (212) 627-1900, or visit www.click3X.com.
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