MTV has tapped 21Boom, the Manhattan-based creative and marketing services shop, to design and produce a show open and complete package graphics for its new talk and variety show, It's On with Alexa Chung. The hour-long program features celebrity guests, musical performances and unique online interaction with viewers via Twitter and Facebook, and airs live daily from MTV's Manhattan studios.
The show's host is former model and British import, Alexa Chung, who is new to the channel, as well as to audiences on this side of the pond. Viewers are invited to join Ms. Chung as she welcomes celebrity guests to her downtown loft for afternoon chats about the latest news and offerings in popular entertainment.
To help introduce Ms. Chung and convey her easy-going personality and youthful style, 21Boom crafted a very short story told through the show's thirty-second open. Simple and familiar to any transplant to a new city, the story involves a typical whirlwind trip of errands and exploring - taking in sights, shops and surroundings on a sunny summer morning. We tag along with Alexa as she window-shops, tries on sunglasses, snaps a few photos, meets friends for tea and buys flowers at the corner market, before racing back to her loft to tape the show. The result is a light-hearted and action-packed start to It's On, as well as a first glance at friendly and approachable Alexa and her new Manhattan digs.
"Our challenge was to get our point across quickly without oversimplifying," explains 21Boom Principal and Creative Director Markus Horak. "We had to establish Alexa as a regular girl who is cool enough to handle interviews with famous celebrities but also present her as relatable enough to seem like a potential friend. We shot at some of our favorite places in the city, knowing that the off-the-path quirkiness of the different locations would come across beautifully on tape, and provide the perfect background and framing for Alexa."
To achieve a sense of first-hand experience and to convey a real and intimate perspective of the city and its neighborhoods, the camera was hand-held throughout the shoot. Additionally, artificial lighting was kept to a minimum, as were the crew and equipment. This allowed the shoot to move quickly and unobtrusively around town, down sidewalks, and through crowds. To the viewer, it's an eye-level sampling of summer in the city.
In addition to production, editorial and post-production of the show open, 21Boom also designed the show's title graphic logo, complete internal graphics and an animated graphic explanation of how the interactive aspects of the show work.