The BBC Euro 2012 title sequence sees embroidered emblems from European team badges come to life in a world of material textures. The original brief was to create a highly stylised, graphical, and illustrative film that would hark back to the creatures that appear on national team badges: three English Lions, the German eagle and the lesser-known giant two-headed bird of Russia. Framestore's task was to bring these creatures to life, preparing them for battle in an embroidered otherworld.
Framestore's team, led by Senior Designer Anthony Gibbs in the role of Art Director, kicked-off the process by developing these fabulous create and their ancient and epic environment. The art department used graphical forms on team badges as starting points to bring each beast to life, taking design cues from sources as diverse as modern sculpture and Greek mythology. The groundwork was developed over a two-week period by working with Framestore's pre-visualisation partner, The Third Floor, on a Hollywood-style pre-vis.
Central to the idea was to have modular scenes with no narrative continuity from one vignette to the next. Anthony and the team used colour and composition to tell the story of featured teams in each shot, giving them an individual style that resonated with the overall look.
The end result is a refreshingly unique take on the sports titling sub-genre, bringing added drama to the anticipation of glory. Or, if you're English, honour in defeat.
