ABC recently called on One World Productions and Ntropic to collaborate on a James Bond-themed promo for the TV series Scandal that first aired during the 2013 Oscars.
Directed by Ntropic’s Nate Robinson and Andrew Sinagra, scenes from the show were projected onto Scandal‘s lead actress, Kerry Washington with a technique that was reminiscent of Goldfinger‘s opening title sequence from 1964, which was apropos given this year’s Oscar tribute to the Bond franchise’s 50th Anniversary.
“When the idea came up at ABC, I immediately reached out to Nate and Andrew, and knew that the Ntropic team would do their homework on how to shoot and project this practically,” said Joseph Uliano founder/executive producer, One World Productions.
“We were really excited when Joe came to us with another project from ABC,” said Robinson. “Since Andrew and I both come from a visual effects background, he wanted to know if we had successfully created a digital projection technique. We had, but we really saw a great opportunity to do this one practically and pay homage to the Goldfinger legacy.
“For us, this project was about Kerry’s character and her sensuality,” he explained. “Her body is a canvas and the projections on it show the pain and conflict her character is going through. Shooting Kerry practically allowed us to not put limits on her as an actor, so we were able to capture a really intimate performance. The end result is a beautiful effect created entirely in camera, which gets at the heart of the show and was appropriate for the Oscars. The biggest testament to the success of the concept was Kerry’s willingness to work with us for as long as she did on the day, and really partner on realizing the vision with us.”
