Absolute team up with BBC Creative and Colin Read on first-of-its-kind interactive experience

To celebrate the launch of not one, but two brand new Radio 1 streams for BBC Sounds, BBC Creative have developed a first-of-its-kind, interactive campaign alongside director Colin Read. Viewers are treated to a dual performance from two Manchester sisters to introduce ‘BBC Radio 1 Dance’ and ‘BBC Radio 1 Relax’, interchangeable by simply tilting their phone from portrait to landscape.

A perfectly choreographed embodiment of their respective stream, each sister performs to British Music Producer Noizu’s ‘Summer 91’, which forms the soundtrack to both narratives. Digital creative studio, Powester, developed the tech behind the project, leveraging the power of a phone’s gyroscope to flip between the stories, with Absolute completing all post-production.

Colour was of course a key component in differentiating between the storylines, whilst CG balloons and pigeons added an extra layer of magic. Absolute’s VFX Supervisor, Phil Oldham, explains that he was hooked from the moment he read the script: “What the BBC was trying to do was really interesting. Having a dual stream that could seamlessly switch by rotating the user’s phone was a really cool idea. And when Colin layered in the story and wrote the treatment, it really came alive.”

Above: VFX Breakdown 1

Working with Colin, Phil previs'd both sequences to find the best path for the camera and action to use. “It was amazing watching Colin work”, Phil explains, “he kept the choreographic timings of two very different routines synchronised with lighting cues, camera movements and performances in his head. It was beyond impressive, and we’re chuffed to have been a part of it.”

Above: VFX Breakdown 2

Head to flipyourvibe.com to experience this innovative approach on mobile platforms now.

Agency: BBC Creative London
Creative Director: Kit Dayaram
Creative: Emma Brooke, Hannah White
Producer: Harriet McHugh
Production Company: Pulse Films
Director: Colin Read
Exec Producer: James Sorton
Producer: Connor Hollman
DOP: Harry Wheeler
Production Designer: Ashling Johnson
Choreographer: Benjamin Milan
Service Co: B2Y
Service Producer: Ivan Ivanov
Post-Production: Absolute
VFX Supervisor: Phil Oldham
2D Leads: Milo Paterson, Chris Tobin
2D Compositors: Tom Clapp, Scott Simmonds, Lucas Warren, Humayun Mirza, Pedram Razi
CGI: Craig Healy, Keith Rogers
Colour: Matt Turner
Design: Niall High, Jonas McQuiggin
Executive Producer: Dan Bennett
Senior Producer: Kirsty Ratcliffe
Sound: 750mph