Discovery is in search of something out of this world, literally.
New docu-series Cooper’s Treasure tells the story of a legendary astronaut and the secret treasure map he began from space. The series, premiering April 18, follows a team of modern-day treasure hunters using the map in their quest to uncover hidden fortunes.
The network partnered with 2C Creative to bring the concept to life for a launch promo that replicates a zero-gravity environment to help convey the concept of the show. With a growing reputation for its innovative use of organic, live-action effects over computer graphics, 2C Creative was a natural choice for Discovery.
“To replicate a classic space capsule was no easy feat, but 2C looked to historical Mercury capsule footage to capture the essence of weightless life hundreds of miles above Earth,” Discovery said in a statement. “There were some creative liberties taken, since the astronaut’s hands would have been confined to a space suit, but it was done for the purpose of initially disguising where he was actually working.”
Working with Discovery Creative Director Jason Turner, 2C’s use of cameras was key in achieving the spot’s visual metaphor – an extreme close-up on the astronaut’s pencil at his treasure map before pulling back to reveal the tiny dot on the ocean’s floor, “as if searching for a needle in a haystack from space.”
An Alexa Mini and set of macro lenses allowed the team to work with a shallow depth of field and get especially close to the subject. A periscope lens brought the camera right down on the map’s surface. With the margin of error less than an inch for being in or out of focus, a precise performance by the hand model was also critical.
2C produced a 30-second spot and 15-second cut-down, airing now on Discovery.
CREDITS:
Network: Discovery
Lara Richardson – SVP - Marketing
Josh Kovolenko – VP - Marketing Strategy
Pablo Pulido – VP - Marketing Creative
Jason Turner – Creative Director
Daniel Oleksiuk – Senior Production Manager
Sara Light – Marketing Director
Agency: 2C Creative
Chris Sloan – Chief Creative Officer
Brian Eloe – Live-Action Director / Creative Director
Nikki Coloma – General Manager, Senior Director of Operations
Pablo Coig – Editor
Luis Martinez – Design Director
Dmitri Zav– Colorist/VFX Artist
Andy Fernandez – Motion Designer
Collaborators
Tom Camarda – Director of Photography
Chris Stoerchle – Line Producer
Chris Giammalvo – Art Director
Defacto Sound – Audio
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