'Unnatural History' is Cartoon Network's first live-action original series. I directed three teaser spots that are designed to showcase some of the lead characters special abilities: Parkour (free running), fire walking and special catching ability. This is a compilation of all 3 spots.
Click on the Behind the Scenes bar BELOW for a glimpse behind the making of these spots.
This is an effects break down of two of the shots in the Parkour spot:
For the Parkour spot I spent a lot of time shooting rehearsals and studying existing parkour footage to find the best way to capture this dynamic sequence. What felt the best to me was to shoot the athletes doing their flips, spins and gymnastics with a smooth fluid camera. That approach allowed the action to really shine without being overshadowed by heavy-handed camera work. Some quick kinetic shots were cut in for pacing but I wanted the big moves to play out smoothly. Steadicam operator Justin Browne did a great job of keeping up with these human spiders:
Here is the :15 cut down of the :30. It has an alternate opening shot. POV style:
The incredibly talented David Elson and Clay Truesdell were our two runners. They would practice the moves with crash pads several times until they were well warmed up and feeling good about the setup. We’d then remove the pads and shoot. Here’s a short clip of David practicing the big jump before we rolled:
