On the heels of their award-winning collaboration on the History Channel refresh earlier this year, Blue Room has been tapped to create an international version of the graphics package. AETN International, the international sales division of History, turned to the New York-based creative services agency to convert all domestic History refresh graphics to international formats and standards taking into account multiple time zones, languages, different alphabets and alphabets that read right to left.
Blue Room provided the network with After Effects toolkits with separate aspect ratios for different regions/countries including: 4x3 PAL and NTSC, 16x9 PAL and NTSC, 1080i @ 59.97fps HD, and 1080i @ 50fps HD. The refresh began its roll out internationally in September and will be completed by January 2009.
Blue Room's promotion package included endpages, logo resolve, opening animation, transitions, tune-in-bars, full screen mortises, and text cards. The on-air package included program bumpers, lower third identifiers, web throw, promo bug, generic banner, and a credit bed.
Now available in over 140 countries in more than 225 million TV households, History is the only international television network devoted exclusively to historical programming, featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways, enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future.
Brian Aumueller, Creative Director of Blue Room, explained, “By the time we began the international package we had lived with the refresh for nearly a year. But still it was challenging and of utmost importance to maintain the integrity of the refreshed History brand across such a wide market, each country needing a modular kit. We needed a full time team virtually working around the clock, and they nailed it.”
The Blue Room creative team for this campaign included CEO/Executive Producer Chris Gargani; Creative Director Brian Aumueller; Editorial Director Dave Gargani; Senior Designer Steve Harper; Animators Leah L'Esperance and Jason Vallen; and Producer Joanna Cajigas.
Blue Room utilized Mac Pro workstations, with eight core Intel processors, running Adobe After Effects CS3, Illustrator CS3 and Photoshop CS3 as well as Alias Maya for 3D in the execution of this project
Representing AETN International were Creative Director Anne Craig and Producer Jessica Tell.
