In the Spring of 2019, Toby Kalitowski and I were invited to pitch for the set designs for the BBC’s Tokyo Olympics coverage. The main studio presentation would be located in an entirely greenscreen studio within the IBC facilities in Tokyo. We set about creating a virtual Tokyo, to be used within the real Tokyo, mining multiple references from Japanese culture and architecture.
The evolved design comprised a timber pavilion structure, sat atop a skyscraper, offering panoramic views of Tokyo framed by the timber construction. Within that pavilion volume, we created a number of unique presenting opportunities for analysis, interviews and reporting along with enough AR concepts to fill a lifetime of Olympic cycles.
After a competitive pitch interview we were confirmed as the succesful team, and would go on to develop and refine the design in the months that followed. The Olympics were cancelled in 2020, but re-instated and eventually took place in 2021. The studio moved from a greenscreen space in Tokyo, to a studio in Salford, but the design prevailed and the setup became unofficially known as Japanchester. We’ve never shown the animated sequence we prepared to anyone outside of the pitching process, but it was such a labour of love that it needs to be seen and appreciated. If we didn’t share it, how would everyone know how hard we had worked to bring it to life.