Creative studio Framestore was commissioned to create the logo and titles for the Sky Original drama Intergalactic – a powerful new futuristic sci-fi series on Sky and NOW TV. Studio Artistic Director Sharon Lock collaborated with writer Julie Gearey, director Kieron Hawkes and Tiger Aspect Productions on the project. Created by Gearey, the show follows a group of prisoners who go on the run.

“We really wanted something modern and colorful for the title sequence, which had a retro film feel, and also gently touched on some of the narrative elements of the series,” said Hawkes. “Sharon and the team got it right away. The finished streak was even more than I had hoped for. Framestore brought the concept to life brilliantly, elevating the original vision with style and energy. I had a great experience with them.

The series revolves around the young cop and galactic pilot, Ash Harper, who has been charged with a crime of treason and banished to a remote prison colony. In transit, Ash’s companions rebel and take control of their prison transfer ship. With the flight crew dead, Mafia boss Tula Quik is determined to reach the free world, and as the pilot, Ash is forced to join the mob on their treacherous journey.

Lock initially launched the logo before being selected to create the series titles. To do this, her work had to capture the human drama and strained relationships between convicted women. Drawing inspiration from the third wave of feminism in the 90s and punk rock, she began the process of creating the series logo by profiling handmade fanzines and similar references.

She came up with around sixty different ideas to present to Gearey and the production team who recognized that Lock had an instinct for the show’s complex female characters. Using a bright yellow palette with the inmate’s futuristic turquoise and yellow prison outfits, and ignoring the cliché masculine shiny silvers, Lock was in alignment with the show’s identity and energy.

“Even though it was located in space, Intergalactic was dynamic – the set design and costumes were very colorful, so the unconventional yellow that went against this type of traditional sci-fi look suited the show’s ethics, ”Lock said. “The title streak had to do a lot of work and communicate a story that would be out of sight in the show itself.”

The series is set in the 24th century in a fictional New London. The city is built above the original capital now submerged by rising sea levels caused by global warming and destruction of global habitats.

The logo had to be abstract with a graphic feel with bright colors, a scruffy punk aesthetic and the impenetrable demeanor of lawless and intimidating inmates. As with the logo, Lock’s palette for the title sequence complemented the team’s vision and the show’s visual language.

Working in tandem with After Effects and Cinema 4D, Lock incorporated live footage with hand-painted elements that were digitized and used as overlays. His team also created digital matte paints and CG constructions to incorporate iconic assets from the London building, courtesy of Milk VFX, who was working on the visual effects for the show.

The credits were a streamlined version of the main logo design, all in yellow and timed with no overlap between the business cards. To mimic a feeling of claustrophobia, each title has remained in one place on the screen to communicate the sense of restraint women feel, of being held in a confined space and unable to be alone.

Source: Framestore