This week saw the winners of the RTS Craft and Design Awards for 2010/2011 unveiled.

Among the many categories up for grabs, Digital Effects went to Erik Ellefsen, George Kyparissous, Sarah Norton & Jo Amery for Misfits Series 2. A Clerkenwell Films production for E4, judges said: “inventive and edgy, these creative effects flowed seamlessly into the overall aesthetic”.

The biggest winner on the night was BBC2 drama The Crimson Petal and The White. Annie Symons won Costume Design – Drama for the Origin Pictures/Cité Amérique  production while Jacqueline Fowler won Make Up Design – Drama. Production Design – Drama went to Grant Montgomery for Crimson with the judges saying: “The programme simply took you to another world with its stunning imagery of Victorian life. Nothing was sacrificed transferring this novel to the small screen.”

Other notable successes:

Chris Chisnall & The Lighting Team won Lighting For Multicamera for ITV”s Coronation Street while Photography – Drama went to David Katznelson for ITV/Carnival”s Downton Abbey.

The Design & Craft Innovation award went to the production team of Polar Bear: Spy on the Ice. Said the judges: “This amazing film was principally shot by unmanned cameras over six months in the very extreme and demanding conditions of the Arctic.  Spy cameras, using complex central rigs, not only achieved remarkable close-up footage of the bears but also star as distinct characters, with names like Iceberg Cam, Blizzard Cam and Drift Cam.  These state-of-the-art cameras enabled the production team to capture an intimate portrait of polar bears” lives, creating a classic natural history programme while making a film that was innovative and contemporary in the way it was shot and the technology used.”

Spooks Success:

There was also a judges’; award for the production team of BBC spy drama Spooks: “This year, the Judges” Award goes to the production team behind one of the most important original British drama series of the last decade – a series which has re-invigorated the genre.  

“It has firmly established its producer, Kudos, as one of the leading drama producers in the UK. Intelligent and complex narratives, often scarily precognitive, combined with craft and design innovation has made it a massive success. Its wonderfully inventive visual style is created by a perfect combination of photography, powerful direction and stylish design.

“The late Colin Green pioneered the editing style which included innovative transitions and multi screen scenes that helped interweave the complex plots and build the tension. Graded like a commercial, sounding like a feature film and layered with special and digital effects that defied its budget, the series became the launch pad for many outstanding and award-winning craftspeople in our industry. The success and sustainability of the show, which has just completed its tenth and final series, is down to its outstanding production team.”

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