BRISTOL, UK -- Happily, as has so often been the case in society, inclusiveness and understanding seem to grow stronger with the passage of time. Such evolution can be seen in the story of British Sign Language (BSL). Arising in the 18th century, this language of handshape, orientation, movement, and non-manual features, (facial expressions) was frowned upon for centuries by an educational establishment that refused to teach it in school, believing that the deaf should learn to read lips instead.
That all began to change in the 1970s, as schools throughout the UK incorporated BSL into their curriculums. By 2003, the British government had recognized BSL as its own language. On March 28, this vibrant form of communication will reach another milestone with the debut of “Sign 2 Win,” the first game show done entirely in BSL.
Hosted by acclaimed, deaf actress Fifi Garfield of “Switch” and “Punk Chef” fame, the show offers contestants a chance to win £1,000 in prizes. The program’s producer, Drummer TV Ltd., turned to PYTCH for help in creating the first 10 episodes of their breakthrough series.
PYTCH provided a state-of-the-art virtual venue for the show, along with a complete range of production services, including a dynamic, camera friendly lighting system that featured CHAUVET Professional Rogue R2 Wash fixtures.
“The client contacted PYTCH because they were seeking a studio for filming, as well as advice on what they could do at our venue,” said Chelsea Hopkins of PYTCH. “This included things like pipped videos over LCD screens. We had a great team working together over five wonderful days.”
Lucy Payne, project manager at PYTCH for the program led the team in designing and fabricating the contestant podiums for the game show’s buzzers. The company also built the master cue sheet to be used for all episodes and supplied the team with URSAs and a jib shot.
As for the show’s lighting, which was designed by Dan Giddings, Lighting Lead at PYTCH, it endowed the set with vibrant color combinations from the Rogue R2 Wash and par fixtures mounted overhead. Giddings often relied on bold primary colors, notably blues, reds, and greens to create an aura of excitement and anticipation. Sometimes splitting the set into two distinct color patterns, he added visual variety to the program in addition to creating a sense of depth for the camera.
To texturize the set’s backdrop, Giddings used colored light at varying intensities to accentuate different parts of the geometric patterns on its wall. By focusing light more intensely on one section of the backdrop rather than another one moment, then switching the next, he created a sense of movement.
The interplay of light and patterns was fittingly representative of the dynamic evolving nature of BSL, which is constantly expanding. Not long ago, they language added over 100 signs for scientific terms, including “deoxyribonucleotide” and “deoxyribonucleoside.” With words like these, “Sign 2 Win” should have no shortage of source material for its game show questions.
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