‘Battlestar Galactica’ Promos Get Into Character

Sci Fi Teasing Fourth Season With Short, Minimalist Videos Focused on Faces

By Kent Gibbons -- Multichannel News, 12/14/2007 10:39:00 AM

Sci Fi Channel’s promotional spots for the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica are “emotional snapshots” of principal characters in the space drama.

While sister channel USA is the one branded around “characters,” the Battlestar Galactica promotion titled “Future” used a minimalist approach that spotlights each of the individual characters, rather than space battles.

Fifteen actors from the series, including leads Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, are featured. Staring directly into camera, a rotating light source falls over each actor’s face. Sound bites from the show are heard to provide the viewer with deeper insight to the character.

"To capture emotional snapshots of each character, a 360-degree rotational lighting rig using a helicopter motor was created and built specifically for this shoot. The idea was inspired by the planets rotating around the sun,” James Coulson, design director at Sci Fi Channel, said in a release. “Everything is done in camera, with only simple masks and a color-correction in post."

"'Battlestar Galactica' is often misconstrued as a visual effects-driven show, when in actuality it is a well-scripted, character-driven series,” Joseph Loskywitz, creative director of promotions at Sci Fi Channel, added in the release. “Sci Fi wanted to focus on the characters.”

The spot marks the first appearance of the newly designed Battlestar Galactica logo. Created by design and branding studio CA Square, the logo is presented as battle scarred to highlight the intense journey of the Battlestar Galactica crew.

The show’s fourth and last season kicks off in March.