BURBANK, CA — Big Machine (http://bigmachine.net), here, was called on by production company Robot Field & Post to create a cohesive look and design language for the new six-episode Investigation Discovery show, Hostage: Do or Die.
The program offers a collection of stories told from the perspective of hostages, witnesses and negotiators. Detective Dominick Misino, an NYPD veteran, provides narration for each episode and breaks down the different scenarios to explain what it took to rescue the hostages. In some instances, things went wrong.
Big Machine co-founder/creative director Steve Petersen directed the project, creating virtual worlds and spatial recreations of set-ups that couldn’t be captured on location. Prior to shooting the live-action, Petersen put together references, mood boards and visual style guides that would help keep the entire team in sync.
As the show was shooting, Big Machine was simultaneously working on the main titles, transitions and visual effects. The studio used Red Epic and Canon 7D DSLR cameras to capture the live action elements. SynthEyes and Mocha Pro were used for tracking. After Effects and Cinema 4D were used to create the graphics and animation elements.