Channel 4 reveals star of new Mating season

7 May 2013

Channel 4 today unveiled the lead star of its forthcoming Mating season – a Galapagos Tortoise named Arthur.

To promote the season, Channel 4’s award-winning in-house creative agency, 4creative, explores dating through the eyes of a recently bereaved older man – Arthur, a Galapagos Tortoise. The Galapagos Tortoise is known to have long relationships with the same partner, often lasting over 100 years. But sadly, Arthur’s long-term love came to an end.

The Mating season marketing campaign follows Arthur on his emotional journey to find love in the 21st century and through his eyes, viewers experience just how complex the dating landscape has become. A series of trails to launch on-screen on Monday 20th May, tell Arthur’s story from just after the death of his beloved wife of many years, through to his enlightening journey of romantic and sexual discovery.

In keeping with the atmosphere of romance, the painting of Arthur and his wife in the opening scene was drawn by Gordon King, the original Mills and Boon illustrator. To add a touch of symmetry, the watercolour in the closing scene that represents Arthur’s new-found love was drawn by Gordon’s son, Fraser King.

The ad was directed by 4creative’s Chris Bovill and John Allison, with music specially composed by Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll.

Arthur was created by Asylum, a leading British model making and special effects company.

Allison said: “We wanted to create a campaign that spoke to people currently dating and people who had put their lucky date pants away years ago. Looking at the confusing rules of social media's impact on dating, online dating and the changing attitudes towards sex, we felt it right to focus on the universal indisputable truth that modern dating is very complicated. It's all changed. It's no longer a drink, some dinner, a dance and then 50 years of marriage. We wanted to take someone from the courtship days of yore and thrust them into 21st century dating landscape. Naturally a geriatric tortoise was the only way to bring this to life.”

Hartnoll said of the project: “…it’s been like scoring a whole film in miniature – so many emotions, builds and drops in such a tight space, I love it!”

The TV spot is accompanied by a poster campaign which evolves the gender symbols into a series of playful symbols that represent various relationship statuses – concluding (as the TV spot does) with the line: modern dating: it’s complicated.

Channel 4’s mating season explores the complexities and nuances of forming relationships in 2013 with a collection of documentaries and dramas that take a look at modern day relationships.

 

Notes to editors:

About Arthur

• Arthur was created by Asylum, a leading British model making and special effects company. He was first sculpted out of modeling clay, standing a metre in length. His appearance was based on detailed photographs and real Galapagos tortoises as seen in the London zoo.
  When the modeling was finished, moulds were taken, and the shell was made out of glass fibre and the flexible body in soft rubber. Inside the head and legs was a metal mechanism to control movement, with connections for rods operated by puppeteers. Arthur has no motors and so his walking is made possible with six puppeteers, one operating each leg, one for the neck and head, and one to push the trolley on which he is lying. To allow for greater characterisation in the close-ups Arthur was also made as a glove puppet, with his head and neck connected to a portion of shell. The puppeteer could use fingers and thumb to operate the mouth, and wrist and elbow to change the position of the head and neck. Arthurs finished look was achieved after many days art working details into his skin and shell.
  Twelve technicians made Arthur over a period of five weeks.

 

Credits

• Agency and Production company: 4Creative

CREATIVE DIRECTORS: CHRIS BOVILL & JOHN ALLISON

CREATIVES: CHRIS BOVILL JOHN ALLISON MOLLY MANNERS & ALICE TONGE

DIRECTORS: CHRIS BOVILL & JOHN ALLISON

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: SHANANNE LANE

PRODUCER: NICOLA BROWN

BUSINESS DIRECTOR: OLIVIA BROWNE

• Client: Channel 4 Marketing

GROUP MARKETING MANAGER: LAURA WARD

MARKETING MANAGER: GRACE AYRES

• CINEMATOGRAPHER:TOM TOWNEND

PRODUCTION DESIGNER:SIMON DAVIS

COSTUME DESIGNER: KATE RUTH

LOCATION MANAGER: BEN MACGREGOR

‘DATES’ ACTOR CASTING: DES HAMILTON CASTING

SFX/ TORTOISE MODEL MAKING: ASYLUM

SFX SUPERVISOR:JOHN PENNICOTT

EDITOR: DAN SHERWEN

EDIT FACILITIES: FINAL CUT

VFX/POST PRODUCTION: THE MOVING PICTURE COMPANY

VFX PRODUCER: MARIANNA BRUYNSEELS

VFX SUPERVISOR: MICHAEL GREGORY

MUSIC COMPOSITION: PAUL HARTNOLL

SOUND DESIGN: RICH MARTIN

AUDIO FACILITIES:  ENVY

COLOURIST: JEAN CLEMENT SORET