Concept and creative process
Note ‘1990’ begins with the ‘Drama 2’ strand generic title which precedes the ‘1990’ titles. A 1977 dystopian view of the future in 1990, with Britain under the control of a bureaucratic Department of Public Control, is intriguingly encapsulated in the image of people trapped in a windowless shrinking room. Alan Jeapes and Mike Sanders took studio photographs of the figures in different poses against a white background from a high elevation. These were printed as large prints and retouched by Freddie Shackell to put in the shadows and the walls, with the floorspace getting smaller with each subsequent transition. Filmed on a rostrum camera with titles added as black lettering on clear cels. A simple, dramatic and intriguing opener.