Concept and creative process
The playwright, composer, director, actor and famous wit, Noël Coward was 70 in 1969. As a tribute the BBC put together a lavish Christmas production in his honour. The opening titles were designed to echo the luxurious ‘Art Deco’ theatrical style of Coward’s legacy in the British Theatre through the late 20s and 30s. The animation was simple rostrum camera work on large format painted cels which I painted on the reverse side to give the smooth effect. The colours were expressly garish, as had been the painted sets and the lavish costumes of the pre-war era.