When A-Channel and City TV needed a partner to create a new look for the network as part of their major national rebranding, they turned to Eclipse Production + Design. A-channel, which would serve smaller communities and rural markets, needed to have its own unique feel from CityTV, which was designed to serve urban markets, while still maintaining links between the two.
Having previously worked on rebranding television stations in Vancouver and designing newsrooms for both large urban and smaller centre TV stations, including BCTV, CKVU, CFRO and CTV as well as the New VI, the inspiration for the A-channel rebrand, Eclipse Production + Design was a logical choice.
A project of this magnitude isn’t without its challenges. Eclipse was charged with creating a cohesive look for the newsrooms and studios of each of the two brands and their 11 stations while at the same time maintaining each station’s unique look and distinct feel. In addition each studio had its own set-up and technical requirements, meaning that custom solutions needed to be developed for each space.
Over the course of four months, Eclipse met individually with each station and their respective in-house production teams, developing and revising plans that would not only be visually stunning and budget friendly enough get the ‘green light’ from station management, but meet the technical needs of the production team. Over a series of virtual and in person meetings, the Eclipse team finalized a unique plan for sets, lighting, and camera angles for each station, building a consistent look across the 11 stations that worked with the individual needs of each one’s studio space.
The Eclipse Production + Design project management team supervised every stage of design, construction, transport, and on-site installation. Key to this was working in collaboration with the lighting design team to maximize the synergies between the set and lighting elements, ensuring the two not only work in harmony but deliver the best possible end product to the client.
The end result? A milestone in Canadian news broadcasting - the simultaneous launch of the 11 retrofitted and newly branded stations across Canada to rave reviews, on time and in budget.
