Specialist marketing communications agency

Introduction

As part of a global initiative to re-invigorate their restaurant experience, McDonald's asked Kaleidovision to devise and produce a dedicated Children's TV channel to help create a more modern and relevant dining experience for children in the dining areas in their restaurants.

Objectives

Kaleidovision and McDonald's decided that the main aims of the McDonald's Kids TV channel were threefold: to provide entertainment, supply educational content, and furnish a platform for the brand's key messages including healthy eating, exercise and hydration.

Solutions

Kaleidovision's producers devised a detailed content strategy, requiring a mixture of bespoke and third party content such as educational games, cartoons, and music videos. Original content was produced by Kaleidovision's studio and third party content deals were brokered by Kaleidovision with Disney, Fox Kids, Tiny Planets and Universal Records.

It was agreed that in terms of format, the channel would benefit from a "live" feel, achieved by using presenter links between the various types of content. These presenter links were to be pre-recorded and scheduled to play in front of appropriate content.

Kaleidovision's studio created a virtual studio set for the presenters, the initial concept sketches and then fully 3D modelled versions are below.  Lighting scenes and animated content was inserted into the virtual video screens in the set.

Approximately 70 presenter links were scripted to link into the different types of material. Prospective channel presenters were auditioned and the two selected were then filmed in front of a green-screen. The live video was then overlayed over the virtual studio set, and finally the relevant links were playlisted to appear in front of relevant content.

McDonald's 'virtual studio' phase 1 - concept sketches:

McDonald's 'virtual studio' phase 2 - 3D modelling, showing contruction lines and screens, without full 'lighting':

McDonald's 'virtual studio' phase 3 - shooting presenters' script links against green screen:

McDonald's 'virtual studio' phase 4 - presenters overlayed over fully 'lit' virtual studio, with animations on virtual video screens:

View movie: