Bedlam: The History of Bethlem...

Prime Focus has completed post production on 'Bedlam: The History of Bethlem Hospital' for Seneca Productions with the help of the Wellcome Trust. The HD drama-documentary, which was produced and directed by Joe Matthews, airs on History Channel at 9pm on 18th March. It reveals the secrets of the most famous lunatic asylum in history, the Bethlem Hospital in London, which was otherwise known as Bedlam.

The history of Bedlam is told by historians using original case studies and is brought to life with dramatic reconstructions, involving the doctors who worked there, the tourists who visited and the whistleblowers who tried to reform it. The film aims to explore the origins of the modern understandings of mental illness.

Prime Focus Colourist Graeme Hayes graded it and said "It was all really nicely shot in HD so my main job was to give it a slightly filmic look. The reconstructions required some desaturation and I picked out certain colours to make it look more atmospheric. They were really dark as they needed to convey the mood of the setting which was an asylum, so they had to come across as being oppressive."

Online was completed by Ronnie Newman while the audio work was done by Phitz Hearne.

Joe Matthews, the producer and director commented, "I came to Prime Focus as a new client, bringing with me a film that required a great deal of creative input in its online, grade and sound design. Fortunately I was not disappointed. I found all of the crafts-people at Prime Focus to be immensely capable, imaginative and professional and I came away with a beautifully post-produced programme. Rebecca Willcocks, the senior producer who project-managed the job from start to finish made my whole experience an extremely happy one. She showed a great knowledge of all the technical and creative processes and a total understanding of my needs as a client. I will be recommending Prime Focus to all my colleagues and look forward to returning there myself in the future."