Thornberg & Forester was invited to pitch ideas to brand and position the Netflix Original film, The Siege of Jadotville. The battle took place in September 1961, during the United Nations intervention in the Katanga conflict in Congo-Léopoldville, in Central Africa. “A” Company, 35th Battalion of the Irish Army were attacked by Katanga Genarmerie troops loyal to the Katangese Prime Minister Moise Tshombe. The lightly armed Irish soldiers, besieged in Jadotville, resisted Katangese assaults for six days as a relief force of Irish and Swedish troops unsuccessfully attempted to reach the Irish force.
We were tasked with title identity and design and production of assets for the Netflix UI (box art, static and motion billboards). For all, we embraced the nuances and complexities from both sides of the battle by featuring the film’s talent, incredible drama and intense action in a myriad of ways.
We designed hundreds of frames to capture the spirit of the story from different, creative perspectives, ranging from multi-layered photo illustration to verité-inspired, cinematic style.
Once the winning look was selected, we moved into editorial for several weeks. The driving force of our edit is the sound and pace of a beating heart, which increases in intensity as our story moves from peaceful calm to complete chaos.
For transitions and to enhance drama, we shot several plates of ink bleeding in water and on textured paper. These elements were used as mattes and composited with color, offset footage and texture to add dimension.
