To promote Discovery’s suspense-filled new docuseries, “Cooper’s Treasure,” the network’s Creative Director, Jason Turner, needed to collaborate with a creative agency that could bring his complex concept to life with both speed and authenticity. 2C Creative was a natural choice, as the team was growing a reputation for its innovative use of organic, live-action effects over CG. The goal was to replicate the zero-gravity environment of a classic ‘60s space capsule to explain the unique premise of the series in the simplest terms possible.

“Cooper’s Treasure” tells the incredible story of a legendary astronaut and the secret treasure map he began from space. The series follows a team of modern-day treasure hunters using the map in their quest to uncover hidden fortunes.

To replicate a classic space capsule was no easy feat, but 2C looked to historical Mercury capsule footage to capture the essence of weightless life hundreds of miles above Earth. There were some creative liberties taken, since the astronaut’s hands would have been confined to a space suit, but it was done for the purpose of initially disguising where he was actually working.

2C’s use of cameras was key in achieving the spot’s visual metaphor – an extreme close-up on the astronaut’s pencil at his treasure map before pulling back wider and wider to reveal the tiny dot on the ocean’s floor as if searching for a needle in a haystack from space. An Alexa Mini and set of macro lenses allowed the team to work with a shallow depth of field and get especially close to the subject. A periscope lens brought the camera right down on the map’s surface. With the margin of error less than an inch for being in or out of focus, a precise performance by the hand model was also critical.

2C produced a 30-second spot and 15-second cut-down, airing now on Discovery.

CREDITS:

Discovery

Lara Richardson – SVP - Marketing
Josh Kovolenko – VP - Marketing Strategy
Pablo Pulido – VP - Marketing Creative
Jason Turner – Creative Director
Daniel Oleksiuk – Senior Production Manager
Sara Light – Marketing Director

2C

Chris Sloan – Chief Creative Officer

Brian Eloe – Live-Action Director / Creative Director

Nikki Coloma – General Manager, Senior Director of Operations

Pablo Coig – Editor

Luis Martinez – Design Director

Dmitri Zav– Colorist/VFX Artist

Andy Fernandez – Motion Designer

Collaborators

Tom Camarda – Director of Photography

Chris Stoerchle – Line Producer

Chris Giammalvo – Art Director

Defacto Sound – Audio