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Studio71 UK Lands TLC TV Wedding Commission ‘Countdown To I Do’
in Studio71 North America onThe format’s episodes follow the hours leading up to a couple’s wedding ceremony, entirely self-shot by the bride, groom, friends and family. And one year on, the couple look back at the moments they’ll treasure forever… and those they’d rather forget!
Studio71 UK, a Red Arrow Studios company today announces its new TV commission for TLC UK in ‘Countdown To I Do’, a 5×30 series for the TLC UK channel. Countdown To I Do is a reality wedding series which follows couples in the nail-biting last moments before they say, ‘I do’ and returns to the couple one year on to revisit their magical day and explore it in finer detail.
The series revisits another Studio71 UK format, which was piloted on TLC UK’s YouTube channel in 2019 and innovated by having the wedding preparation, drama and emotion captured entirely by the bride, groom and their nearest and dearest.
In Countdown To I Do, viewers will be given a behind-the-scenes look at the run-up to the big day of five sets of partners. Self-shot documentary footage from the perspectives of the wedding VIPs will allow viewers to witness all the unfolding nerves, drama and joy that comes with the most important day in a couple’s life. The format will also see couples look back at their big day – giving further context to any dramas and answering the question of were they to do it all again, would they change anything?
Couples will reveal all the intimate details of the wedding day that made their day special, from the proposal, the planning, the dress and the venue, including specifics on how much they intended to spend – and how much they actually spent! The series will provide a real insider’s perspective of how 5 different couples decided to signify their partnerships, what made them bespoke, what they learned and what they would never do again.
Countdown To I Do will be created using entirely self-shot footage and produced by STUDIO71 UK. While the weddings were shot in the summer of 2019, the retrospective interviews are being produced safely under strict COVID-19 lockdown rules. Countdown To I Do is part of several new formats ordered for Discovery’s Lifestyle & Entertainment channels announced today.
Studio71 UK draws upon its experience in TV development/production and the talent management of hundreds of online Creators to produce the series. Understanding the way Creators and Vloggers engage their audiences on platforms such as YouTube has contributed to the series’ development which allows stories from members of the wedding party to be told down the lens of a camera.
Jody Smith, Studio71 UK VP Creative Director, says: “We’re thrilled to use our experience of working with hundreds of online talent who self-shoot every day and apply that to the most dramatic day of a couple’s lives, training them to tell their story authentically via self-shooting. Joining each couple again, one year later, provides a perspective often overlooked by wedding formats, with each of our couples experiencing big, joyful life changes by the time of their anniversaries.”
The series will be Exec Produced by Jody Smith and Tom Payne, Director of Content.
For further information on Countdown To I Do or any other Studio71 UK production, contact phie.mckenzie@studio71uk.com.
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Studio71 commissioned by TLC for its First YouTube Wedding Series
in Studio71 North America onCountdown To I Do is a reality wedding series that follows the crucial last moments before real-life couple’s tie the knot
Today, Studio71 UK, a Red Arrow Studios company announces the production of Countdown To I Do, an original short-form wedding series. The format, which will run on TLC UK’s YouTube channel follows couples on the biggest day of their lives.
It’s the first series of its kind for both the TLC UK channel and produced by Studio71 UK and will act as a pilot for a potential future TV series.
Countdown To I Do (6×8’) is the most intimate wedding series ever made. Each episode is self-shot by the bride, groom, bridal party and selected guests who all have an important role to play in the couples’ big day. The show captures the excitement, nerves, drama and humour of the wedding build up, as each episode starts only hours before the ceremony and finishes with ‘I do’.
Shot using handheld Sony RX100 cameras, the self-shot format plays out like a collection of Instagram stories.
Studio71 UK draws upon its experience in TV development/production and the talent management of hundreds of online Creators to create the series. Understanding how Creators and Vloggers engage an audience on platforms such as YouTube has contributed to the development of this series, to create wedding stories direct from members of the wedding party, told down the lens of a camera.
Clare Laycock, VP Head of Brands, Quest Red, TLC, ID and Food Network, said: “We’re celebrating an amazing quarter and year for TLC UK YouTube, which has seen incredible triple-digit growth in subscribers. As our first YouTube commission, Countdown To I Do marks an exciting step in TLC’s digital evolution, and promises fans the ultimate front row seat to the most important day in couples’ lives.”
Jody Smith, Studio71 UK Creative Director, said: “We’re using a discreet production unit to capture honest and open stories from a number of perspectives on the nerve-racking build-up to the ceremony. The hand of the producer will be absent from these honest, moving, funny and sometimes calamitous stories. We’re thrilled to make this original format for TLC.”
The series will be Exec Produced by Jody Smith and Studio71 UK Head of Content, Tom Payne.
Countdown To I Do follows the production of three BBC Factual series, ‘Fashion Conscious’, ‘Sex in Seconds’ and ‘Period Dramas’ providing fresh perspectives on fashion and sustainability, body positivity and sexual health by young, unfiltered voices.
This is in addition to ‘Forged With Steele’, an A+E commissioned series for HISTORY UK starring 20-year-old blacksmith and YouTube personality Alec Steele.
