Take the plethora of challenges that any director faces shooting a spot, and then miniaturize that to 1.2cm. That'll give you some idea of ManvsMachine's experience creating Channel 4's T4 rebrand, featuring an array of miniature figurines interacting with their micro environments in clever ways.

Take "Fire Cake", which shows a firefighter scaling a ladder to the scene of a blaze that is revealed to be a lit candle atop a slice of birthday cake. Or "Disco", where clubbers dance on a multicolored floor that's actually a Rubik's Cube. It's these reveals that are at the heart of the 20-ident package by the HSI-repped directors.

"The brief was about creating light entertainment that would appeal to everybody and get a smile on people's faces as they're vegetating on their couches," says ManvsMachine co-founder and director Tim Swift.

Awarded the job by Channel 4 and Eyeworks, Swift and co-founder/director Mike Alderson brainstormed the miniatures concept around the theme of everyday objects, a key element in T4's previous idents. The team also wanted to fully integrate the logo into the miniature world.

"We had to come up with an everyday object or collection of objects that would then become something else when you're in the micro world," says Swift. "And we had to get the logo in without it being forced."

They achieved that fluidity by commissioning custom-made models, the bulk created by Hothouse, which had the T4 logo crafted into each object. One of the quirkiest executions finds the logo stitched into a pair of green underwear that doubles as a park.

Adamant on focusing on the reveal, the team rejected any scenario where the fit between the action of the miniatures and their environment was too obvious. Alderson cites the "Disco" clip as a prime example.

"We wanted to avoid it being on a record player because we felt there wasn't as much charm to it being so literal," he says. "In the end, the record player ended up being a road scene. So a lot of the ideas got pulled into two and matched with other parts."

For the three-day shoot the team used a Milo Motion control rig with a 35mm camera, while each set up took two to four hours.

"When you're working on that scale, one slight jolt and the shot has to be redone," says Alderson. "In post we had to remove some camera shake caused by the shifting focus on the camera mechanism. With it being so small, people might think that makes it easier. But it probably made it 100% more difficult for the guys working on it."

ManvsMachine http://www.manvsmachine.co.uk
HSI, London http://www.hsilondon.co.uk