In the series The Burning Body the name of the Urban Guard does not appear. Nor are their characters dressed in the official uniform of the Barcelona police and the actors who play the agents and murderers. Rosa Peral and Albert López wear on their chests the traditional tile of the streets of Barcelona, the flower-shaped panot, as a shield for their police clothing.
That was the formula that the production company devised after it could not agree with the City Council to use the official uniform of the Urban Police as well as its logotyped vehicles. In order to use police clothing, authorization must be requested from the relevant body. Logically, the protocols are strict to prevent anyone with the excuse of an artistic performance from purchasing a uniform and posing as a police officer.
During the preparation of the filming, the production company requested permission from the City Council's communications department to be able to use the clothing and cars of the Barcelona police. The department has the mission of analyzing and ensuring the image and corporate identity of the police force. After analyzing the matter, which is clearly thorny for its image, the Urban Police agreed to give up the uniform worn by the Barcelona police in 2017, which is the year in which the murder of Pedro Rodríguez was committed.
However, the production company rejected it, claiming that it was not very cinematic and did not look good on screen. The uniform that the agents wore in 2017 had a fluorescent yellow upper part, followed by white and blue checks and a navy blue stripe along with pants of the same color. The producer wanted something more sober, less strident chromatically, so she requested to be able to use the current, more modern uniform, which is navy blue. This possibility, however, was denied by the City Council, arguing that the current uniform had no connection with the events, in an attempt to keep the current image of the Urban Police in relation to the crime committed by two of its agents in 2017. .
Given the refusal, the producer decided to go for its own uniforms, navy blue, very similar to the current ones. The difference is that they added a panot to the shield under the Barcelona flag and used the name of the Barcelona Police on the back of the shirts and in the logos of the vehicles. In this way, they avoided being subject to specific clothing and could dress the protagonists of the crime as they pleased.
In the case of the Mossos, the series did obtain permission to use the official uniform. On this occasion, the 2017 outfit did fit. The model consisted of a sky blue shirt and navy blue pants. In fact, the police officers who appear on the scene to arrest Rosa Peral (Úrsula Corberó) in her house are dressed in the old uniform, with a blue and red vest and a cap with the same colors.
The filming costume team asked permission from the communications department of the Mossos d'Esquadra, which authorized giving up some uniforms for the series. Even so, some requirements had to be met first. Those responsible for communication and body image demanded to read the series script beforehand to prevent body image from being harmed and finally accepted the request.
