Mill+ teamed up with 72andSunny to create a copyright video asset for the NFL, embodying the spirit of 100 years of football. It debuted in the first game of the 2019 season, which is the 100th season of the National Football League. The spot required extensive editorial work in selecting the players and creating the match cut effects, based on the player’s archival footage.
Mill+ Director, FILFURY, comments, “The brief required a simple visual approach. We worked with the 72andSunny team to developed a look that would deliver the expected craft level for such a prestigious brand. The asset is essentially a montage of some of the NFL’s greatest running moments, a strong energy-rich edit base that was then treated to align players. Physical body forms were positioned and morphed. A footage styling was added to lift the players from the varying quality of original plates. This gave the film a bespoke identity and allowed the era of the footage to shine. The result is fragmented and glitched; evoking a true heritage feeling and fusing the players from different decades together.”
FILFURY continues, “My desire was to add graphic energy and excitement to the footage. We played with motion paths, speed trails, and dynamic motion design to lift the footage even further. This not only gave the footage a bespoke identity, but also allowed us to lift out the players out of the stadium environment and concentrate on their actions. Rotoscoping the players out and making the environments more graphic was one technique we explored. Mist, dust, sweat and atmosphere were added to provide mood and inform transitions. Additional digital steps were then used to fuse everything together such as glitches, picture in picture overlays, blurs, and light effects. Finally, the era influenced the graphic quality and treatment; from old film to VHS to modern-day digital glitching. These moments are quick, but fuse the edit together for moments of excitement and visual pops.”