ESPN Season Promo

[Davidson]

I thought I posted this a while back, but it seems I didn't. Thought it might interest some of you guys.

It is the promo for this seasons lineup on ESPN UK.

We just received the rough raw edit and had to animate and track all the text into the footage.

Let me know what you reckon.

[infrared41]

I reckon it looks like a fairly typical sports promo. To the untrained eye I'm sure it looks pretty good but there are some issues with it. The red squares as a transition were pretty nice but a little inconsistent. They sort of disappear for a while only to come back again. The vignette effect at the :31 mark over the single shot of the blond guy right before the "French 14" line was way out of place and totally unnecessary. Since the "squares" were basically the theme of the spot you probably should have used them to transition back to that full page with all the logos at the end. I would have gone with something similar to the beginning of the spot. That would have made the spot more consistent. If you're going to establish a theme then you really need to stick with it.

Overall I'd say it's a 7 out of 10. It's not bad at all but it there were some missed opportunities. The text movement and placement was really good. Best part of the spot. Just curious, what was the reasoning behind the vignette effect dropping in out of nowhere? The guy in the shot was clearly the focal point. I guess I just don't understand the logic behind it.

[Davidson]

I reckon it looks like a fairly typical sports promo. To the untrained eye I'm sure it looks pretty good but there are some issues with it. The red squares as a transition were pretty nice but a little inconsistent. They sort of disappear for a while only to come back again. The vignette effect at the :31 mark over the single shot of the blond guy right before the "French 14" line was way out of place and totally unnecessary. Since the "squares" were basically the theme of the spot you probably should have used them to transition back to that full page with all the logos at the end. I would have gone with something similar to the beginning of the spot. That would have made the spot more consistent. If you're going to establish a theme then you really need to stick with it.

Overall I'd say it's a 7 out of 10. It's not bad at all but it there were some missed opportunities. The text movement and placement was really good. Best part of the spot. Just curious, what was the reasoning behind the vignette effect dropping in out of nowhere? The guy in the shot was clearly the focal point. I guess I just don't understand the logic behind it.

Lol. The vignette before the top 14 is actually in the footage, no post added to it. I think its shot between two other players in the fore who are out of focus. As with everything what dictates the look of the piece is the footage you have and the time you have to manipulate it. In that respect, this is pretty typical. Where the squares bleed footage through from red, you really need stable green or blue background (the torres run at the start and the bmx section) anything else requires hours of rotoscoping which you just dont have on a little job like this. The tracked text is a fun treatment, but when you have to add sponsors names etc, it loses a lot of its impact. I dont really think you need the squares all the way to the end. Its just a device the channel uses for its branding. I would have used less of it to be honest. If there is a problem with the end board its the massive number of logos crammed onto it. Again, just one of the considerations you have to work with.

I wouldn't pretend its a particularly great promo, but its a good example of a typical promo edit and the contraints you come up against and whats achievable in 3/4 days. I was quiet happy to get a couple of showreel shots out of it. Its a shame some of the rugby stuff wasn't better and we couldn't track the text in in 3D, but there you go.

[infrared41]

I reckon it looks like a fairly typical sports promo. To the untrained eye I'm sure it looks pretty good but there are some issues with it. The red squares as a transition were pretty nice but a little inconsistent. They sort of disappear for a while only to come back again. The vignette effect at the :31 mark over the single shot of the blond guy right before the "French 14" line was way out of place and totally unnecessary. Since the "squares" were basically the theme of the spot you probably should have used them to transition back to that full page with all the logos at the end. I would have gone with something similar to the beginning of the spot. That would have made the spot more consistent. If you're going to establish a theme then you really need to stick with it.

Overall I'd say it's a 7 out of 10. It's not bad at all but it there were some missed opportunities. The text movement and placement was really good. Best part of the spot. Just curious, what was the reasoning behind the vignette effect dropping in out of nowhere? The guy in the shot was clearly the focal point. I guess I just don't understand the logic behind it.

Lol. The vignette before the top 14 is actually in the footage, no post added to it. I think its shot between two other players in the fore who are out of focus. As with everything what dictates the look of the piece is the footage you have and the time you have to manipulate it. In that respect, this is pretty typical. Where the squares bleed footage through from red, you really need stable green or blue background (the torres run at the start and the bmx section) anything else requires hours of rotoscoping which you just dont have on a little job like this. The tracked text is a fun treatment, but when you have to add sponsors names etc, it loses a lot of its impact. I dont really think you need the squares all the way to the end. Its just a device the channel uses for its branding. I would have used less of it to be honest. If there is a problem with the end board its the massive number of logos crammed onto it. Again, just one of the considerations you have to work with.

I wouldn't pretend its a particularly great promo, but its a good example of a typical promo edit and the contraints you come up against and whats achievable in 3/4 days. I was quiet happy to get a couple of showreel shots out of it. Its a shame some of the rugby stuff wasn't better and we couldn't track the text in in 3D, but there you go.

I just think if you open with squares and use them throughout then you should finish with them. Especially if the station uses them for their branding. The "big finish" should be the final reminder. In radio they use the term "calls in, calls out" meaning that you state the brand in and out. If you're using their brand at the beginning then you should use their brand at the end; even if it's something as simple as "squares."

EDIT: I just realized that all those logos at the end aren't sponsors. They're the leagues in the promo. Further proof that there are way too many of them.

[DeFrank]

I would use a different scene for the Titans. Like, the Titans fullback(?) Maybe try the Packers now, but something else. Good work though, although I've never been a fan of ESPN outside the US. When I go on cruises or something we get it, and I just... meh.