Eschewing the type of treatment typically associated with soccer games (e.g..
a humdrum pastiche of goal kicks and famous players), Digital Kitchen
conceived of and produced the spot with a pure cinematic eye.
“The creative
challenge was to make sure we conceptualized something that would not look
and feel and smell like a thousand traditional soccer montages,”
says Johan Liedgren, creative director at Digital Kitchen. “Instead,
Digital Kitchen captured more elusive emotions that precede the World Cup:
100% pure anticipation.
Digital Kitchen dispatched a small camera crew to Cape Town, South Africa,
to shoot everything from soccer players getting ready to candid street
scenes. The crew used a shot list as a starting point but was always on the
hunt for “little off moments that had more authenticity than anything we
could ever plan,” as Liedgren explains.
DK took their original footage and
juxtaposed it with stock footage to create a rousing montage that captures
the vitality not only of the game, but also of life in South Africa. Thanks
to the vibrant, immersive footage, the spot transports fans to the African
nation and simulates the excitement of being there, waiting for the games to
begin. “It’s not just anticipation, it’s anticipation that’s happening
now,” explains Digital Kitchen editor Brian Cole. “It’s a montage of images
that could all be happening a few miles from each other.”
To further build a sense of anticipation, Digital Kitchen applied quick jabs
of sound to keep viewers on their toes and bathed the spot in vivid colors.
The first 10 seconds are seeped in red — a girl in a red skirt, fans in red
jerseys. The next 10 seconds are bathed in orange — neon signs, a sunset
glow, the orange seats of a stadium.
The spot progresses through the colors
of the rainbow and eventually climaxes with an explosion of mingled color.
Though it’s subtle, the progression of color creates a visual arc that
unifies the panoply of imagery. DK also peppered the spot with close-ups of
television screens and pixilated soccer footage to connote the experience of
televised viewing.
“We wanted to find a raw and primal sense of South Africa and in soccer, and
combine the two in a meaningful way,” Liedgren sums up.
Credits:
BBC WORLD CUP
TV MARKETING CAMPAIGN
CREDIT LIST
Client: BBC Sport Marketing
Head of Marketing and Communications, BBC Sport: Louisa Fyans
Marketing Manager, BBC Sport: Karen Potterton
Agency: RKCR Y&R
Executive Creative Director: Damon Collins
Art Director: Paul Angus
Copywriter: Ted Heath
Agency Producer: Ella Littlewood @ Red Bee Media
Production Company: Digital Kitchen
Head of Creative: Mark Bashore
Executive Creative Director: Matt Mulder
Creative Director: Johan Liedgren
Executive Producer: Eric Oldrin
Senior Producer: Chezik Walker
Editor: Brian Cole
Directors of Photography: Trevor Fife & Morgan Henry
Designers: Sean Dekkers & Chris Abbas
Colour correction: Ryan Gagnier & Cody Cobb
Music: The Dallas Guild (Soviet Science)