ESPN creates a basketball utopia for NBA Fans
This season is expected to be an epic showdown between veterans who entered the league in the 2000s against a talented class of stars under the age of 25.
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ESPN debuted a new world for basketball fans, a “Basketball Utopia” that showcases the unprecedented, once-in-a-generation level of talent in the NBA this year.
In partnership with Arts & Letters, ESPN created the new :30 second film titled It’s A Beautiful Time For Basketball, highlighting the beauty of two generations of superstars still battling it out in the NBA at one time.
This season is expected to be an epic showdown between veterans who entered the league in the 2000s against a talented class of stars under the age of 25. The film features a visual world with a “basketball utopia” as a backdrop for the league’s biggest stars like Lebron James, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant and more.
Credits
View on- Agency Arts & Letters/Richmond
- Production Company Psyop
- Director Shane Griffin
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Credits
View on- Agency Arts & Letters/Richmond
- Production Company Psyop
- Director Shane Griffin
- Executive Creative Director Charles Hodges
- HP Temma Shoaf
- Executive Producer Calleen Colburn
- Senior Producer Andrea Rodriguez
- Assistant Producer Austin Butler
- Creative Director NJ Placentra
- Creative Director Andrew Kong
- Creative Director Molly Jamison
- Creative Director Brett Simone
- Creative Director Lillian O'Connor
- Music Supervisor Cam DiNunzio
- CG Supervisor Pakorn Bupphavesa
- Colorist Kath Raisch
- Music Company Consortium Music
- Composer Seth Olinsky
- Music Editor Justin Miller / (Sound Editor)
- Sound Design/Audio Post Barking Owl
- Executive Producer Ashley Benton
- Sound Designer/Audio Mixer Elizabeth McClanahan
- Assistant Audio Mixer Mikayla Petersen
- Music/Sound Design Overcoast Music & Sound
- Creative Director JL Hodges
- Engineer Matt Whitworth
- Creative Director Steve Gonzalez
- Director Loren Christiansen
- Executive Producer Joe Maggiore
- Producer Cameron Lewis
- Producer Rory Hamilton
- Editor Loren Christiansen
- Art Director Clint Chang
- Designer Paul Cayrol
- Designer Caroline Goehner
- Music Post Producer Maggie Flatley
- VO Nana Dadzie
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Credits
powered by- Agency Arts & Letters/Richmond
- Production Company Psyop
- Director Shane Griffin
- Executive Creative Director Charles Hodges
- HP Temma Shoaf
- Executive Producer Calleen Colburn
- Senior Producer Andrea Rodriguez
- Assistant Producer Austin Butler
- Creative Director NJ Placentra
- Creative Director Andrew Kong
- Creative Director Molly Jamison
- Creative Director Brett Simone
- Creative Director Lillian O'Connor
- Music Supervisor Cam DiNunzio
- CG Supervisor Pakorn Bupphavesa
- Colorist Kath Raisch
- Music Company Consortium Music
- Composer Seth Olinsky
- Music Editor Justin Miller / (Sound Editor)
- Sound Design/Audio Post Barking Owl
- Executive Producer Ashley Benton
- Sound Designer/Audio Mixer Elizabeth McClanahan
- Assistant Audio Mixer Mikayla Petersen
- Music/Sound Design Overcoast Music & Sound
- Creative Director JL Hodges
- Engineer Matt Whitworth
- Creative Director Steve Gonzalez
- Director Loren Christiansen
- Executive Producer Joe Maggiore
- Producer Cameron Lewis
- Producer Rory Hamilton
- Editor Loren Christiansen
- Art Director Clint Chang
- Designer Paul Cayrol
- Designer Caroline Goehner
- Music Post Producer Maggie Flatley
- VO Nana Dadzie
To bring the film to life through animation, ESPN and Arts & Letters partnered with production company Psyop, who utilised the Unreal gaming engine to construct the world of “basketball utopia.” The cutting edge gaming engine uses incredibly advanced graphics and digital lighting to create photo-real environments. This engine has been used to create worlds for shows like The Mandalorian and Westworld.
In the new film, NBA stars break through into various parts of “basketball utopia” that correspond to that individual players’ story scenes include Steph Curry hitting a long three-point shot in a surreal floating dreamworld and Devin Booker tossing an alleyoop to a teammate in a way that defies gravity.
The new work will be followed by two subsequent commercials later in the season and is part of the overarching NBA on ESPN campaign.
