Press Release from Superfad
Seattle, WA -- (April 23, 2009) -- Superfad recently collaborated with FOX Sports' design creative team to produce a promotional template for the network's weekly broadcast of MLB games that would capture the imagination of baseball fans. Fox asked Superfad to develop and produce a design concept in which baseball elements and b-roll framings could stem, while avoiding the typical sports motifs found in many promos. Additionally, the treatment needed to be both rooted in beauty and baseball, with a modular structure to allow for updates for each weekends' offerings.
Inspired by the challenge, Superfad chose an amusement park theme entitled "The United States of Baseball": A magical place where baseball stadiums are the national monuments and every game is coupled with an energetic trip across a colorful landscape. In creating the amusement park map and stadiums, Superfad was able to blend photo reality with hyper reality, and miniature scale with epic scale. Sweeping vistas of stadiums and fast-paced editorial led Superfad to the cool and exciting tone that they were hoping to achieve.
Click here to view the spot .
Marking locations and attractions on a map with pins and connecting them with string has long been in the vernacular of travel. Pins slamming down to mark intended destinations was a vibrant visual vehicle that we employed to give us dramatic entries to the stadium shots as well as providing that additional b-roll framing device. The color and texture of the string was informed by the stitching on a baseball to keep it rooted in the sport. Fireworks, birds and signature city monuments were peppered throughout the journey to enhance the Americana experience. The piece leaves the viewer with the feeling we have just toured an exciting theme park, rich with baseball imagery, hosted in a postcard-style tableaux.
The project's technical challenges included sourcing over 100 geographic data sets to create 20 different city locations with accurate features and typography. Sourcing and managing images from all 20 stadiums required varying degrees of detail management including a library of over 400 textures created to give each stadium its trademark details from the brick on the walls to the grass on the field.
Agency / Fox Sports Design
Eric Markgraf - EVP Marketing
Robert Gottlieb - SVP/Creative Director
Bill Battin - VP On-Air Promotions
Blake Danforth - Creative Director
Keith Hritz - Producer
Tom Hok - Editor
Mic Brooling - Music & Audio Design
Jay Hayes - Audio Design
Thomas Downs - Flame
Christian DeCastro - Designer
Production/Animation: Superfad
Executive Creative Director: Will Hyde
Creative Director: David Viau
CGI Supervisor: Dade Orgeron
3D Generalists: John Cherniack, Sarah Bocket, Matt Foley, Cody Smith, Phiphat Pinyosophon
Compositors: Jance Allen, Sohee Sohn, Paulo Diaz
Editor: Charles Jenson
Senior Producer: Chris Volckmann
Executive Producer: Rob Sanborn
Music: "Mistress Mable" by The Fratellis
