September 2023

In the world of sports advertising, you only get a very small amount of time to create a big impression.

This means that every second counts, and therefore you must waste no time in setting the scene and jumping into the action.

Immersing a viewer in a sports production straight away isn’t easy though.

Here at Sport & Motion, we’ve worked with global brands on huge productions, and in this blog, we’re going to give some hints and tips on how to set the scene so it’s just right for the tone and feel of the film.

Let’s take a look.

The Importance of Setting the Scene in Sports Productions

Setting the scene nice and early in any production is vitally important.

This is a way to establish context for the viewer and needs to engage them and build their interest.

If you do it right, you’re sure to have their eyes glued to the screen for the duration of your production. Get it wrong, and it may be time to make a cup of tea.

This topic is so important because:

• It Engages the Audience – As we’ve mentioned, you need to pull the viewer into the event on the screen and make them feel straight away like they are in the heat of the battle that is unfolding on their screen.

• Provide Some Understanding – A sports production should be a short story, and therefore the viewer must understand what is happening in front of them and be able to emotionally invest in the tale. By setting the scene early, you allow for a compelling narrative to unfold, and this is a great way to get a viewer to buy into the production.

• It Can Showcase a Brand – Many sports productions are done to promote businesses and brands, and these iconic names will require a certain feel to their advertisement. If you can portray this straight away, the viewer will immediately engage as they recognise familiar traits from historic ads. A good example of this (albeit not sports-related) is hearing the jingling of the bells before the Coca-Cola Christmas ad.

These are a handful of examples of why this is so important, and we now want to take you into five of our case studies in which the scene was set efficiently and effectively.

Setting the Scene with Sport & Motion

Barclay’s Women’s Super League – Not Here to Play

This production was packed with light-hearted, explosive fun.

Our team worked as a choreographer for this production, which showcases the scene straight away with a wide shot of WSL players at a photo shoot.

Immediately you can see where the action is taking place, and within the first five seconds, the action is underway with players battling it out for the football.

This was all about showcasing the player’s flair and passion for the sport and showcasing them breaking free from the photo shoot they were doing to highlight their skills against each other.

The result was tongue-in-cheek and filled with action, which is exactly the brief we were targeting.

New Balance – We Got Now

In this production for New Balance, we worked under a playful brief, which wanted to showcase the competitive companionship between the two characters, Syd and Coco.

This wasn’t going to be an intense shoot, and this is shown right from the first shot, with bright colours throughout and an upbeat choice of song to play in the background.

The viewer is transported straight to the heart of the action, and we wanted to provide the impression that you were a third friend holding the camera.

By asking Syd & Coco to look directly into the camera, and to adopt a playful nature, we got this across, and the final result was a fun and heartwarming take on competition, which is in line with the brand of New Balance.

While the first scene shows one character walking onto a tennis court looking quite intense, she immediately smiles and throws an item of clothing to her friend, who throws it into the camera.

This tells the viewer straight away what this advert is all about.

Boost Drinks – Leeds United FC

This case study is a little bit different and is designed more to be watched on social media platforms.

We worked with a leading female football freestyler to create an engaging and enthusiastic advertisement for the energy drink brand Boost.

It’s even more important to set the scene early on social media where people scroll within seconds if not engaged.

We created two separate advertisements, one which shows the freestyler performing skills behind a ‘Competition Time’ caption, and the other which immediately gets her on camera, talking about what is about to come.

Both of these are shot with the backdrop of energising music and quick switches between frames to provide an action-packed feel to the viewer.

We wanted to keep this one upbeat and focused on nothing but the action, and we did that by always focusing on the freestyler or members of the public who were performing the tricks.

Bet365 – ‘Traffic’ Sportsbook Worldwide

For this project, we wanted to tell a story to the viewer, and we set the scene by showing a wide shot of a traffic jam.

Immediately the camera pans inside a bus filled with sports fans and zooms into one person, who is frustratingly watching sports on his phone.

Before him, the play comes to life, and the scene is set.

It takes five seconds from the first shot to the action beginning, and from then on it doesn’t stop with miniature sporting talent battling it out in front of people using the betting app.

We wanted this to be a high-octane and futuristic production, and our approach was aimed at showing the changing methods of viewing sports through the latest technology.

By using high-intensity gameplay and sharp techniques, we keep the quality of the action high throughout, all while building on the story of people bringing sports to life through their phones.

Kick it Out Brand Film

Sometimes setting the scene is about more than the location and atmosphere, but also about the people involved in the production.

Our work for Kick it Out is a project we are still really proud of, and we were able to explore the diversity in our sports talent database to showcase our diverse range of female football players of different beliefs and abilities.

This inclusivity was paramount to fit the brand, and we loved being able to work on this advertisement.

There is a serious message behind this film, and that is showcased in the early shots with tense music in the background, low level colouring (it is even black and white in some shots) and scenes of empty pitches and stands.

This showcases a stark picture and is exactly what was intended to be highlighted early on.

As soon as the togetherness the brand is famous for is portrayed, the colours brighten, the music gets more upbeat, and the action more joyful.

This contrast paints a powerful message and is exactly what was needed to get across to the viewer.

Sport & Motion

Our team at Sports & Motion have worked on many great projects, and we love the opportunities that arise to flex our creative skills and showcase our talented clients.

Setting the scene can be tricky, but if you get it right it sets the rest of the production up for greatness.

If you want to know more about how our consultants, choreographers, and more can promote your brand through a sports production, then get in touch today.

Or if you’re an influencer, sports talent, or someone looking to begin their career and want to be part of our database and take advantage of some great opportunities to star in roles such as this, then apply now.