The filmmakers from creative production company Shilo (www.shilo.tv) recently directed and produced a dramatic new spot for senior creative director Marcus Stephens, art director Brian Boring and brand manager Colin Clark, the in-house creative team of performance apparel originator Under Armour (NSYE:UA). The national :30 ad, in which New York Mets All-Star shortstop and base-running phenom Jose Reyes introduces Under Armour’s new <a href="http://www.underarmour.com.shop/us/en/mens/sports/baseball/pid1097041-Men-s-UA-Heater/1097041-001″>Heater lightweight baseball cleat, debuted in Texas last month. It will begin airing in the Northeastern U.S. this week, and can also be viewed on Shilo’s website by clicking here.
Entitled “Instinct Fast,” the spot creatively reinforces Under Armour’s performance training platform by capitalizing on the company’s new multi-year partnership agreement with Reyes and showing him achieving the impossible: stealing two bases on one pitch. In 2008, Reyes broke the Mets’ all-time record for stolen bases and achieved his first 200-hit season.
“Reyes is a speed player and has incredible instincts that rank him among the best in MLB history,” said Steve Battista, Under Armour, Senior Vice President, Brand. “Reyes showcases his skills in the new spot, and we are thrilled to have him as an integral part of the Under Armour family.”
“The entire process was quite refreshing. The concept conversations were engaging, Shilo added a new element of workflow on the set, and when it comes to finish there is nobody who compares to Shilo,” said Stephens.
The multifaceted project also makes great use of Shilo’s award-winning talents. Under the creative direction of the company’s co-founder Andre Stringer, Shilo’s ACD and creative lead Noah Conopask and his crew, including director of photography Max Malkin and line producer Matthew O’Shea, traveled to South Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Stadium to capture Reyes and other players on-location performing the spot’s meticulously crafted actions. Beyond filming the live-action footage, Shilo’s artists also created 3D elements including the spot’s animated branded elements, and handled editing, visual effects and finishing for each of the spot’s custom versions.
For Shilo, Noah Conopask provided more details on his group’s creative approach. “This spot is about the legend of Jose Reyes, and everything in its execution is crafted to follow this same theme,” he began.
“UA’s creatives came to us with this idea and story boards of Jose moving faster than everyone else in the film and we helped bring the story to life,” Conopask continued. “We loved the idea of using scenes with two distinctly different frame rates in one single frame. We wanted it to feel like a battle, where Jose and the pitcher both had their fingers on the trigger. We wanted you to see it in their eyes, in their body language, and we wanted to subtract everything out of the world they were in, no bleachers, no fans, no scoreboard, only the moment… because when a person is in a moment like this, you have one focus, and your instincts take over.”
“The athlete’s passion is something we truly love,” added Shilo co-founder and creative director Andre Stringer. “We all are athletes and respect what it means to love athletics. For us, Under Armour as a brand speaks to the kind of authenticity we identify with.”
As the spot’s action plays out and the super-fast Reyes dives for third-base, viewers see the catcher throw the ball, and in captivating slow-motion, the third baseman goes to make the tag. “That moment is where I really wanted the energy to come to its apex,” Conopask said. “It was really important to capture the nail-biting suspense and intensity that fans feel when they watch an amazing play. We also wanted to make sure that it was left open for the viewer to decide the outcome, it is so much more impactful that way.”
“This is the kind of work we love to make and it was a great opportunity to merge our live action and design sensibilities to form a really cool piece of film,” concluded Stringer.
The spot’s original music and sound design are courtesy of Gavin Little of Echolab, and telecine was handled by Tom Poole of Company 3. For Shilo, credits also include executive producer Tracy Chandler, editors Nathan Caswell and Galen Summer, senior lead artist Tamir Sapir, 3D artists Joji Tsuruga and Warren Heimall, VFX artists Sapir, Marco Giampaolo, Joel Voelker, Jihyea Ham and Connie Conrad, and producer Jeremy Yaches.
About Shilo
Shilo is an Emmy Award-winning creative production company representing a group of filmmakers led by directors Jose Gomez and Andre Stringer. Internationally known for creating original and commissioned work that is powerful, provocative and visually extraordinary, Shilo’s deeply held passions for design-infused storytelling and their innovative applications of live-action, design, and animation techniques deliver breakthrough experiences for screens large and small. From its studios in New York and Del Mar, California, where recent projects have spanned short films, commercials and music videos, Shilo has the capacity and experience to originate ideas and handle all aspects of production. Shilo published its first book, We Make It Good, in 2007, and also curates the site www.WeMakeItGood.com. For more information, or to request a reel, please contact Tracy Chandler at +1.212.352.2044, or visit Shilo online at www.shilo.tv.
About Under Armour, Inc.
Under Armour(R) (NYSE: UA) is a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories. The brand’s moisture-wicking synthetic fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate to provide a performance alternative to traditional natural fiber products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland, with European headquarters in Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium, and additional offices in Denver, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Guangzhou, China. For further information, please visit the Company’s website at www.underarmour.com.
