Tennis star from yesteryear Stan Smith, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion and half of what was once the world’s best doubles team (with Bob Lutz), is today known by many more for the sneakers named after him than his athletic accomplishments. He reflects on that in this spot–directed and edited by RSA Films’ Marie Schuller for HYPEMAKER (the creative agency of HYPEBEAST)–which introduces the Superstan adidas sneaker.

The new footwear combines the signature features of the heritage Sneaker, adidas Superstar, with the equally iconic silhouette, the Stan Smith. It blends the best of each shoe–the bell toe of the Superstar and the classic Stan Smith colorway.

Shot on location at Smith’s home in Hilton Head, South Carolina, this “Superstan” spot is part of a campaign that taps into Schuller’s expertise with both storytelling and technique across multiple disciplines. It depicts Smith in his characteristic tongue-in-cheek manner as he welcomes audiences to his laid-back routine, with split screen cleverly transitioning his gentlemanly moves to the more brisk, graphic and sharp moves of an urban set. The juxtaposition taps into today’s culture and adidas heritage. All subjects sport the new Superstan shoe, with Smith filmed on 16mm and the Superstar footage on digital. Schuller also shot the campaign stills using the contrasting textures of film and digital.

Credits

Client adidas Agency HYPEMAKER Mary Logue, copywriter Production RSA Films Marie Schuller, director, editor, music supervisor; Molly Bohas, Paul Kawasaki, Martin Roker, exec producers; David Mitchell, managing director; Stacey LaMotte, Nancy Ryan, producers; Marz Miller, DP; Sam Smith, 1st AD; Benny Casey, production designer. Postproduction Unit Denny Cooper, colorist; Scott Ryan, online; Jake Saunders, producer. Sound Design & Mix Chris Southwell

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