If you haven’t seen it yet, head over the Adelaide 36ers website to see this article about how Flix Productions partner with Adelaide 36ers to help them secure the biggest signing in the club’s history via a video production. Since this article dropped, a lot of people have asked about the process to bring such a video to life was, so we thought we’d share it here.
Firstly, we’re beyond grateful for the opportunity for Flix Productions to partner with Adelaide 36ers and be part of Trentyn’s journey, and we couldn’t have done it without the @36ers and @Dale Fletcher’s (the brainchild of this & who brought the project to us) for their belief that Flix Productions were the only team they’d trust to tell this story to a level that could get this signing over the line!
Thanks to CJ Bruton for recognizing that this was more than another ‘hype reel’ but rather a valuable tool that could be utilized in their efforts to sign future NBA star, Trentyn Flowers.
THE MAN WITH A VISION
But it couldn’t have ever happened without the vision, direction and scripting of 36ers GM of media, Dale Fletcher.
Dale came to Flix Productions with the idea of a triple purpose video that would be used to
A) Help convince a future NBA star to bypass college, and instead, sign with the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL.
B) Be used as a season launch video before the season tipped off.
C) Has potential to be used to hype the crowd early in the pre-game entertainment cycle on match days.
At the time, we had no idea that player they were chasing was Trentyn Flowers.
Trentyn Flowers is a highly touted basketball prospect who has been turning heads with his exceptional skills on the court. Standing tall at 6’7″ with an impressive wingspan, he consistently dominates games. Experts consistently rank Flowers in the top 10 of the 2023 NBA Draft, lauding his basketball IQ, defensive prowess, and smooth jump shot. With his athleticism and versatile skill set, Flowers is poised to make a significant impact at the professional level. His potential to become a future NBA star is undeniable.
THE NARRATIVE
When Flix Productions partner with Adelaide 36ers, we had extensive discussions with Dale about the emotions we aimed to convey in this video. Our primary goal was to celebrate the rich history of the 36ers, highlighted by their remarkable achievement of clinching four NBL championships. Additionally, we wanted to connect this success story with the strong work ethic of the people of Adelaide.
Furthermore, we wanted to emphasize the outstanding contributions of international players, particularly those from the USA, who have thrived within the 36ers’ ranks over the past four decades, earning MVP awards and championship titles. We aimed to showcase how Adelaide embraces these players, hoping to entice future talent to join a city where they can not only elevate their game but also feel the warmth and support of the community.
THE VOICE OF AUSTRALIAN BASKETBALL
When it came to selecting the perfect narrator for this narrative, John Casey was the obvious choice. His deep-rooted expertise and esteemed reputation in the world of basketball make him a universally respected figure.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Our decision to shoot the video at the Adelaide Arena was deliberate, as it holds significant historical value for the club, witnessing the triumphs of three out of their four championships and serving as a hallowed place where legends like Mark Davis and Brett Maher are immortalized with their jerseys hanging proudly from the rafters.
THE EDIT
As a result of our 36ers documentaries, Golden Era and Title Town, Flix Productions has accumulated the largest archive of 36ers footage in existence.
With nearly 1000 full games, over 2000hrs of highlights and endless Adelaide 36ers news archives we’ve accumulated over the past 15 years, we knew the clubs history would be visually entertaining.
But this also meant that we often spent 1-2hrs looking tirelessly for just one specific highlight, from a very specific camera angle that we knew existed, and wouldn’t stop until we found it. Hilariously, all this searching was sometimes executed only for us to use the shot we found for less than 1 second in the final product.
One aspect we thought was most important, was including as many past legends of the club in the video as we possibly could. We did this by writing a list of every player in each era that sprung to mind as to having an impact or being a fan favourite at any time in the club’s history.
In the end, that list was over 60 players long and we are proud to say we ticked every name off of that list in the process.
Some of these names included Al Green, Mark Davis, Ken Cole, Mike McKay, Brett Maher, Rob Rose, Leon Trimmingham, Kevin Brooks, Darnell Mee, Willie Farley, Scott Ninnis, Rupert Sapwell, Phil Smyth, Mitch Creek, Daniel Johnson, Terrance Ferguson, Josh Giddey and MVP Jerome Randle.
THE NEED FOR SPEED
When editing a hype reel, we always emphasize speed – it’s crucial! It’s truly remarkable how much information the human brain can absorb in less than one second. To achieve this, we aimed to keep all the highlights under 1.5 seconds in length. In cases where we needed to showcase something more extended, we seamlessly transitioned between camera angles to maintain that rapid pace.
SHOWCASING ERAS – WITHOUT SAYING IT
As we structured the narrative for this project, we noticed a clear improvement in footage quality as we moved through different eras. This observation led to the creative idea of using visual effects styles to convey each passage of time.
Throughout the editing process, we made sure to keep the audience engaged by implementing transitions that smoothly guided them from one era to another. These transitions of film reels rolling, or VHS tapes going into VHS players served as visual cues for the timeline progression. It was an rewarding approach that added a dynamic and captivating dimensions to our project.
As you see in the video, we started with a film reel look, went to VHS, then DVD and lastly into full HD for current era highlights. If this wasn’t clear enough with added year titles at any significant jump forward in the story. These are very subtle and keep with the pace by only appearing on screen for less than a second. Just enough time for the human brain to acknowledge what they saw but not long enough to district from the action.
This allowed us to showcase just how long the 36ers heritage goes back as well as mask the low resolution and graininess of some 35+ year old archival footage by instead giving it a intentional “vintage look”
THE VERDICT
In the end, we firmly believe that Flix Productions has crafted one of our most outstanding 5-minute videos to date. This film narrates the compelling story of a hardworking state, populated by no-nonsense individuals who diligently pursue success. This commitment to excellence is epitomized by none other than it’s beloved basketball team, The Adelaide 36ers.
In retrospect, it’s safe to say that this video embodies the heart and soul of the town and its remarkable journey. The dedication and resilience of The Adelaide 36ers mirror the very ethos of the community they represent and we cannot wait for Flix Productions partner with Adelaide 36ers again
We, at Flix Productions, are honoured to have had the opportunity to bring this inspiring narrative to life.
If you’re a sports team, club, or athlete, who would like to partner up with Flix Productions for a project, contact us today.
