ESPN kicked off its college football season with an animated promo featuring some of the biggest names and heavy favorite contenders for the 2018 College Football Playoff.
The stop motion spot stars Paul Finebaum as well as a replica of the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which will host the national championship game in 2018.
The promo will air on ABC and ESPN networks, and a separate version was created specifically for SEC Network.
Part of ESPN’s “Who’s In?” campaign, the video is just of the marketing efforts for the weekend kickoff from Thursday, Aug. 31- Monday, Sept. 4.
Custom animation and life-like modeling was used to produce the spot. Each character was modeled in 3D, printed in plastic resin, filed, primed, coated and painted, painstakingly finished, and costumed to specifications, according to ESPN. Bevo, the University of Texas mascot, was hand modeled and cast in a custom-built mold that took several weeks to complete.
The spot includes the following coaches/mascots/notable alumni:
- Dabo Swinney (Clemson)
- Nick Saban (Alabama)
- Herschel Walker (Georgia)
- USC Trojan Drum Major
- Bevo + Silver Spurs (Texas)
- Ohio State Drum Major
- Charles Woodson (Michigan)
- Oklahoma Superfan
- Jimbo Fisher (Florida State)
- Louisiana Monroe Superfan
- Chris Petersen (Washington)
- Notre Dame Leprechaun
- Florida Gator Mascot
- Pistol Pete Mascot (Oklahoma State)
CREDITS:
ESPN:
Rob Temple – Sr. VP, Sports Marketing
Emeka Ofodile – VP, Sports Marketing
Pallav Tamaskar – Director, Sports Marketing
Willis Hulings – Manager, Sports Marketing
Margaret Davis – Associate Manager, Sports Marketing
Alexa Dettelbach – Coordinator, Sports Marketing
Sarah Connors – Coordinator, Sports Marketing
Agency: 72andSunny NYC
Production Company: Psyop
Director: Todd Mueller
Producer: Adriane Scott-Kemp
VFX supervisor / 2D lead: Lane Jolly
Stop Motion Animation: Screen Novelties
Producer: Chris Finnegan
Animation Supervisor: Kelly Mazurowski
DP: Eric Adkins
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