By Brian Manis, Creative Director
It all starts with a concept. Fortunately, the University of Memphis chose “Fire” as their marketing design style for the year. When they showed us the first concept image, we were hooked and decided we were going to bring fire to the screen!
Don’t forget music, because a song can either elevate a video or destroy it. The University loves “Eye of the Tiger”, but it just needed a new spin. After listening to all produced versions of the song, we decided it was time to create our own. So we joined forces with uber-talented rapper Al Kapone and set out to produce a timeless and hip update to this classic.
Everything was moving ahead just as we planned. Pre-production was going well, Al’s song was in the works, and the location was set – Liberty Bow Memorial Stadium. All was great, until the afternoon of the production, when we found out the Liberty Bowl had been accidently double-booked and was filled with a band practice for an upcoming event. Fortunately, the University has a great practice facility that was available for the shoot. Needless to say, an hour later I was standing on top of a 4-story tower scouting the practice field as the players were hard at work practicing.
With our plans out the window, the talented team at Running Pony had to call an audible. We broke into two units and built two side-by-side sets, one for player profiles and the other for action shots. We even brought in a talented team of fire breathers/manipulators to add to the spectacle of the production. Somehow, we managed to pull off the shoot by the wee hours of the morning without setting the field on fire. We actually were very safe, because some core members of the Running Pony staff, including Gabe DeCarlo, Ellen Phillips and Nate Reisman, are trained in the art of fire manipulation.
Once we moved to post production, the real magic happened. Our talented editor Simon Davies set out to create an amazing cut of the video, while our visual FX team led by Scott Mahr created the most amazing blue flames that we added to the coolest shots we could deliver. Blue fire looks really cool on a helmet and gloves.
As post was in motion, we turned to the voice talents of Al Kapone and Uriah Mitchell, as well as the producing talents of Boo Mitchell at Royal Studios, to lay down the soundtrack. And, OH BOY, did they deliver! They were even joined in studio by members of the Mighty Sound of the South to provide percussion and drums for the track. And we shot a music video during the process. It was a pretty magical day!
In the end, the entire Running Pony team and partners delivered on all levels. We branded this video with fire, sonic sounds, and Tiger Blue! We’re very proud that we were able to pull off such a complex production and a soundtrack!
Thanks to the University of Memphis for believing in us and letting us ignite a dynamic intro video!
