NBA on ESPN 2022 Playoffs/Finals "Tableau"

DirectorESPNPsyop

THE BRIEF

Arts and Letters wanted to build hype around pivotal moments of the NBA playoffs and finals — capturing just how crucial the finest details can be when it comes to winning a championship. They envisioned a series of player “tableaus”: captivating bullet-time moments that distilled the essence of an entire season into a single frozen frame.

THE STYLE

The inspiration was drawn from Zack Snyder’s 300 — those slow motion moments that feel dramatic, epic, almost like history being etched in real time. Pivotal moments where time slows down. We wanted to treat the players like mythological figures, and bring some comedy to those moments when we could.

Playoffs 2022

THE TECHNIQUE

We started with high-res photographs taken during actual games, then employed a 2D animation technique in After Effects to mimic realistic, intricate microscopic movements that bring the imagery to life. My background in After Effects animation proved especially useful here — directing a small team, we built each tableau frame by frame to achieve that ultra slow-motion, high-drama feel.

Finals 2022

EASTER EGGS

When you’re spending that much time on individual frames, you start having fun with the details. I snuck my neighbors and a couple friends into the audience of one of the tableaus, replaced a player’s face on the jumbotron with my friend’s 10-year-old son, and even put my dog Odie in the crowd — small enough that no one noticed. Definitely one of the more fun parts of the job.