Russell Athletic Fourth and Inches

If you could see and hear an athlete’s intensity, what would it look like? What would it sound like?

There are few more dramatic moments in football than fourth and inches. The entire game can turn on this one single play which in turn can hinge on the actions of just one player. All of the training and preparation comes down to this moment, and it’s the perfect setting for these spots.

On a darkened playing field, opposing teams line up at the line of scrimmage and brace for attack. Stylized graphic sound waves, a visual abstraction of the thoughts and feelings of the athletes, oscillate, flicker and shatter to illustrate the range of intensity, anticipation, stress, calm, killer instinct, focus, perseverance and quiet fortitude that the various players experience.

To focus attention on the athletes, Director Erik Buth again partnered with Director of Photography Christopher Probst and Art Director Tozar Simich to create a minimal environment where only a glimpse of turf, parquet floor, baseball diamond or stadium lighting would ever be seen. Shot over two days at Sunset Gower Studios, Hollywood, on Stage 8 (the same stage where “That’s Incredible” and “Beakman’s World” were shot) using the Panavision Genesis HD camera and starring Justice Smith (American Gladiators 2008), featuring Jamal and John Duff (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) as well as current and former NFL and AFL players.

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