NBA SIMS LEAGUE
NSL Insider - Premium: Half Time Hypeby breece, updated on Friday, February 18 2022, 10:37 am EST HALF-TIME HYPE VIDEOS � A retrospective look at videos 1 through to 15
Brooklyn Nets
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hitNDa1T3Sk Release Date: Jan 25, 2021 It all began in Brooklyn and the hype was born. The 1 min 39 seconds would become the beginning to then build from. The use of New York MC Gza was a slice of flavour that lit this video up. Utilising that Wu Tang Clan Shaolin style to craft the video. As a beginning video, the kinks were being ironed. Jamal Murray still remains although heavily missed by the Nets. D�Angelo Russell was listed in the shooting guard slot. Two familiar names to the Brooklyn faithful. At small forward was the prodigal son, Jarrett Culver, the player touted to be the next something and the pathway out of the bottom half in the East. While highlights are shown they have been few and far between. Andre Drummond at Power Forward, one of the OG Brooklyn NSL Nets. Still missed by many, as he continues to board out. Rounding out the video, Ivica Zubac, yet another original. Sacramento Kings
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUnd8e6ewjc Release Date: Jan 25, 2021 Wow! This video was a banger! Still one of my favourites to make! Once again, the music is extra important in this; Death Grips � Guillotine. This was the beginning of the extended historical montage. The ferocity of the vision meant that the shape cuts could get that extra something. The video was also the start of player highlight vision being embedded before announcing the player. The starting five was Bad boy Rajon Rondo, blending better his swagger and baller skills. Middleton was playing the shooting guard position, carving it up for Bucks and country. At small forward, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope being KCP. Pascal Siakam at Power Forward, tearing up the court in all of his athletic glory. DeAndre Jordan at Center, perfectly syncing with the track by being a bully on the court. A significant shift to the current Kings roster we see, with no starting five players remaining. Phoenix Suns
Link to Video: https://youtu.be/hbLsBIzSEsw Release Date: 3 Feb 2021 This video was a lot of fun and it was off the back of the hype that came from the NSL faithful. Lots of praise for the Hype process. The Suns were the first team to suggest a track, and the Boneyard was the perfect selection. Initially we were looking into the music on the city etc. and this gave it a feeling. The imagery conjured from the boneyard was easy to work with. This video also was the first inclusion of the city in more detail. With the song, the combination worked magically. With that stomp rock blues element, the Suns highlights and starters were highlighted. At the time the Suns were rolling with Tyrese Haliburton, Dillon Brooks, Nicholas Batum, Tobias Harris and Serge Ibaka. Phoenix and Laddas have made many changes and have always been active, this incarnation of the Suns is a thing of the past.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0HbsglUo2k Release Date: Starting the video with the quote from Machine Gun Kelly, conjured up feelings of an 8 Mile style uprising, and the Cavaliers skyline and trainline captured that feeling. The track hits hard and I wanted to capture that with the Cavaliers. A team and organisation that doesn�t sit idle. This was the first video to feature a team nickname; beginning the welcome to the court with �THE LAND�. I remembered editing the video and thinking what would be cool would be to have the keys playing over the top of the court transitions; thinking about what it would look like if you were courtside and it looked and felt electric. Coming in on �b**** I�m from the land� was perfect to begin the introductions, starting with Lonzo Ball, into Avery Bradley, into Justise Winslow, into Obi Toppin, and finally closing with Jarrett Allen. And finally closing with the Cleveland tagline �Whatever it takes�.
Portland Trailblazers
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AVfgPa4yXw Release Date: 17 Feb 2021 I�m a freak of nature baby! Off the back of many successes and one of the teams to beat the song seemed to align with the Portland team. The funky backbeat made for a fun edit. I remember aligning the highlights with �I�m a freak of nature� lines and ramping up into transition on the building bass lines. When editing I thought it would be good to have a mix between the players of old and new, and finish with a transition clip using �Our Home�. The Portland video was also the first video to include the mascot as a transition element, introducing the teams entrance. I was also experiencing on the best graphics to use to caption / attrib the players. The lineup that the Blazers were running with was Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kahwi Leonard, Willie Cauley-Stein and Dwight Howard.
Washington Wizards
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TMyBYRn0ng Release Date: 17 Feb 2021 The beginnings of this video was about introducing DC, and building from the opening loop. The track by Goldlink has that infectious beat blending hip hop and calypso elements that drive this video forward. The graphics used were able to give the video that polished and refined feeling. I was trying to find the balance between city establishment and basketball history in this video. Using sharp and quick cuts in the lead up to the introductions was a conscious effort to have that feeling of a rise in the stadium as we reached the starters. The Wizards were rolling with Goran Dragic, Devin Booker, Jae Crowder, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Clint Capela. Closing out the video was the Wizards tag �The Time is Now�.
New York Knicks
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f_zLh1MXxQ Release Date: 2nd Apr 2021 This was always going to be hard. As a huge fan of New York based hip hop & music in general, the music was always going to be important, and I landed on Nas, �Made You Look�. New York had a line up that did make you want to watch their shooting and I wanted to highlight that. The mix of the New York culture, and the Knicks history was important, and beginning the video with that old time voice over made for a strong start; �Mecca of Basketball� as the Empire State Building shows and into the very first highlights. I was experimenting with Glitch and Contrast transitions during the video, and this allowed for a feeling of nostalgia and a sense of channel jumping for highlights. The starters for the Knicks were De�Aaron Fox, De�Anthony Melton, Brandon Ingram, Nicola Vucevic, and Jonas Valanciunas. San Antonio Spurs
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrSopCaaMd0 Release Date: 29 Apr 2021 Using the DJ Premier jam, was a conscious decision to conjure up images of the And1 mixtapes and NBA street deep cuts. I thought that the beginning with the sketch would work well and give a new edit as it merges into the stylised logo. The crossfades between the early Spurs and promotional material worked well � I felt like this video was a clean use of content and space. I question my use of speed; might have overdone it. The blending of the countdown into the starters was a masterstroke � �not to self, do that more�. As Lillard comes into the video after the countdown, it felt like an in-arena video with the players being highlighted. The Spurs line up was fun to cut � with Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, Jimmy Butler, Robert Covington, and Andre Drummond. The starting five with plenty of worthwhile highlights to show off and exemplify their unique talents. Ending on silence and purely the logo was an attempt to try and have a video end with almost an anticipation and a need for the crowd to make some noise.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN2uqvNeDU4 Release Date: 30 Apr 2021 I remember this video, because it came easily. I also remember as I had just bought my first house. The editing process can take forever, in between work and other commitments the actual construction can be incredibly long. But this one took far less purely because I was having fun and in my element. Similarly, the Timberwolves are a fun team to work with. The history and the previous players were able to easily transfer into this video. The starters for the Timbs were Lamelo Ball, Caris Lavert, Kyle Kuzma, Otto Porter, and Thomas Bryant. The final image was another use of the Spurs idea � finish on an image to get the fans HYPED! Miami Heat
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIwVFnUaCG4 Release Date: 28 Jun 2021 I can�t remember exactly how it happened � but I was thinking of music, and I am a Sopranos fan, and the Alabama 3 track seemed perfect to set the mood and create that feeling of raw power. However, I think I was listening and heard the �woke up� part and remembered �the decision�, and thought I have to use that quote by Lebron to start the video. Miami and GM PistolPk are both rich and history and NSL connection. The Heat have seen many famous faces come through the doors, and I wanted to highlight that. This video was one of the best at finding that balance of old and new. The court transition into starters is one of my favourites � seeing all of the lights with the court changes into the starters. I think that transition could have been slicker. The starters were Ben Simmons, CJ McCollum, Jonathan Issac, Bobby Portis and Wendell Carter Jr.
Philadelphia 76ers
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h8nQUHoGdI Release Date: 29 Jun 2021 Motownphilly�s back again! What a tune! So much fun to make! This was similar to the Timbs. Finding the right track can be the building block that makes the process that much easier. The 76ers also have a stack of history and talent to highlight and intergrate which made for a fun edit. I wanted the beginning to be a video montage of Philly history � almost like a video you would see in the halls that shows in the team museum. The starters graphic is still one of the best � it looks amazing with the serpent. The starters weren�t too shabby either. The 76ers were running with Lebron James, Matisse Thybule, Tobias Harris, Danny Green and Al Horford. It also helped for continuity to have players in 76ers jerseys � all besides Lebron. That has always been at the front of my mind � even editing videos to cut out team names (for those that have noticed). Chicago Bulls
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LhNRe_1OFY Release Date: 30 Jun 2021 This video I think is still the top Hype video I have put together. The Curtis Mayfield track was the perfect vehicle to show the fun, flavourful and funky side of the Bulls rich history. It made the 4min 36 seconds go fast, even rewatching. This was many hours in the making. Having the bulls entering the arena against Pistons was a fun beginning. This also was the first use of the player profile � which I think has been a welcome addition to recognise the player in all ways. Finally the starters themselves were fun to cut, as they all have had significant careers full of highlights � John Wall, Lou Williams, Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis and Hassan Whiteside.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9UXaAQrHms Release Date: 24 Nov 2021 Off the back of such an achievement as the previous video, the OKC video had to come down to earth. OKC is my team and I love the history as a deep love of the Supersonics is ever-present. It was also the first 21-22 video to be made. It was also the video made before I proposed to my fianc�. Making the video was also a labour of love, as the song that is used is still high in my rotation of tracks. It was a fun video to cut as a result, the way the build up occurs meant that the opening highlights were cut down, as I wanted to use every �Red Light� and �Green Light� to transition across the video. The starters were Kemba Walker, Shake Milton, Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and Christian Wood. The highlights were able to be syncopated with the music with ease, and some of the game-play worked expertly in time with the music. Sometimes you get lucky � many highlights just matched perfectly. The player profile graphics were on-point while I think my use of text on the starters was a bit �sad and miserable�; a little Windows 95. Houston Rockets
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT89AO-UxOI Release Date: 24 Dec 2021 The Houston Rockets video was an early X-Mas treat for the organisation and the league. I had been on hiatus as the work got crazy � it all a blur especially off the back of my proposal. The track is such a banger. I love Texas hip hop and the Geto Boys in particularly. Using the instrumental was a perfect backdrop for the Houston organisation. This was the first instrumental used as well � �why don�t I use more�. I loved the use of the heritage jersey manufacturing � I still love that as a trope; symbolising the history, and threads and the players past and present. I also was inspired to have a fly over motif running across the beginning and finishing on Toyota Center. The starters were Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, Norman Powell, Harrison Barnes and Nikola Jokic. I remember being so fearful that I would mistakenly place the same Tyrese twice and get called out for it. Atlanta Hawks
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOSI1E4M2vI Release Date: 30 Dec 2021 Don�t ask me where it came from but the Hawks just made me think of the famous use of Hawks in popular culture; I had fun with it. And it fit � using the Hawk from a documentary (as it attacks stealthily), Hawk from WWF talking about his �size� when ranting about Rick Flair and finally the Always Sunny in Philadelphia �Birds of War�. But after that I wanted a break � almost like a break in programming to cut to the Atlanta Hawks and have them enter on a phenomenal track from the ever lucrative Jermaine Dupri, Welcome to Atlanta. It is such a great song � and perfectly gelled with the video. This is my favourite starters list graphic. Using the tear away negative space to have the names was a decision I made, and looking back it was the right one. The Atlanta lineup was Devonte Graham, Cam Reddish, Kelly Oubre Jr, Kelly Olynyk, and Myles Turner. This league can be ruthless at times. |
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