Following the successful of ‘Win As One’, Ten Toes approached us for the next EA Sports series showcasing next gen footballers to support the launch of the world’s biggest selling video game, FIFA23.

The ‘Powered By Football’ series sought to tell the stories of young footballers who have moved abroad early in their careers to carve out their path in the game. The three players we worked with were:

-       Jude Bellingham, English midfielder playing for Borussia Dortmund

-       Tyler Adams, American midfielder playing for RB Leipzig

-       Eduardo Camavinga, French midfielder playing for Real Madrid

These are young men who are playing for big clubs with a lot of expectation and pressure on their shoulders. We wanted to gain insights into their headspace, how they deal with the challenges of playing in a new country at such a young age, and what drives them.

From a production perspective, we faced some challenges we needed to navigate. Budget didn’t permit recces during pre-production, so we had to work closely with the agency, talent and local production service companies to pick the ideal locations to both tell the players’ stories and work logistically with their demanding schedules.

Tech recces were performed the day prior to each shoot, where we ironed out some exact details and schedules – essential as the entire campaign was shot on 16mm.

The final, and in no way smallest challenge was around on set presence. Due to Covid restrictions our Director Dean George could not attend the shoot in person. Everything had to be directed remotely, but again budget restraints meant we couldn’t afford to have traditional remote viewing facilities. Again, this was solved by great planning and a lot of hard work during pre-production.

Supported by stills by Dean Martindale which were gain shot primarily on film, the series feels like a tight well put together campaign and stands out as being different and great work in a crowded space of football content.

Fresh Base Productions is just over 4 years old, and still transitioning from being a single freelancer into working as a company model. We took this campaign from initial concepts through pre production, shoot and all post production. We have chosen this series as our award entry as we believe the way we approached the project, found solutions and delivered great work encapsulates what we are all about – and has been well recognised by the industry.

https://versus.uk.com/2021/10/jude-bellingham-reflects-bvb-come-ea-sports-powered-football-film/

https://www.sportindustry.biz/tv/ea-sports-kick-powered-football-content-series