Adidas /Messi: The New Speed of Light
Short-form content for launch of Messi signature football boots.

The original brief for this project was to create a physical installation that explored the movement of football players. Taking inspiration from the motion studies of early photographers Eadward Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey, we developed an idea for capturing the intricacies of footballer’s movements in ultra-slow motion. 

In development with the agency, the project became a piece of filmed content, where the intricacies of players movements could be captured using a suit fitted with LED lights, turning their movements into long streaks of light, through a mixture of high-speed photography and a specially developed post-production technique.

After seeing some initial animation tests, Adidas asked us if we could use Lionel Messi as the subject of the film. After picking our jaws up from the floor, we arranged a shoot in Barcelona, using a Phantom camera and a custom-made LED suit to capture Messi’s unique playing style.

The resulting film attracted worldwide news coverage, millions of Youtube views and won several awards.