This week we finished a passion project titled ‘Ballers’ that we shot last summer during the July heat wave. It’s been so enjoyable to see it take shape over the last few weeks - especially as we finalised the cut, sound design and grade (big thanks to Marty over at Freefolk).

Inspired by streetball culture, urban courts are lively and vibrant places in the summer. Basketball, creativity, and community all seem to come together. Gathering places for people to hang out and watch the games.

It’s not just about winning, but connecting with others in the community. I’ve always loved how players have their own unique style and develop tricks to outsmart opponents. Skills honed in pick-up games that mostly take place on local outdoor courts.

We got to the courts and started shooting as close to sunrise as possible to capture the beautiful long shadows and gentle morning summer sun. Our DoP Jake was put to task and did a great job keeping up with the players take after take (although he lost a few kg’s of water in the process).

At points we went super wide with our focal lengths to keep the action fast and frenetic - having the camera up in the players faces as if it was an opponent itself. For the grade we took it to a punchy, warm place - capturing a vibrant summer vibe on the courts and boosting the colour to make it really pop.

The music and sound design in our film reflects the mood and energy of the game. Music is a big part of the culture and we wanted to go beyond documenting action shots of players in motion, and instead, capture the mood of that summer court energy in a unique and artistic way.