Based in the U.S. and broadcasted globally, ESPN has been a popular sports network since its inception in 1979. With a long-standing strong viewer base–hitting an average of 742k viewers on a 24-hour basis in May of 2022–ESPN continues to provide sports fans with the quality sports content they’ve come to know and love.
Hyperactive approached Dreamspace to help create a spot for ESPN’s “The Beauty of the Game” campaign. We were tasked with using our animation skills to give the spot a dramatic, memorable flair.
This spot shows NBA star J.R. Smith mentally and physically preparing to make a dunk and, with his great strength and passion, manages to shatter the backboard.
Our team created a fully CG replacement for the close-up shot of J.R. breaking the backboard. From large chunks to fine dust, many different types of simulated glass shatter were hand-animated and composited together. A combination of this CG shatter and actual plastic made the veritable flood of glass pour down from the now-destroyed backboard.