MONTREAL — Rodeo FX (http://www.rodeofx.com), here, recently partnered with content creation/production company Bodega, NBC Sports and Northern Lights, to create the new show open for Sunday Night Football. Bodega’s Haley Geffen served as creative director on the piece, which stars singer Carrie Underwood and plays with all the energy of a high-end concert video.
A number of NFL stars, including Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick, appear in the video, which debuted during the September 7th broadcast of the Colts-Broncos game. The piece will continue to air throughout the NFL season and will reflect the different weekly matchups.
Enormous CG structures appear on both sides of the stage where Underwood performs the now-familiar “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night” song. The architectural structures feature large video screens that display game highlights. The footage, Underwood, and guest player appearances, amp up the crowd’s excitement.
“We took the opener out of the stadium this year, capturing way more interaction between these superstars and their fans,” notes Bodega's Haley Geffen. “The playfully, interactive atmosphere on-set was fun and relaxed, which translated to the screen.”
“Our goal was to create a stylized concert,” adds Bodega’s head of production, Michael Flexner. “A huge party that also carried the drama of a mega rock show fit to open SNF.”
Northern Lights editor Alan Chimenti cut the video, which marks the third year in a row that Bodega, NBC and Northern Lights have collaborated on the program. Much of the live action was captured in front of a greenscreen.
“It was great to be able to rely on Bodega’s energy and prior experience with the SNF open, and combine that with Rodeo’s strong VFX capabilities and fresh perspective,” notes NBC Sports VP creative director/director, Tripp Dixon.
The entire sequence runs approximately 1:45.