Rabbit Changes the Game for Nike With a 45-second Documentary

The feature film More Than a Game tells the story of NBA phenom LeBron James and his former high school teammates, who remain his closest friends. Before the film, Nike, who have a longstanding relationship with James, will debut a :45 that reveals no new sneaker, gear, or tagline. Instead, it tells the story of another high school team.

Shot in Flatbush, Brooklyn, the spot is a black-and-white study of a day in the life of a girls' basketball team. The girls narrate footage shot in their gym, their neighborhood, and their school, one voice at a time: "It's not about Brooklyn." "It's not about love." "It's not about me." They continue, until a girl speaks the final line: "It's everything."

The spot, called Gamechangers, was originally envisioned by agency 94x50 as the story of one young player and how basketball affects her life. However the story soon evolved when directing duo, +jacksonkarinja from Rabbit, visited Brooklyn to meet and pre-interview as many of the players as possible.

"More than anything else, we knew the film had to have soul-it had to represent the vibrancy and the deep determination of that neighborhood," +jacksonkarinja said. "We were looking for one player who had those qualities. When we met this team, the story changed instantly. It wasn't about one girl anymore."

Nike approved the new idea without hesitation, and the production team at Rabbit, went to work under the twin pressures of a tight schedule and tight resources. The pressure gave urgency to the shoot, which wrapped in just four days.

"If it's done right, that can be a beautiful way to work," says Douglas Howell, Executive Producer. "+jacksonkarinja's crew is small, and they have been working as a team forever. Their secret is that they know each other so well and this allows them to shoot very quickly without sacrificing the visual style they wanted to achieve."

Paul La Calandra of editing shop Moondog reviewed the footage and found the storyline, creating what feels like a :45 documentary film. "Paul saw immediately the feeling and the story we were following when we filmed the teammates," said the Directors. "His editing brought out the rhythm and soul of the girls, their neighborhood, and their sport."

The movie More Than a Game tells the story of high school teammates who continue to support the one player whose NBA glory outshines their wildest dreams. But the story told in Gamechangers illustrates how those bonds form in the first place, when teammates see sport as not just a practice to go to after school and not just a game to win. It's everything.

Credits:

Client: Nike
Spots Title: Gamechangers Air Date: Oct 2009

Agency: 94x50

Prod Company: Rabbit
Director: +jacksonkarinja
EP(s): Douglas Howell, Anura Idupuganti

About Rabbit:

Throughout literature, folklore and pop culture, the Rabbit is known to be a mischievous sort. An upstart.
A shape-shifter. The loveable prankster.
We hope to live up to our name.