Ryan Alexander/
Kaan Atilla/
John Clark/
Paulo De Almada/
Mark Kudsi/
Irene Park, designers
Eric Cruz/
John Jay, art directors
Mathew Cullen/
Grady Hall/
John Jay/
Sumiko Sato, creative directors
Rostarr, artist
J.D. Smyth, Rock Paper Scissors, editor
Motion Theory/
John Schwartzman, RSA Films, directors
Motion Theory/
RSA Films, production companies
Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo, ad agency
The Motion Theory directing team joined forces with fellow director John Schwartzman to create Nike's first-ever basketball campaign directed at the Asian market. The Wieden+Kennedy/Tokyo concept called for a uniquely Asian style of basketball based on teamwork, rather than individual glory. Pairing top Asian players with a precisely choreographed play, the directors shot the action on the largest stage and largest greenscreen in Los Angeles. After the shoot, Motion Theory's in-house designers used the vibrant designs of artist Rostarr to represent the power of team 'flow,' and to make teamwork itself visible. Unlike the conventional basketball spot, the 'flow' contains no trash talk or slam dunks, instead focusing on hard-played basketball, dramatic ripples of Rostarr color and precision teamwork. In the finished piece, team flow becomes an art form in itself where the court becomes the canvas, the ball becomes the brush and the team becomes the artist.