"While I was hoping to find a bit more content and interactivity in this piece, it ultimately was enough to simply enjoy the beautiful art direction carried through from the film." —juror Ranee Chung
"Attention to detail creates a retro feel that takes this experience beyond that of a typical movie site." —juror Jason Ring
Overview: Set in the 1920s, Leatherheads is part light-hearted look at the early days of professional football in America and part romantic comedy. This destination site for the film is a character showcase and a comprehensive and engaging home for the film's marketing materials. Loaded with the same rich atmospheres, intriguing characters and beautiful compositions as the film, it's a successful online translation of a period film complete with 50 plus images, 9 videos and a vintage newsreel report on how the game of today compares to the early days.
• From concept to launch, the site took five months to develop.
• Content is split into two sections: About The Film (all marketing materials) and Meet The Players (a showcase for the key roles).
• The site was the centerpiece of the film's marketing campaign which also included broadcast advertising, in-theater materials, print, outdoor and radio.
Comments by Taj Tedrow:
How did this project compare with others you've worked on in the past? "Leatherheads was unlike any project our firm has ever worked on for one, very important reason: It is the first assignment we have been involved with where we were able to connect our patriarch, Ted Perez, to the subject. Specifically, Ted, in 1932 and 1933 was the traveling secretary for the Boston Braves/Redskins of the nascent NFL. That fact alone instilled a level of pride and responsibility that is hard to put into words. The film had been in development for many years and once green-lit we made as strong a push as I can remember to be a part of the marketing in any way possible. Fortunately, Universal Pictures felt our ability was on par with our enthusiasm and awarded us the project.
How did you handle load times? "One element that we feel deserves some attention are the loaders. Rather than present the standard loading bar/animation, we felt the load times were a great time to have fun and educate users on the mood of the film. We borrowed trick plays from the film (and came up with a few from our own sandlot days) to animate clever interstitials between sections and content."
