Just walking into our office on this particular Saturday morning you’d be hard-pressed not to notice the smell of vanilla in the air. “Did Mac House just pivot and begin to process the tasty bean?” you may ask. As you follow the scent into the studio it all dawns on you. You’re stricken by the sight of a 24’ x 12’ golden wall being spray painted by the artistic vision of two talented mural artists.
The project that was led by ESPN producer Nancy Devaney had one goal. That was to commemorate the 2007 “We Believe” Golden State Warriors. To make this a memorable piece of art we reached out to Illuminaries. These artists painted the popular Stephen Curry/Mac Dre mash-up mural in Oakland, CA. Our muralists were Miguel “Bounce” Perez and Tion “Bukue One” Torrence of the San Francisco based First Amendment art gallery.
The Golden Wall
Constructing a canvas that was essentially the size of a building’s side wasn’t too difficult. The wall was created using nine 8’ x 4’ flats that we’re skinned with a veneer so that when complete, the mural could easily be broken down and transported. For primary design mock ups, we sent a still photo of the bare wall to the artists who sketched out several designs before arriving at one that we felt represented the ‘We Believe’ slogan to its fullest.
Filming Over The Course Of The Day
The featurette aired that aired on the NBA Countdown pre-game show offered various shooting techniques. We placed three Canon DSLR cameras to capture time lapses from three angles. Our RED Epic Dragon 6K camera shot sweeping live action shots using the Freefly Systems MōVI and Kessler Crane. we also shot an interview segment with “We Believe” Warriors alum Stephen Jackson who delivered a storied monologue.
Working With A Pro Athlete
Jackson’s call time was set for later in the shooting schedule because we was flying in from the east coast. Work on the mural began hours before his arrival. To prepare for his monologue we spike marked our camera and lighting positions so that we were ready to roll. Jackson showed great enthusiasm and energy during filming. He was more than happy to stay longer to shoot supplemental material for the behind the scenes video.
Once The Paint Fumes Dissipated
We may have not been hungry from the vanilla infused spray paint scent (though a tad woozy), but vet much excited. It’s a pleasure working with ESPN and seeing our work broadcast on nationwide television. It humbles us knowing our company we’re building build often gets a chance to work with such a huge brand.
Even more important, bringing a group of people together to build a solid team is what this industry is about – creativity, fun, and trust. Keep on creating our friends, keep on.
