Accustomed Matrix

This film has nothing to do with physiology or mysticism. Only basketball.

Director’s Statement
This was a very rewarding project for me. I’m actively trying to push more  into the commercial space so this project was a great practice of leading with visuals and composition. The DP, Christian Klein, and I went into this spot with the intent to shoot 35mm so we built our process around that approach. We wanted everything to be intentional and beautiful. I wanted to focus on the flow and poetry of the game of basketball. Our scenes were designed around seeing the game unfold authentically in real time, not only montages of dribbling and shooting. If the athletes missed a shot that was just as valuable to our final edit as a swish. I wanted the viewer to relate to the images and gameplay they were seeing on screen.

Working with our Steadicam Operator, David Lanes, brought a whole new dimension to this project. We worked to have our camera movement mirror what I perceive to be the essence of basketball - simplicity and beauty. The original goal was to create a shorter 60s to 90s commercial, but in the edit I felt like there was a story being told so we had to linger. Plus we worked hard to create these images so why not let them breathe? This resulted in a total runtime that may be “long” for the commercial space, but the final product is unique and I’m very proud of how this spot turned out. Huge thank you to the passionate crew and talented athletes who participated in this project. This would not have been possible without you.