Current Issue March 2014 Back to Daily News   September 12, 2006
The Syndicate teamed up with directors/designers Matt Checkowski
and Kurt Mattila on the :60 project.Calling on its commercial
and filmmaking expertise, The Syndicate combined design
elements, CG and live-action to create a mini-movie about a
transformed city. Materials from the open are also being used
throughout the broadcast package.  The open begins with a live-
action aerial shot of a downtown at night. It fades to black
then cuts to a close-up of a football helmet, with the ESPN
logo. As people pass by a young man picks up the helmet, puts it
on and a blue energy effect triggers a transformation of the
city: energy ripples up a skyscraper, stadium lights take shape
among the buildings, a bicyclist transforms into a player
carrying the ball, and asphalt morphs into field turf. A line of
players rush past a storefront where TV sets transform to
display team logos and the ESPN Monday Night Football title.
Initially, The Syndicate shot on loc