LUSU
We brought the intensity and spirit of the Roses Tournament to life through two electrifying teaser videos and a gripping aftermovie, weaving together archival footage, cinematic visuals, and powerful storytelling.
BRIEF
Before the cameras rolled for the aftermovie, we focused on planning two teaser videos. These teasers combined archive footage from previous tournaments with specially orchestrated visuals to craft compelling narratives. The themes revolved around the tournament’s legacy, camaraderie, and the fierce rivalry between Lancaster and York, aiming to convey a “winner takes all” sentiment.
Teaser Video
The first promotional video utilised archive footage from our past collaborations with LUSU. We highlighted memorable moments from previous Roses tournaments, capturing the emotions and action that define the event.
Tug of War Promo
For the ‘Tug of War’ promo, we aimed to build anticipation through slow-motion shots and close-ups, focusing on the athletes' expressions and group dynamics. Filming in a blackout studio, we showcased a diverse group of student-athletes preparing for the tournament, enhancing the narrative with dramatic lighting to evoke a personal and intense atmosphere.
At the start of 2024, Lancaster University Students’ Union (LUSU) approached us to create promotional material for the latest Roses Tournament, hosted on their grounds. Our prior experience with Roses provided us with an understanding of the event’s rich history and its unfolding dynamics.
Held from 3rd to 5th May, the tournament showcased 142 sporting fixtures including tennis, hockey, climbing, lacrosse, and rugby, to name a few. Our primary objective was to generate a palpable sense of anticipation and create a student-centric campaign.
01 // PRE-PRODUCTION
The campaign was shaped around rivalry, pride, and anticipation.
The first promo used archive footage from previous Roses tournaments to bring back the feeling of the event at full scale. It showed the crowd energy, sporting intensity, and Lancaster versus York tension that make Roses more than a standard university sports weekend.
For the second promo, the team developed a Tug of War concept and filmed selected Lancaster students in a blackout studio. The creative was stripped back and focused: slow movement, close-ups, dramatic lighting, and a sense of collective pressure before the tournament began.
The voiceover was written to feel rooted in Lancaster. A Lancaster native with a local accent was cast for the read, giving the campaign a stronger connection to the city and the university.
Across the shoot, the production team filmed all three days of Roses 2024. With fixtures happening across different sports and locations, the team had to move quickly, prioritise the right moments, and capture both the scale of the tournament and the smaller details around it.
The final production included two pre-event promo videos and one final aftermovie. Promo A was delivered in 1:1 and 9:16 formats for social media, Promo B was delivered in 1:1, and the aftermovie was delivered in both 1:1 and 2.35:1 cinematic widescreen.
In post-production, the team brought together archive footage, studio-shot promo visuals, live event coverage, voiceover, music, sound design, subtitles, visual effects, and colour grading. The campaign needed to work before, during, and after the event, while still feeling like one connected piece of storytelling.
In post-production, we wove together the narratives, incorporating the voiceover to enhance the emotional resonance. The promo videos were delivered first, enabling LUSU to share them across social media platforms in the lead-up to the event. We ensured all videos were available in both widescreen and square formats for versatile sharing.
“Reception has been brilliant and well received”, said Iain Thorley, Design & Communications Manager at Lancaster University Students’ Union.
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