Video Production

Nov 2022

Valorant Champs Opening Film

Riot Games

Esports Industry

VALORANT GAME CHANGERS CHAMPIONSHIP

DON'T BLINK
OR YOU'LL MISS IT

Directed to show women's esports with the same cinematic intensity as any world championship stage.

$120K

Production Budget

Teams / 2 Days

48HR

Edit Turnaround

COMMUNITY RESPONSE

@Zeus.thunder 2 years ago

Csgo was never able to have this much hype for a female tournament in its 20+ years of existence.

48 YouTube

@acschicken 2 years ago

Can't even wait the few hours for the tournament to start 💯🔥🔥

35 YouTube

@Hailoow 2 years ago

watching this before the match starts, IM SO HYPED LET'S GOOOO GAME CHANGERS

2 YouTube

@nkr8851 2 years ago

SO HYPED what an amazing video!!

4 YouTube

@nymeria7826 2 years ago

THIS PROMO IS SO GOOD IDK WHO TO ROOT FOR

1 YouTube

@rithikp10322 2 years ago

sheeeeeeeeesh what a videoooooooo
i am hyped lfgooooooooo

YouTube

Pway 3y ago

Okay that was pretty fire

54 Reddit

cellexo 3y ago

that's sick.

50 Reddit

Disastrous_Sea8584 3y ago

This is actually a good as fuck teaser. Mentioning NA is on a whole different level gave me goosebumps. I hope this tournament brings in viewers.

48 Reddit

VincentStonecliff 3y ago

The women teams are much more dynamic in those team teaser videos lmao, it's refreshing not seeing dudes do the same finger wag every 3 seconds. Dope hype video

7 Reddit

THE CHALLENGE

Elevate Game Changers Through "Don't Blink"

Show GC pros as top-tier professionals with undeniable skill and fearless personalities—turning them into icons through heroic portraiture while capturing 10 international teams across 2 days in Berlin and delivering the final cut 48 hours later.

Represent Elite Athletes, Not a Side Tournament

Frame Game Changers pros with the same intensity and production value as VCT Champions. No gender tropes, no sentimentalism—pure competitive presence.

Create Evergreen Broadcast Assets

Every shot needed to work standalone—hero portraits, group formations, motion beats—for daily teases, highlight packages, talent segments, and social rollout throughout the tournament. Riot explicitly requested varied compositions: individual heroes, 2-ups, 3-ups, full teams, close/mid/wide framing.

10 Teams, 3 Sets, 2 Days

Built modular set environments in one Berlin warehouse studio. Rotated teams assembly-line style to capture hero portraits, group formations, and motion beats.

48-Hour Global Edit Relay

Teams arrived from around the world on a fixed date. Filmed, then handed off to dual US + EU post teams working overnight. Final cut delivered 48 hours after wrap.

Pre-Visualization

Frame-by-Frame Precision

I storyboarded every shot to ensure visual consistency across 10 teams and enable rapid shooting. This side-by-side comparison shows how meticulous planning translated directly to execution.

Creative Execution

Bringing the Vision to Life

Strategic creative decisions that elevated the narrative through seamless gameplay integration and impactful visual storytelling.

Gameplay Integration

To bridge the narrative footage with the actual competition, I integrated rapid-fire smash cuts of VALORANT gameplay directly from Riot's IP—reinforcing the "Don't Blink" concept while grounding the cinematic footage in the game itself.

"All Eyes On Me" Evolution

One of the most striking moments evolved through collaborative creative direction—from initial storyboard sketch to Riot's "Seize the Play" creative brief to final glass-cracking VFX that captured the psychological pressure of championship competition.

Step 1

Sketch

Step 2

Brief

Step 3

Final Result

Production Design

Three Modular Sets, One Warehouse

I led the creative direction behind three modular sets, constructed within a single warehouse to meet a 48-hour turnaround. Each set was rigged for rapid transitions, enabling 10 teams to shoot back-to-back without delays. Beyond the three main environments, we created additional practical set pieces that added dynamic visual elements and storytelling depth—enhancing the cinematic production value while maintaining the gritty, competitive aesthetic.

LED Hero Stage

Mirror Hall

In-Game Inspired Set

Behind The Scenes

Production in Motion

A look behind the scenes of the warehouse production—from LED stage setup to directing on set, capturing the collaborative effort that brought the vision to life under extreme time constraints.

LED Stage Setup

Directing on Set

Production Crew

Camera Work

Team Collaboration

Set Overview

Production Setup

Filming in Progress

Warehouse Production

The Result

Impact & Response

48HR

Turnaround Time

From wrap to broadcast delivery

100%

Asset Reusability

Used across daily teases, finals packages & social

Teams Featured

First global women's championship

Key Outcomes

Met Challenging Deadline

Delivered the opening film 48 hours after wrap, meeting Riot's broadcast deadline for the November 15th tournament start.

Evergreen Asset Success

Riot reused footage across daily teases, finals packages, talent segments, and social rollout throughout the championship—exactly the evergreen asset strategy we designed for.

Established Visual Identity

Created a sports-forward production tone for future Game Changers storytelling: bold, typographic, psychedelic, gritty—never sentimental.

Elevated Brand Perception

Helped reinforce Game Changers as a competitive tier worthy of premium broadcast treatment, matching the production value of VCT Champions.

Network Execution

Leveraged personal motion graphics relationships to deliver custom LED screen content on an extremely tight timeline.

100K+ Combined Views

Broadcast live on Twitch during the championship opening and posted natively to YouTube, reaching over 100,000 combined views across platforms.