What is the film about?

A short film following the trials and tribulations of life as an unused substitute. Watch as an eager Baz turns up every weekend to play Sunday League football with his mates. There’s just one problem – he’s not very good.

But what he lacks in ball skills, he makes up for with enthusiasm, determination and commitment. Carrying equipment, cheering the lads on, and running the line are just a handful of the sideline tasks Baz has perfected.

Desperate to play and keen to make an impression, he spends his weeks counting down the minutes until kick off. As the weeks roll by (and his kit remains clean) we witness his pre-match prep spiral. Expect to see a few pints down his local, a night on the tiles, a trip to ‘Towers of Kebablon’, and a lengthy pit stop in the bathroom!

Will this loveable rogue ever get the nod? Or will he keep that bench warm forever?

Game on.

What influenced it?

We were heavily influenced by Sunday League football and wanted to replicate the atmosphere, environments and characters that encompass it, but most importantly that gut-wrenching feeling of being a substitute.

Aside from the pitch, there were a whole host of gritty South East London locations that we knew this character would visit on a weekly basis and while most of them are considered mundane, we felt they look beautiful if given the right treatment.

Style-wise we were influenced by sharp angles, low-poly games, and striking colour palettes. We wanted to steer away from hyper-real aesthetic and aim for more of a 2.5D look.

A little background information...

Ritzy made this As keen footballers ourselves, we’ve all met ‘that guy’ in amateur sport – the one who’s always there, always supporting, and always super keen. But unfortunately, he’s also the one who never plays!

We wanted to do a character study on a personality that felt extremely familar and dear to our hearts – an underdog that deserved the limelight. Everyone knows the feeling of not being picked for a team game and I’m sure many have experienced being chosen last at school so it felt like a relatable subject to tackle.

In a nutshell, the film was created to champion the 12th man and spread some comedy joy!

How was the film made?

The film was made using a combination of 2D and 3D techniques. The character was sculpted, rigged and textured with flat shaders to ensure he complimented the hand-painted backdrops and blended in seamlessly.

Each background was also modelled to match the original artwork, meaning we could achieve realistic lighting and shadows in Maya, which could then be rendered out as a pass to drop back on top of the paintings.

The film was composited in After Effects with 2D FX and subtle atmosphere footage to help further integrate Baz into the world. We had an ID passes for every single item of clothing (over 100!) to enable us to customize the colour and grade of every T-shirt, sock, hoody and cap!

The face set up was created using a library of eye and mouth textures created in Photoshop and then hooked up to a face slider in Maya. It meant we could draw new expressions quickly and add import them into the rig quickly, further expanding his range of emotions.

We used one camera throughout, a concious decision to try and tell a story using only match-cuts. All secondary characters were created with puppets and silhouettes to hint at a world around him, but not blow the budget on them!