LeBron James revisits his roots in 'Re-Established 2014,' part of a campaign for Powerbeats2 Wireless from Beats by Dre. The spot was a collaboration between R/GA, director Nabil Elderkin (Sword Fight) and The Mill's senior colorist Dave Ludlam.
The narrative illustrates LeBron's re-establishment of his presence and legacy in Akron, Ohio, since his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers after four years in Miami. He trains in a gym named after him at his old high school as Hozier's 'Take Me to Church' drives the passion home in the background, finishing with his mother's words: "This is the city that raised you. I'm so proud of you. Welcome home, son."
Ludlam captured the raw emotion of LeBron's valiant return while maintaining the integrity of the narrative. He explains: "It's a nice piece that tells the story of the big man's homecoming. He's a big character and celebrity, which can become almost supernatural, but we wanted to keep him human. We had to honor the very naturalistic way it was shot and not allow the grade to be a distraction from that, so we brought it back to a softer, smoother grade to maintain this humble storytelling piece."
View Ludlam's reel for more of his beautiful grades.
Agency: R/GA
Creative Directors: William Esparza, Zach Hilder
Art Director: Rance RandleProduction Company: The Sword Fight
Director: Nabil Elderkin
Executive Producer: Justin Benoliel
Director of Photography: Danny Hiele
Editing Company: Spot Welders
Editor: Leo Scott
Edit Assist: JC Nunez