Dead Films produced the ten-part series which was distributed to Premier League broadcasters globally
Dead Films has produced a ten-part series of short films to mark the Premier League’s 30th anniversary this month.
Commissioned by the Premier League, the films feature interviews with the players at the heart of some of the competition’s most iconic moments since its inception. These include Arsenal’s invincibles season, Leicester City’s shock title win, the ‘Game Of The Century’ between Liverpool and Newcastle United in the 95/96 season, and many more.The three mentioned can be seen through the videos in this article.
The films are being shown by the Premier League’s broadcasters around the globe, with Prime Video, Sky Sports, and BT Sport airing them in the UK both on linear and through their streaming platforms. They are also being shown through the Premier League’s digital and social platforms.
Dead Films, which was launched by co-founders Matt Edge, Mike Rodgers, and Luke Nutt in January of this year, produced the series, with the trio acting as co-directors as well as editing and exec producing. Rosa Galvin was producer.
Premier League Productions head of digital and creative Mike Norrish explained: “For this year’s PL30 campaign we wanted to create a special series of films to celebrate the most iconic stories in Premier League history. None of these stories are new, so it was vital to tell them in a fresh and original creative style which would capture the imaginations of fans new and old, wherever in the world they live, and whatever platform they use.
“Dead Films brought a unique artistic vision to this project, creating 10 ‘singles’ which still felt like part of a cohesive and compelling ‘album’. They delivered digital and broadcast versions of the 10 stories, which we distributed to Premier League broadcasters in every market.”
Speaking to Broadcast Sport, Dead Films’ Rodgers revealed that the production took place over five months from March to August, with around 40 shoots, after the Premier League approached them in January.
They also worked with Big Sync Music on the films, Premier League Productions’ official music supervision partner, with Rodgers saying: “Music is always a big part of what we do, and something we’re all really passionate about.” He added that music is part of a an attempt to get a more theatrical feel to what Dead Films creates, which includes asking sports people, “to give more dramatic performances,” in their documentaries.
Big Sync Music creative director Justin McMullen added: “Being a huge football fan, this was an incredible project to work on – personally as well as professionally. I have worked on the Premier League an enormous amount over the past 20 years with so many great highlights, and it’s no secret that there is such a strong link between sport and music, and the way they enhance each other.”
“I do feel it’s a bit of a shame that so many sport films don’t have commercial tracks on them due to perceived cost or complication, therefore I was very pleased that Dead Films and Premier League Productions saw it as a priority and an opportunity to further enhance the project.”
“There are some classic Premier League artists, of course due to their connection with certain clubs, but also some unconventional leftfield music picks that just worked so well with the subject matter. They were a great team to work with and suffice to say I’m very excited for whatever comes next.”
This was a big project for Dead Films in its first year, although the three founders do have plenty of experience. Nutt said: “We’re fortunate to have worked with a lot of high profile athletes. We have 30+ years’ experience between us working with the best sports men and women in the world, which helped a lot.”
Dead Films, based in its office in Hoxton, London, has also worked on branded content with Adidas and Premier League side Wolves, but is keen to work at all levels of sport and all lengths of film - it has already created longer documentaries on Tyson Fury’s family and the effect of the George Floyd protests on sport. Edge said: “We want to go where the stories are. That could be part time or the Premier League, not just the elite.”
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