Chicago Cubs “All Aboard”

If you’ve ever taken the “L” to a Chicago Cubs game, you know the feeling of anticipating buzzing in the air. The red line roars down the tracks adding more Cubs fans at every stop. And when the robotic voice says “Addison is next” the excitement is palpable.

So when the Chicago Cubs approached Banner with this idea from their agency partner SCC, we instantly loved the concept and were thrilled to be involved. The Cubs Productions team already had an edit pieced together, but they needed someone to color correct the footage add animations to make it feel like you were riding the CTA.

Developing the train effect wasn’t easy. After a couple failed attempts, I took to the Subway — in this case the Blue Line. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds as we screeched along. When I opened I saw images flashing through the windows across from me, each appearing like another frame in a film projector. Sun flares flashed as the train traveled went between buildings. I closed my eyes again and imagined what the effect should look like and went back to work.

The video was a big success, building fan excitement and driving ticket sales during the 2018 pre-season. So much so that we collaborated with the Cubs on two more 15s spots that ran during the early part of the season to continue driving ticket sales.