DePaul “Demon Hype”

When DePaul unveiled their new South Loop arena, Wintrust Arena, in 2017, they wanted to start off with a bang. The team was getting more competitive and they needed a hype video to help inspire their fans and team before they take the court. The team at Banner was thrilled to help out and over the next four years I was able to be a part of numerous productions that dawned Wintrust Arena’s scoreboard for each home game. This one was my favorite.

It was our second year doing the video and we wanted to push the creative boundaries further. With the team being called the Blue Demons we felt like incorporating an effect that made the basketball players become Demons was in order. We explored a lot of techniques, but with the help of Banner photographer Jeremy Bloom, we were able to run some tests at the office and create a beautiful DePaul red and blue lighting effect using long exposure.

Following that, production was planned. Not a single member of Banner’s production crew was absent that day, with Will Armistead leading the video stage on the basketball court, and myself leading the photography stage. It was one of my most fun days of my career. The athletes were so excited to be part of such a huge production. The look on their faces when they peaked behind the camera to see what they were going to look in the hype video as they took the court was incredible.