On Sunday, September 12, when the Los Angeles Rams kick off this historic season at SoFi Stadium, the team will debut their kickoff film that will bring together the Rams House before the team runs out of the tunnel for the first time in front of fans on Sunday Night Football.
To open the most innovative stadium in the country, in the entertainment capital of the world, the Rams teamed up with filmmaker, and Academy Award winner, WALLY PFISTER to create an unprecedented film.
"As we prepare to welcome our fans to SoFi Stadium for their first season, we knew we needed to team up with the best of Hollywood to bring the Rams House to life on the biggest screen in the world," said Los Angeles Rams VP/GM of Media MARISSA DALY. "We are grateful for Wally's partnership in creating something special to kick off this historic season for the Rams and Los Angeles."
The kickoff film features Pfister's acclaimed cinematic style made famous by films like "Moneyball," "The Dark Knight," and "Inception," where his craft as a cinematographer and visual storyteller is on full display. Wally's ability to create and capture raw, authentic action in an elevated, cinematic style is what made him the perfect fit for this project.
"I saw this as a great opportunity to build a film for this iconic, state of the art screen and collaborate with the Rams," said Pfister. "With this film, we wanted to celebrate the fans and the players coming together for the first time in a long time, the intensity that is intrinsic to football, and this incredible new stadium. We created something that could only happen here, with this team and in this city."
Pfister created this film specifically for the Infinity Screen by Samsung at SoFi Stadium, the first and only 4K end-to-end videoboard in sports as well as the largest, weighing 2.2 million pounds and comprised of 70,000 square feet of digital LED. Setting it apart, the Infinity Screen is dual-sided and center-hung, 120-yards long and 40 feet tall at its widest and 20 feet tall at its narrowest.
To deliver content for the Infinity Screen at the highest resolution possible, Pfister's team filmed using ARRI 65 cameras and a 12K camera, making this the first piece of content to film in 12K for the screen. Pfister also employed a FPV drone to swoop through the stadium and provide a birds-eye view of the stadium.
The film features cameos by Rams Season Ticket Members as well as the Watts Rams, the youth football program founded and run by LAPD to bridge the divide between law enforcement and communities of color. The Los Angeles Rams partnered with the Watts Rams program in 2019 to provide access and opportunity, as well as shine a light on the incredible work of the organization.
To complement the film, LA-based music house, Barking Owl composed a custom original score with a little inspiration from Rams fans. Using the in-stadium rally cry of "Whose House? Rams House!", the custom track builds from the quiet energy of the city straight into a gameday experience at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams partnered with some of the most elite production, editorial, and post-production companies in the world. A Reset Content production, produced by Michael Garza, Rock Paper Scissors handled editorial, and The Mill developed and oversaw all visual effects.
