Vidiots co-owner Michael Amoia cut the opens for the second consecutive year, interweaving the band’s performance with game clips, bold graphics and animation, network logos and glimpses of the NBA trophy. Amoia edited a mock up of the open, using vintage Petty footage, before production began. This demonstrated how the song could work with clips of action on the court.
Director Danny Clinch shot the band in LA on 35mm film. Amoia cut the project in one of the studio’s Avid Adrenaline HD suites. The Playoffs open had a gritty, distressed look, symbolic of the teams’ fight to the top of their conference. To give the Finals open a different look, Amoia teamed with GMD Three, who works under Vidiots’ roof, to create a quick-cut, colorful, effects-filled open celebrating the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.
GMD Three used Apple Shake to rotoscope the entire Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers performance. The band was then composited against dynamic graphics and animated elements crafted in After Effects by GMD Three and Toronto-based Big Studios.
The NBA trophy was modeled and animated by GMD Three using NewTek LightWave. Big Studios provided the NBA graphics.