OVERHEAD ROOF CAMERA ANGLE OVERVIEW
In the 2023 season, the overhead roof camera angle took the sports content landscape by storm. Debuted by the Atlanta Falcons digital team in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season – it garnered over 100 million views from the Bijan Robinson juke highlights from the roof camera. A combination of the unique angle, the special editing done to it, and an explosive player like Bijan was the perfect storm for the social media storm it created.
Since then, there have been endless notoriety and comments coming from media outlets and fans commending the uniqueness of it. Beyond that it has changed the strategies of content teams across sports, with many of them performing their own version of it.
CORE STRATEGY
In today’s day and age, there is no shortage of content. It is a challenge for creators to create content that stands out and resonates with consumers. Our goal as content creators for the Atlanta Falcons is to always connect our fans to our team and create content that catches the attention of the consumer, our fans. In the instance of the roof camera, this activation is not something that is regularly done. It is an extremely unique angle that immediately felt like something out of a video game – but it was real life highlights that people watched on Sundays.
EXECUTION PROCESS
There are 2 major steps to the execution of this, the capture and the edit process:
The capture: Shooting from the roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the capture is in 4K so that the proper editing can be done. In addition to the caution of being 300+ feet above the ground, it takes a great deal of care to ensure that the shot is perfect for what the edit needs. The featured player or the ball needs to be close to the center of the frame at all times – which is not easy in sports. Once you get the shot, the edit is what makes it stand out even more.
The edit: The edit is the x-factor that gives it that extra layer of uniqueness. Motion tracking to lock either the ball or the helmet to the center of the frame gives it that jittery/video game-like effect. This is the special component of such a unique angle that has seemed to resonate with fans across the world.
SOCIAL/DIGITAL RESULTS
Bijan Robinson Roof Content 1.0
- Impressions: 30.5M
- Engagement: 919.7K
- Video Views: 100.9M
- Earned Media Post Evaluation: $717,596 (via Blinkfire)
Bijan Robinson Roof Content 2.0
- Impressions: 30.9M
- Engagement: 1.5M
- Video Views: 25.8M
- Earned Media Post Evaluation: $1.1M (via Blinkfire)
TEAM MEMBERS
Austin Hittel to capture/edit + Falcons Digital/Social team to support its success on all platforms.