New Delhi, August 01, 2020: On Friday, apparel brand Nike dropped its ‘You Can’t Stop Us’ ad — an editing masterpiece which juxtaposes past footage with themes relevant to athletes. The ad debuted during the NBA’s return in Orlando, Florida, and has amassed over 20 million views on Twitter and Facebook since.
In what should be a study in lockdown filmmaking, 4,000 sequences were shortlisted and whittled down to 72, forming 36 split-screen pairings. The finished product features great athletes and greater moments, all put together equally spectacular makers.
The kinetic, blink-and-you-miss video features 53 Nike-sponsored athletes from 24 sports, including the Indian women’s cricket team.
Notable names include LeBron James, Naomi Osaka, Eliud Kipchoge, Caster Semenya, Rafael Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Serena and Venus Williams, Rory McIlroy and Colin Kaepernick. World Cup-winning US footballer Megan Rapinoe does the narration according to the reports published in indianexpress.com.
Keeping with the theme of togetherness and shared commonalities, the video is a nod to professionals, amateurs and everyday sport-lovers. Unconventional sports such as surfing, skateboarding and BMX also get a look-in.
The ad includes the highs of Tiger Woods’ comeback win at 2019 Masters and Frenchman Kylian Mbappe’s World Cup win, to lows including Tampa Bay Rays baseball player Oswaldo Arcia snapping his bat after being struck out.
The prominent themes include athletes’ relationship with social justice, specifically the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the long shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
