adidas F50i Media Day - From Start to Finish... Part One
The launch of the adidas F50i football boots has been a very exciting event in the world of football boots. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the media campaign, but all the content has to come from somewhere! SoccerBible was invited to the adidas media day, so our fans can see how the content is produced and give you an insight into upcoming cool virals to look out for. Here's part one of our diary for the day...
10.04am
We arrived at the top secret London location, expectant and excited about the day ahead. A quick tour of the venue and a run through who may be making an appearance - Aston Villa's starlet Ashley Young, Spurs strike duo Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko, and Arsenal's Samir Nasri.
10.17
First bad news of the day - Nasri won't be making it as the injury he picked up against Chelsea at the weekend means he's off limits from any promotional activity.
10.44
The camera and film crews do some last minute lighting and back drop prep, giving us an opportunity to sneak some shots of the new adidas F50i football boots. There is a complete cool range built around the new launch, including clothing and footballs. We can't resist the temptation to have a quick kick-a-bout with the boots and ball before the real pro's get here!
11.35
The first of the pro's expected today is Aston Villa and England winger Ashley Young. It's been quite a season for the pacey winger for both club and country, so we're eagerly anticipating his arrival.
11.40
Ashley Young arrives and it feels like the session can properly begin. After a brief introduction and discussion into what he's going to be involved in, it's off to get changed and try on the boots for the first time.
11.57
Dressed head-to-toe in new F50i gear, Young re-enters the photoshoot area and runs through a series of shots, ranging from simple keepy-uppies to moody standing shots. Slight panic as one of the action shots requires Ashley to strike the ball really hard, which is missed by the designated catcher and rebounds off the wall in the direction of some very expensive camera equipment. Suffice to say the photographer, unlike everyone else present, is not amused!
12.16
With the mandatory photoshoot out the way, it's now time to take things outside. The entourage follows Ashley out and he runs through the challenges set up by adidas. The stand-in keeper performs well to start, saving some shots - we think Young is going easy on him. This is confirmed when taking a penalty, Young spins round to connect and back heel the ball into the bottom corner. Class.
12.30
The schedule for the day has Spurs striking duo Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko arriving now. We're still out on the pitch filming with Young, where the crew have him doing some speed tests. It may sound strange, but he looks even quicker in real life - something we're sure regulars to Villa Park will agree with...
13.03
Jermain is stuck in traffic!?!
13.10
Roman 'Pav' Pavlyuchenko arrives and is hurried into the preparation room. We're a bit aprehensive as the rumour is Pav doesn't speak any English - and the smartly dressed companion is revealed as his interpreter. Mind you, football is the universal language, right? This shouldn't be too difficult....
13.23
Now in full F50i gear, Pavlyuchenko warms up with a few strikes on goal and some ball juggling. After a few sparring shots with Young as well, the players are put through their paces with some one-on-ones and then taken back for the crossbar challenge.
13.44
Not at all late, Jermain Defore sprints out onto the pitch and the banter really begins - both Ashley and Pav are in full cross bar challenge mode, and Defoe weighs in with his attempt seamlessly. The film crew move them forward now to the goal, with the instruction to hit the bar and then each post in turn from the edge of the area.
13.57
One wayward strike sees a shiny new cyan F50i football fly over the bar, over the stand and over the perimeter fence... "That'll be on ebay by this time tomorrow!" jokes Defoe's agent.
Part Two of the Media Day to follow...
