We’re delighted to share our latest commissioned work for UFEA ; the flagship film for the ‘BeAReferee’ campaign, launched to attract more young referees into the game. Conceived as a video game constructed of five different levels at five different stages of a refs’ career, this film allowed us to utilise a multi-faceted, dynamic approach to filmmaking. We wanted to capture the huge variety of circumstances referees find themselves in all the way up the football pyramid.

Hybrid approaches of first-person POV, heads-up display, bodycam footage and ball-follow shooting were employed, married together with game-style graphics that conjure tones of both retro and contemporary arcade games. Immersing ourselves as a crew in the intense headspace of the referees we worked with, with access to their live audio feeds, we saw first-hand how superbly alert and hyper-analytic you have to be at any given moment of a fixture in order to undertake the role successfully.

Making over 245 decisions per game (one decision every 22 seconds), the role of a referee had to be reflected truthfully in our action-packed, high-octane filmmaking, with added requirements of mass appeal and clear core messaging. At a time when respect for referees is more vital than ever, this film was the perfect opportunity to highlight the importance of match officials and the demanding nature of their role. Without them, there can be no football.