Oregon will be in the international spotlight when top track and field athletes from across the globe compete in the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. Hayward Field, at the University of Oregon in Eugene, will host the July 15-24 event, which marks the first time the elite competition will be held in the United States.
Hordes of visitors are expected to watch the prestigious event in person. But those watching on TV will also get a taste of Oregon talent, thanks to the work of Quinn Connell, a 19-year-old U of O freshman cinema studies major. As part of a winter term motion graphics class, Connell created a brief, dynamic video that will be part of the global broadcast of World Athletics Championships events. That means as many as 1 billion people in more than 200 countries may see Connell’s video.
“I’m not a sports person,” Connell says, with a smile. “I’m a video editing nerd.” But he jumped at the chance to be among the more than a dozen students in his motion graphics class who competed to create the winning video (here’s the YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvgvgBJXjVw)
Nikki Dunsire, instructor for the class, says this was a rare challenge. Not only were students competing to have their work seen by an international audience, they were gaining valuable, real-world experience in working with a client.
Quinn Connell, 19, created a title sequence for the World Athletics Championships 2022 in Eugene that may be seen by as many as 1 billion people. (Photo montage: Courtesy of University of Oregon)
“I was throwing a lot at them technically, very fast,” Dunsire recalls. It was important, she says, to show “what it’s like to work with a live client. For students in school, these opportunities don’t come around often. It was a fantastic experience.”
For the students, Dunsire says, “It was a healthy competition, but on the other hand, we want to make sure that we’re fostering a collaborative environment. When you’re working in (video) production, it’s often a team sport,” so all the students gave feedback on each other’s projects
Connell’s winning work, selected by a panel of judges, is a tightly edited, 30-second title sequence, featuring athletes running, jumping, and leaping through the air, with brightly colored visual effects, set to a propulsive score.
The World Athletics Championships officials wanted the title video, which will also show on the Hayward Field video screen, to “hype up the crowd, to bring the energy up, to get excited for the games to officially begin,” as Connell says. “The keyword they used all the time was youthful vigor.”
Though Connell, who grew up in Lake Oswego, wasn’t a “massive sports fan,” the more he learned about the track and field championships, the more he saw creative possibilities.
With track and field events, Connell says, “It’s a very simple concept. It’s how far can you go, how high can you go, and how fast can someone go.” In his video, Connell was able to emphasize the speed, the height, and balance the branding guidelines with his own concept, as he says. “All the events are inherently cinematic.”
Connell has been making videos for, as he says, “as long as I can remember.” He drew early inspiration from YouTube channels that showcased amateur, but high-quality short films. Connell made stop-motion animated shorts, and learned how to use software to create visual effects. He posted his work on YouTube, and has his own channel, https://www.youtube.com/c/QuinnConnell/videos and his own website: https://www.quinnconnell.xyz/
Connell hopes his World Athletics Championships video will provide exposure and good opportunities for him. “Beyond that,” he says, “I want this to work for the event, and enhance how people watch.”
The World Athletics Championships Oregon 22 will be televised and streamed across NBCUniversal platforms, including NBC, the Peacock streaming service, USA Network, CNBC, and NBC Sports digital platforms.
More of our coverage:
World Athletics Championships 2022 schedule: A day-by-day look at the track & field events
How to get tickets to World Athletics Championships 2022 in Eugene