WhatsApp - UGO A Homecoming Story Ft. Giannis Antetokounmpo
What does ‘coming home’ really mean?
For someone with multiple points of cultural origin, the question begs: is it where you are born, or grew up? Where your heritage lies… or is it something much harder to define?
Greek-Nigerian NBA all-star Giannis ‘Ugo’ Antetokounmpo explores this story of a man with split roots, returning to his homeland of Nigeria for the first time in ‘Ugo - A Homecoming Story’ presented by WhatsApp. It’s a fast-moving deep dive into a very personal trip as he explores his heritage and reconnects with his own Homeland.. Directed by Rick Famuyiwa (The Mandalorian, Dope, Ashoka), Electric Studios were brought on board to design the vibrant visual language that runs throughout the film; everything from the graphic storytelling package to the aesthetic route and direction that makes up this stunning piece’s DNA.
The design ethos for the graphical elements of this documentary are rooted in location and tactility. With the titles, we wanted to make homage to the hand-painted shop signs you find on every street of Lagos, giving them an in-situ feel by playing into textural backgrounds. The R&D was fully handmade - we scavenged scrap yards looking for different woods, metals and plastics, on which we handpainted our chapter cards, rooting ourselves in the small details of imperfection to give the assets local authenticity. In our archival moments of historical footage and family photos, the need for tactility was carried through via layers of texture and the use of old camera framings (from super 8s and 16mm to phone screens).
WATCH THE FULL DOCUMENTARY HERE - UGO - A HOMECOMING STORY
CREDITS:
Client - WhatsApp
Creative Agency: Translation
Founder/CEO - Steve Stoute
Chief Creative Officer - Jason Campbell
Group Creative Director - Castro Desroches
Group Creative Director - Aryan Aminzadeh
Creative Director - Stephanie Cajucom
Creative Director - Dennis Kung
Sr. Art Director - Hailey Boerema
Sr. Writer - Eyob Yirgou
Jr. Art Director - Sandra Tsang
Head of Production - Alison Hill
Sr. Producer - Estevan Palomino
Sr. BA Manager - Paul Rodarte
Exec. GAD - Vincent Grover-Scicchitano
Account Director - Jean-Luc Ford
Account Executive - Katelyne Maroney
Dir. of Project Mang. - Matt DeSimone
Sadie Langemo - Sr. Project Manager
Production Company - SUPERPRIME
Director - Rick Famuyiwa
Director of Photography - Jess Hall
Managing Director/EP - Rebecca Skinner
Managing Dir/Sales - Michelle Ross
Senior EP - Kate Leahy
Head of Production/EP - Matt Sanders
Producer - James Graves
Post-Production Company: Electric Theatre Collective
Animation, Art & Design - Electric Studios
Head of Creative - Geoff Parsons
Executive Producer - Ben Honour
Executive Producer - Oliver Whitworth
Producer - Naima Souza Vogt
VFX Producer - Emma Hughes
Creative Director- Sam Tootal
Illustrator - Kingsley Nebechi
Lead Designer - Jess Gaynor
Colourist - Luke Morrison
Online Editor - Kingsley Bailey
Editorial Company: WORK
Editor - Nia Imani
Sr. Cutting Assistant - Chris Wronka
Managing Director - Erica Thompson
Head of Production - Chris Delarenal
Executive Producer - Alejandra Alarcon
Producer - Victor Medina
Music: Human
Executive Producer - James Dean Wells
Music Supervisor / Creative Lead - Mike Jurasits
Creative Lead - Craig Deleon
Producer - Joshua Green
Composers - Jonathan Russell, James Leibow, Matthew O’Malley, Seth Fruiterman, Jon Hubbell, Ed Dunne, Sidney Kennedy, Tom Keery
Sound Design + Mix: Post Human
Executive Producer - James Dean Wells
Post Producer - Rob Suchecki
Mix Engineer / Sound Designer - Sloan Alexander