Dvd Package
In 1998, Hollyweb was asked to produced the first retail dvd for a local mixed martial arts fight association. MMA was a growing sport, and we had two previous successful film shoots with the largest of fighting organizations, UFC. The fight card listed 12 matches to be held in the standard size boxing ring.
Production lighting was the first issue on the list. Being a new fighting company, they had not purchased the lighting needed to host a large event. Hollyweb purchased the 50 par cans and trussing necessary to light the room and boxing ring. We completely designed and setup the light truss to best hang above the ring and provide the necessary lights for an officially licensed card of matches. Four special effect lights were used to give traditional entrances for all fighters. This to date was our largest lighting project needed for a single production.
We used two separate cameras to film all fights for the dvd. One camera was located ringside while the second camera provided a wide angle shot from the back of the room. The final fight videos were edited to give two separate views of the fight from both close up and from a distance.
The design and mastering of the final dvd was, by far, the largest piece of the project. Because the dvd was created for an unknown company and name, we needed to make the design as if it were provided by a large nationally know fight name in the industry. We took screenshots from each individual fight and embedded the silhouettes of the fighters in a graffiti style fashion on a brick wall. Each individual fight was given its own menu screen and image. The main dvd menus used the same silhouette and graffiti art look, creating a grunge feel. In total, there were 15 menu pages allowing the viewer to watch the entire dvd from start to finish, or choose each from each individual fight on the card. Each menu was backed with soundbites from the ring announcer and atmosphere sounds recorded on the night of the event.
The final dvd was packed in a single dvd case with full color disk printing and an outer dvd case sleeve. The label and sleeve were designed with a bright, colorful graffiti look that grabbed the attention of any eyes that passed by. The art design had a cool factor that made fight fans curious to what the Uncooked MMA company had to offer. The company sold enough dvds to pay for the full video production, and ticket sales provided the company with their first net profit.