RTE RUGBY 2022

WindMillLane studios collaborated with RTE to develop and create the overall look and feel of RTE Sport's 2022 rugby broadcast output. This consisted of two key motion design components; the main titles sequence and the studio digital wall design.

The Sculpture

The sculpture was our central design element, an imposing structure full of pent up tension and power. To get this core element just right we needed to pick the perfect rugby pose. Collaborating with RTE's Paul Gibney we settled on the 'tackle' as our chosen composition. Using the tackle as our centre piece gave us the perfect composition, two opposing forces coming together, both with equally divergent intentions, the story of rugby frozen in time.

The Rough and Smooth

RTE's creative brief contained some key requests and requirements. The overall aesthetic needed to feel physically real and hold gravitas but it also needed to have the utility to display game footage, footage that would change as the rugby season progressed. Our response to this question of incorporating footage was to develop a creative approach entitled 'the rough and the smooth'. Here we wanted to place within our very real looking 3D architectural space, large smooth concrete plinths. These strategically placed objects would become the backwalls for any footage projection. They would sit perfectly alongside the bold rough rock surfaces and the green and amber tones of a wide Irish landscape seen in the background.

For the edit and storytelling factor we wanted to keep the tone serious and reverential. Compositions with pools of light and exquisite detail surrounded by heavier darker spaces. We wanted to draw the viewers eye to key details; the rugby ball, the legs angled with tension and then slowly reveal the overall environment.

The Studio

The studio space plays a very different role to the title sequence, so it naturally took on a slightly different composition and tone to the opener. Here we needed to open up the space more and allow more light in to fill the space. This meant removing geometry and adding newer elements like curved glass panels.

RTE's studio 5 has a full digital wall with a curved corner section. This composition meant we needed to break the rules of a real 3d space and instead use obtuse tangential lines to re-create semi-real lines of perspective.