WORLD
CUP
SUMMER
The world's football community is descending on New York City.
This isn't a commercial about the World Cup. It's a commercial about the city — three women already living it, already moving through it, already part of it — showing everyone else how to get involved without a $500 ticket.
FTBL LOCAL is the plug. This is how we tell that story.
Director's Vision
01
Three women. Three routes through New York City. One destination.
The World Cup is the backdrop — not the hero. The city is the hero. We shoot this like a documentary: handheld, natural light, real environments. No artifice. No polish that doesn't belong.
Each woman is already doing what FTBL LOCAL is about. Samantha just ran a pick-up game. Ruby is on the subway checking her phone, staring down the reality of $500 tickets. Shyla is emerging into daylight, scarf on, locked in. They're not performing for the camera — they're just going somewhere.
We're inspired by the energy of 90s NYC football culture — the informal, found-space quality of it. Think pitch-side documentation, not advertising.
Handheld on all three characters. Quick intercuts that build pace. The edit should feel like the city moves fast and you have to keep up.
No drone. No crane. Everything at eye level or below. The camera is a fourth person on the way to the same place. Natural light throughout — the subway's tungsten warmth on Ruby is a feature, not a problem to correct.
The final arrival shot is the only moment we break from movement. Hold it. Let it breathe.
Authentic environments, real NYC texture. No fake crowd scenes.
The edit accelerates. By :31 we're cutting every 2 seconds.
NYC is a character. Every frame should feel like nowhere else.
Friends going somewhere together. Joyful, not hype-y.
Mood & Tone
02Documentary handheld. Slightly warm grade. Real skin tones, real sweat. The kind of footage that looks like it was shot by someone who was just there.
Purposeful but not frantic. These aren't hype girls — they're people who know something you don't yet. Confident, inclusive, a little mischievous.
Slow open, building pace. The first three scenes breathe. Then from :31 onward we cut hard and fast, landing on the CTA with authority.
Cast
03Just wrapped a pick-up game somewhere in the city. She's still in kit — cleats on pavement, ball under her arm. This is her element. She's talking to camera mid-stride, totally comfortable, like she's been in front of a lens her whole life.
On the MTA, scrolling ticket prices. The tungsten warmth of the car is her whole aesthetic. She's the reality check — the one who says what everyone's thinking. Eyes on phone for the first beat of her line, then straight up to camera.
Match-day scarf, coming up out of the ground into daylight. The pivot character — she takes Ruby's reality check and flips it into action. Energetic but not over the top. The kind of person who makes you feel like you're already late to something good.
All three cast as real NYC football community members where possible — not actors playing the part. Authentic connection to the game will read on camera. Ages 20s–30s, any background. Chemistry between the three on the final arrival shot is critical — ideally they know each other or we build in rehearsal time.
Shot List
04| # | Character | Description | Location | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | SAM | Wide — Samantha walking away from a pitch, ball under arm, cleats in hand or on feet. Establish her world. | Pier 5 / McCarren Park | Wide EST |
| 02 | RUBY | Wide — Ruby seated on subway, commuters around her. Environmental establish. | A/C/E or L train car | Wide EST |
| 03 | SHYLA | Wide — Shyla walking street-level, scarf visible, pace purposeful. | Williamsburg / Brooklyn | Wide EST |
| 04 | SAM | Medium — Samantha to camera mid-stride. Cleats clicking on pavement audible. Delivers line 1. | Sidewalk near pitch | MED OTS |
| 05 | SAM | Insert — Cleats on pavement, low angle. Pure texture shot. Optional B-roll. | Sidewalk | INSERT |
| 06 | RUBY | Medium — Ruby on subway, phone in hand. Warm tungsten light. Delivers line 2 — eyes on phone first beat, then up to cam. | Subway car interior | MED DIRECT |
| 07 | RUBY | Insert — Phone screen showing ticket listing / eye-watering price. Quick cut in edit. | Subway car | INSERT |
| 08 | SHYLA | Medium — Shyla emerges from subway stairs into daylight. The transition from underground warmth to street light. Delivers line 3 as she hits the street. | Subway exit — Bedford Ave or similar | MED MOVING |
| 09 | SAM | Medium — faster pace now, Samantha delivering activations/events line. Intercutting begins. | Street | MED HANDHELD |
| 10 | RUBY | Medium — Ruby now off subway / walking, delivers supporter groups / bars / fields line. | Street near station | MED WALKING |
| 11 | SHYLA | Close — Shyla, slightly slower beat. "And we don't want you to miss out." Pause lands here. | Street | CU DIRECT |
| 12 | SAM | Medium — "FTBL Local is going to be your local soccer plug." Samantha spots destination ahead. | Final approach street | MED DIRECT |
| 13 | RUBY | Medium — "Find out what's going on and how to get involved." | Final approach street | MED DIRECT |
| 14 | SHYLA | Wide → Medium — All three arrive. Three-way greeting, energy, laughter. Hold on this. Shyla turns back: "FTBLLocal.com." | Destination — bar / pitch / rooftop | WIDE → MED |
| 15 | — | Title card — FTBL LOCAL logo lockup. Hold 3–4 seconds. FTBLLocal.com lower third. | Post / Graphics | TITLE CARD |
Music & Sound
05
Tempo: Starts understated — something that feels like a city waking up. Builds steadily through the intercutting section. By :44 it should be driving hard enough to carry the CTA without feeling like a sports ad.
Genre direction: Afrobeats-adjacent, UK garage, or neo-soul with forward momentum. Something that reads as global but sounds distinctly like New York right now. No EDM builds. No trap hi-hats.
Lyrics: Preferably instrumental or minimal vocals during the dialogue sections. A lyric-heavy drop can land on the arrival at :54.
Sound design is as important as the music track. The ambient layer tells the story of where each character is.
Samantha: Cleats on concrete, distant shouts from the pitch, a ball bouncing.
Ruby: Subway rumble, MTA announcement in the distance, the scrape of someone's bag on a seat.
Shyla: The city opening up as she exits the subway — traffic, wind, the hiss of a bus door.
These ambiences blend under the music rather than sitting on top. The mix should feel layered and alive.
Production Schedule
06Crew
07Strong vérité background. Comfortable shooting handheld in live city environments. Experience with character-driven spots.
TBDSingle camera operator preferred. Handheld-native. Comfortable in subway environments and moving talent. BMPCC 4K or similar.
TBDHelm Creative producing. Responsible for permits, scheduling, and day-of logistics across multiple NYC locations.
Helm CreativeFollow focus on moving talent shots. Lens changes between locations. Small, agile kit preferred.
OpenLavalier on all three cast. Subway environment will require noise handling. Boom optional on exterior shots.
OpenMusic-led editing sensibility. Comfortable building pace through intercutting. Colour grade capability or close relationship with colourist.
TBDLight touch. Kit for Samantha must be authentic. Ruby and Shyla — city casual, fan culture visible. Nothing looks costumed.
OpenLocation management, crowd control on exterior shots, MTA liaison on shoot day.
OpenWarm, filmic grade. Preserve the natural light differentials between environments — don't flatten them.
TBDScript
08Quick-cut triptych: Samantha leaving a pitch in cleats, ball under arm. Ruby seated on the subway, earbuds in. Shyla walking with a match-day scarf. No dialogue — music and ambient sound only.
Handheld, natural light. Still in full kit — cleats on pavement, ball under arm. Mid-stride to camera.
Subway car interior — warm tungsten light, commuters in background. Scrolling phone. Insert: ticket price screen. Looks up with "you see this?" energy.
Emerges from subway staircase into daylight — visual handoff from Ruby underground. Energetic, decisive.
Pace increases. Fast cuts. Ruby now off subway and walking.
Close to the destination. Purposeful pace.
All three arrive. Three-way greeting, energy, laughter. Hold on this. Title card.