Breakdown of a Top-Tier Tumble

When The Wall Street Journal's gymnastics reporter walked me through the stunning complexity of Olympian Aly Raisman's opening tumbling pass, I knew we needed to make a video. A sports dissection may not seem like obvious territory for WSJ, but it sits in the publication's sweet spot: taking something complicated and making it interesting to a broad audience.

 

Raisman's gold-medal-winning tumble crammed six skills into seven seconds. The speed made it almost impossible to comprehend. Teaming up with a fellow producer and a motion graphics designer, we decided to use high frame rate photography, graphic annotations, and Raisman's own words to break down the feat. We wanted the explanation to be intuitive and exhilarating. 

 

I prepped the print reporter for a detailed interview, recorded it, and then choreographed the shoot in Raisman's training gym. Our video received millions of views, snagged a spot on the front page of Reddit, and gave people a deeper sense of awe at what they'd see on their TVs during the 2016 Olympics. (For the record, Raisman nailed it.)

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Head back to my main portfolio page, or check out another example of how I like to make complicated subjects understandable.