In competition, the Texas Rollergirls are usually spinning around a track so quickly, the athletes are nothing but a blur. At such a high speed, it's hard to decipher the nuances of each skater — until now.
The Texas Rollergirls, founding members of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, released on Friday a promotional campaign directed by Mike Torres, filmed with a Phantom HD camera which captures 1,000 frames per second, producing an intensely dramatic slow-motion effect.
The concept for the promotional spots was written by local advertising agency, Zeehive, along with art director Aimee Blase of Blase Design, who just so happens to be a skater — a.k.a. Sinnerfold — on the Hell Mary’s team. The spots, filmed at Austin Studios and produced by Region-C Productions, feature various states of play between different league teams and genuine reactions of real-life fans.
"We are blown away. They have truly shown what it feels like to play flat track roller derby—the exhilaration, the force, the athleticism—in a way that has never been achieved before," Amanda "Sinnamon" Chiampi, Texas Rollergirls CRO, tells CultureMap.
"But [the spots] were also able to show the connection we have to our fans. The experience of watching derby can just sweep you up into the action. We are amazed at how well they captured that."
There are only three match-ups left this season, one of which is Saturday, June 8. Now, if only we could see the collisions, body slams and resulting facial expressions during an official bout at this speed…
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Look at the Texas Rollergirls schedule and purchase tickets online. Bouts take place at the Austin Convention Center.
