Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Suemay Oram, this powerful and riveting film delves into the incredible true story of Ramón Torres and the Spanish intellectually disabled basketball team’s dramatic journey to the gold medal at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000. The documentary exposes the shocking aftermath of their victory, where Ramón discovers that some of his teammates are not what they seem. Among them is an undercover journalist intent on revealing an outrageous scandal that will rock the world of Paralympic sport. As the scandal unravels, Ramón realizes that everything he believed in was a lie and is forced to confront not only the fraudulent conspiracy, but also a childhood scarred by bullying and trauma to find out who he really is.
Blue Spill joined the creative team of Stolen Gold with the goal of crafting a unified and visually compelling set of graphics that elevated the movie’s emotional narrative. Special attention was given to the opening sequence, which set the tone for the film’s distinctive aesthetic. Visual elements, inspired by the textures of basketballs and courts, were incorporated, along with fire imagery, symbolizing the characters’ passion and inner strength.
For the film’s investigative segments, we adopted a film noir style with heavy shadows and dramatic lighting. Newspaper clippings and documents were brought to life with movement and chiaroscuro lighting, guiding the viewer’s attention to important details quickly and effectively.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the project was tackling the sports sequences. Working with static images, we animated these stills to create the illusion of movement, enhancing the energy of the sports scenes. By carefully adjusting between frames, they brought the game’s dynamic spirit to life while maintaining the film’s cohesive visual style.
We created over 40 different sequences across the entire film using an ACES workflow within Adobe After Effects and Autodesk Flame for a REC709 delivery.
Blue Spill Credits:
GFX Supervisor
Ant Brownmoore
Design Director
Joe Nowacki
Creative Producer
Elliot Mander
Artists
Linda Scerpella
Joeseph Frascina
Grace Spalding
Post Production Co-ordinator
Daniel Fisher