The NFL announced this week that it plans to run its first ever high definition commercial during Super Bowl XXXIX on Sunday.
The final commercial in a series of advertisements for the 2004 NFL Playoffs features Don Cheadle that mixes historical NFL Films footage in a seamless football sequence tied to the NFL's 2004 theme of "Building Bridges." Cheadle has been nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for "Hotel Rwanda."
NFL Films used researchers to locate the original film for each of the 30-plus historical clips used in the commercial, going back to the original negatives and restoring them in HD quality. "We don't believe in out-takes, we save everything from the Super Bowl," said Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films. Colorist Chris Pepperman retransferred the footage to HD with art direction by Penny Ashman; Elisabeth Silverman served as editor.
