Iowa Wild and San Jose Barracuda score with an assist by Trilix

The sounds of skates and sticks on ice, players slamming against the boards, classic songs, the roar of the audience and the deafening blare of the goal horn all contribute to a thrilling atmosphere that keeps the players and spectators engaged and excited about the game.

It’s important to establish an exhilarating atmosphere before the action begins and maintain the energy until the end of the game. Doing so creates a memorable experience that will encourage loyal fans.

Since ice hockey is a spectator sport, the Iowa Wild and San Jose Barracuda partner with Trilix to bring game days to life by getting fans in the door and generating enthusiasm once they hit their seats. The excitement of the crowd helps the players on the ice stay motivated throughout the game and creates a fun experience for everyone.

One of the best ways to get spectators hyped before the game begins is to welcome the home team to the ice with a memorable entrance complete with an awesome intro video, loud music, cool lights and a talented announcer.

Trilix works with each team to produce the intro video played before all their home games throughout the season. In the 2023–2024 regular season, both the Iowa Wild and San Jose Barracuda will play 36 home games.

Driving the crowd wild

The Iowa Wild has worked with Trilix to produce their intro video for 10 of their 11 seasons so far in Des Moines, Iowa.

“It’s their big kickoff piece each year,” said Alex Rich, Trilix senior account manager. “At each game, it builds up the hype in the arena and gets people excited. People want to be there to see the video before puck drop.”

This year’s Iowa Wild intro video explores the drive and emotion of the sport as told through the eyes of a teenager who aspires to be a professional hockey player. The video incorporates player headshots, motion design elements and shots of the players on the ice before cutting back to the teen watching a goal on his TV. Then the music resumes, setting a fast, almost frantic pace, and a high-energy sequence of game highlights from last season carries the video to its conclusion.

“For the intro video, we like to end it on a big crescendo with a call to action or a big boom to get the fans excited,” Alex described. “The back half of the video usually includes highlights, broadcast calls, hits, blocks, saves and goals to get fans hyped.”

The Barracuda boosts player recognition

The San Jose Barracuda intro video focuses on its players and their skill from beginning to end. Several key shots of players in action are combined with last season’s highlights, imagery of the ocean and San Jose, and shots of individual players. Red lighting at different places in the video and repeating lyrics create an ominous feel that builds to the drop and a fast-paced sequence of player shots.

Media day is where the magic happens

Interviews and shots of players are captured at a preseason media day for each team. For the Barracuda, a few members of our team flew out to San Jose to capture footage for the intro video and headshots.

On media day for the Iowa Wild, several Trilix team members were on location to capture content for a media kit that is used throughout the season. We set up multiple rooms to film shots for the intro video, headshots, theme night content, radio announcements, and a rapid-fire question segment sponsored by Scheels.

To capture the material we need while disrupting the teams as little as possible as they’re preparing for the season ahead, several months of planning go into making media day run smoothly. But planning for the intro videos started even earlier in January for the current season. This helps our clients focus on playing the best season possible, as most of the work is already done before opening night.

Because of the tight turnaround between media day and the start of the regular season for both teams, we try to get what we can finished before then, which helps us know what needs to be captured at media day and where it will go in the final pieces. For the Iowa Wild intro video, this meant hiring the featured teen and filming his scenes.

In the short time between media day and opening night, the intro videos and player headshots are finalized and approved. This includes audio engineering to refine the sound in the videos and a color pass to match the colors in each shot. Ribbon boards are also created for both the intro videos and headshots to play around the arena as a supporting element to the videos on the main screen.

As many sports teams learned while performing in empty stadiums and arenas during the COVID-19 pandemic, fans play an important role in spectator sports, such as hockey. They contribute to the thrilling atmosphere that keeps the players motivated and creates a fun experience for everyone. Ensuring a memorable experience for attendees often starts with an exciting intro video and ends with them returning for another game.