PayPal pays homage to video gamers with web series

Catherine Balston • 2 April 2019

A Story Productions crew was in Rio de Janeiro to capture the adrenaline at the Pro League Rainbow Six Seige finals last November, for a PayPal web documentary series

Rumour has it that esports could be included in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Times are changing. The reputation of video gamers being hidden away on their sofas at home, deprived of vitamin D, is outdated. The most popular games are not only big business, but they can generate a powerful sense of community, culminating in huge tournaments. At these live events, the most skilled gamers battle for five- and six-figure cash prizes, with stadiums packed to the rafters with fans.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, a tactical shooter video game published by Ubisoft, has a huge following; in June 2018, two and a half years after the game's launch, more than 40 million players were registered across all platforms. ESL’s (Electronic Sports League) Pro League Rainbow Six is one of the largest professional championships for the game, uniting gamers and fans from all across the world at each season’s championships. A Brazilian team were victorious in the Season 7 finals, but were defeated at the Season 8 finals, hosted at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro in November 2018.

The Pro League Rainbow Six event producer Biborg – a French agency that crafts interactive experiences for brands – is producing a series of web documentaries entitled The Six Unity, together with sponsor PayPal, that shows the power of the Rainbow Six Pro League to connect people. The first episode (watch above) – "All Invited" – was released last month, and a Story Productions camera assistant and sound operator joined the Biborg crew to shoot the episode at the Season 8 finals last year.

It was an intense two-day shoot, filming everyone involved from the players to the cosplayers to shoutcasters and fans. The Story crew, who speak French ( as well as English, German and Portuguese ), provided vital camera and sound support as well as multitasking to help translate for the Biborg team and collect release forms. Watch episode 1 above and episode 2 below.

Filming Rainbow Six Seige web series in São Paulo in 2017

Filming Rainbox Six Seige Player in São Paulo

The Rainbow Six Seige finals in Rio last November were not the first time that Story Productions has taken part in the creation of a web series to convey the passion of Rainbow Six Seige Players. In 2017, we provided a local crew for a four-part web series entitled "Escalation". The series followed three of the world's top-ranked teams, including Brazil's Team Liquid as they fought for victory during the 3rd season finale in São Paulo, where the Story Productions headquarters is located.

We worked with Biborg via French production company Dune, providing two camera operators, a fixer and local producer, as well as transport for the duration of the São Paulo shoot. Story Productions also sourced all the equipment for the shoot – including specialist cameras – and arranged Ancine authorisation for the shoot. This authorization, granted by the Brazilian Film Agency (ANCINE), is required for all foreign video productions within Brazil and can be acquired via a local production company. This is a service that we provide for nearly all of our foreign clients prior to filming in Brazil.

In each episode the professional gamers share details about their team strategy, sharing techniques and giving a fascinating insight into a game that is constantly evolving and forcing players to evolve to stay on top. Watch episode 1 above and check out the other episodes on www.biborg.com .

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