Blinkink and BBC’s jam-packed Euros spot begs the question: what’s the benefit of Easter eggs?

BBC Creative has called in Blinkink for its Men’s Euros promo trail, directed by Balázs Simon (who worked with the BBC on the Winter Olympics trail) and Raman Djafari (behind videos for Ashnikko, and Dua Lipa and Elton John). On first watch, the spot throws up a simple question: what is the benefit of an Easter egg?

The BBC has been using them across promos for sports coverage for years, and the UEFA Men’s Euros 2024 trail employs them with greater gusto than before. Using a pinball machine as a vehicle to explore the unpredictability of football, the 3D animation moves through rich backgrounds at rapid speed, so we see tiny animated details of Germany (this year’s host nation), as well as illustrated cameos from famous names in European football, for mere seconds on screen.

“What’s more fun than packing a scene with a massive amount of detail, of which 75 per cent is only visible on screen for six frames and will be missed by most people?” says Raman. “To be honest, it’s not only fun, [though it can] sometimes feel a bit pointless, in the end you get a world that feels visually rich and flamboyant, which you can’t make happen with shortcuts,” says Raman. In the case of the BBC, where a trail is watched over and over, Easter eggs have another important benefit: rewatch factor.

“This intro will be aired quite a few times before and during the games. We wanted to make it fun, energetic, but most of all, rewatchable. I’m sure that subsequent views will reveal quite a few references,” says Balázs. The pinball machine is almost a perfect mechanic for this. “The great thing about the iconography of the pinball world is that it’s always packed full of incredible details,” says Fred Rodwell, CD at BBC Creative. “That meant that we could try to squeeze in as many players, fan references, references to German culture or moments of archive commentary as possible.”

A lot of this rich detail is provided by the illustrator Cristina Daura. While the entire spot is created in 3D, with Blinkink working with Berlin studio Woodblock to create a realistically “janky” pinball look, Cristina is behind the 2D illustrations of footballers that cover the machine, sometimes popping out on plastic flaps. Raman had a feeling that Cristina’s illustrations would have a great “synergy” with his, asking her to work on the many illustrations needed for the project, with the help of Dan Lambert.

The final trail debuted 25 May and has a runtime of 40 seconds, introducing audiences to the world of UEFA Men’s Euros 2024 without a single piece of live action football shown on screen. The film will function as both a promo for the tournament and opening titles across all BBC coverage.