Return to Excellence

Client: Spartan Marching Band

Spartan Excellence

For years we have proudly partnered with the Spartan Marching Band to deliver goosebump-inducing hype videos announcing their arrival on game days. These videos energize the 75,000 fans in the crowd just before the SMB takes the field.

As one of the most recognizable university marching bands, Michigan State University’s Spartan Marching Band deserves nothing but the best. With the theme of “Return to Excellence,” the video for the 2022 season peeked behind the curtain to highlight the hard work that goes into SMB’s awe-inspiring shows. This was achieved by doing something we’ve never done before—filming practices. Juxtaposing the practice shots with game-day footage solidified the path from their sweat on the practice field to excellence in the stadium.

“Render has been a terrific partner with the Spartan Marching Band. Their creativity, vision, and professionalism has created an amazing product that showcases the detail, energy, and precision of our ensemble so well. Our yearly collaboration is an important part of sharing our ensemble with the Spartan community."

David Thornton

Spartan Marching Band

Thy Shadows

“MSU Shadows,” Michigan State University's Alma Mater, sings of the campus’ beauty when twilight begins to fall. The Spartan Marching Band plays “MSU Shadows” for all of Spartan Nation to hear in each pregame performance. To complement the football team's 2023 theme of "Thy Shadows" and to honor the significance of the alma mater for the band, our video utilized shadows and filmed during twilight as an homage to the lyric "when twilight silence falls."

Creating the Video

Take a look behind our curtain to see the creation of the "Return to Excellence" Spartan Marching Band video with our creative director, Garrett Jafano. Garrett was once a member of the Spartan Marching Band and used that experience to convey the sense of dedication, determination, and effort that goes into being a member of the SMB.