Nike’s latest film “Choose Go” contemplates an age-old question: What would happen if the world stopped spinning? Humorous responses come from basketball legend Kobe Bryant, scientist Bill Nye, sprinter Ge Manqi, gymnast Simone Biles and many more.
The combination of elite athletes, actors and hundreds of extras made for an often-chaotic film schedule. Nye, for example, delayed filming more than once to double-check calculations regarding the momentum the average person would need to contribute to actually get the earth moving. Meanwhile, Manqi proved to be anything but average — outrunning the drone tasked with filming her, necessitating multiple takes to capture the requisite footage.
That’s not all. Here are some more fun facts, broken up by key numbers that emerged during filming.
Two
The number of hamsters trained for five days to ensure one could execute the daylight performance. Why? Hamsters are nocturnal runners.
Four
The number of walls created for Giannis Antetokounmpo’s scene. Crafted from a corrugated foam breakaway fence, Antetokounmpo smashed through a practice wall and then proceeded to nail the scene using the three remaining takes available.
Five
The number of takes Kobe Bryant took to complete his scene, in which he wears a tear-away suit made with hundreds of tiny snaps that held the suit together. It took two people roughly six minutes to re-snap the garment between shots.
Six
The number of bow ties Nye brought to set. During breaks, he offered impromptu tying lessons.
15
The number of minutes a Parisian street could be closed for each take of Edinson Cavani’s shoot. After every 15-minute interval, the street reopened for public crossing. It is estimated that Cavani signed 100 autographs during each break.
32
The number of hours it took to create the pair of the 3D-printed, hand-painted, globetrotting Nike React shoes featured on Nye’s fingers.
6453
The home address of the film’s hero. The number spells out N-I-K-E on a keypad, and in reverse, it’s also legendary runner Steve Prefontaine’s best time in the mile to the tenth of a second: 3:54:6.
Nike is also launching seven new audio-guided runs from the voices of “Choose Go.” Nye, Biles, Antetokounmpo, Kevin Hart, Colleen Quigley, Evan Jager and Mo Farah each teamed up with Nike’s top coaches to provide guidance, motivation and inspiration to help runners improve their strength, speed and endurance. These will be available on the Nike Run Club (NRC App) beginning March 2.
