In 2007, Icon provided Barcelona production services for Framed, an original television series created by Reebok Entertainment in partnership with Roadside Entertainment and Carat/MY Entertainment for IFC.
The six-part series brought together leading figures from sport and entertainment with an unusual premise: the entertainer would step behind the camera and create a short film about the athlete. Each half-hour episode followed the pair through the filmmaking process, from their first creative conversations to the finished film.
For the Barcelona episode, Spanish actor Paz Vega was paired with Thierry Henry, newly arrived in the city following his move to FC Barcelona. Vega became the first-time director, with Henry as her subject, as the programme followed them over two days getting to know one another and developing the film.
Icon handled the production on the ground in Barcelona, providing the local infrastructure required for an ambitious international shoot. The archive records extensive location preparation and street casting alongside camera support, assistants, security, production vehicles, communications and a substantial lighting and grip package.
The project involved large HMIs, Kino Flos, frames, generators and specialist equipment, turning Barcelona locations into controlled filming environments while allowing the programme to retain the spontaneous feel at the heart of the Framed format.
The result formed part of one of Reebok’s earliest experiments in original branded television, at a moment when brands were beginning to explore something beyond conventional advertising: making entertainment people might actually choose to watch. The series premiered on IFC in December 2007.
I think this is much stronger than our first version. The key thing we’d been missing was Paz Vega’s role. She wasn’t simply celebrity talent appearing alongside Henry. She was the creative conceit of the episode: actress becomes director, footballer becomes subject, Barcelona becomes the setting.