Wisconsin Football: The "Wisconsin Experience" Is an Experience Unto Itself

When it comes to great game day atmospheres in college football, the conversation is never complete without mentioning the University of Wisconsin.

It seemingly combines all the best parts of the sport with rowdy fans, incredible surroundings and an electricity sustained from pregame to bar time. 

How do you embody that experience? How do you bottle that indescribable energy?

You make it into an incredible short film of course. That's what Amy Johnson did anyway and her "Wisconsin Football Experience" project is picking up some major viral velocity.

The cinematography is astoundingly clear and the music choices elicit an almost emotional response as Johnson and her crew captured the Badgers' game against the University of Nebraska. What's more, the timing of the video's release coincides nicely as the Rose Bowl looms on the horizon.

For a behind-the-scenes look at a behind-the-scenes sensation, Johnson answered some questions about the "love letter to her alma mater."

What motivated you to create this film?

For me, this was a story that had to be told.  I graduated from the UW in 2002 and from 2003-2008, I was the coach of the UW Dance Team.  Being a part of a Wisconsin game day experience is like no other and there is no way to explain it to an "outsider."  To my knowledge, there was nothing out there that showed the true game day experience from all sides.

I wanted to show everything from the preparations at the stadium to football practice to the events on game day. Consequently, this was not meant to be a highlight of the game, rather it was created to highlight the experience.

It seems like you have cameras everywhere. How big was the production team?

Our style of shooting is cinematic so the goal was to make it seem like we had many cameras.  The events leading up to the game during the week were shot with 1-2 cinematographers. On game day, we shot with four. 

We worked very closely with the athletic department to ensure we got every shot on our "wish list."  I literally gave them my wish list fully expecting them to think I was crazy, but the department was fully on board with my vision. That was critical to making the story great.

We were given access to the locker rooms, allowed to run onto the field with the team, and to film the student section during Jump Around (which is normally not allowed.)

We ended up with almost 16 hours of footage that was eventually cut down to about 5.5 minutes.  

Looking back, is there a key element that makes the Wisconsin experience exceptional?

This piece was very personal for me as I loved every second I spent there as an undergrad and as a coach.  There were definitely a few moments when I was looking through the viewfinder on the camera and I knew we were making something special.  While editing the film, I found myself in tears a few times, especially during Jump Around.

Before the film was released, I emailed it to a long-time friend and Wisconsin graduate to get his reaction. As he was watching it, his wife walked in and wanted to know why he was crying.  While that gave me a good laugh, it also confirmed for me that we captured what it means to be a Wisconsin Badger.