T&DA creates groundbreaking 100-meter visual experience ‘Taking off again with Kai Tak’ for Cathay at Kai Tak Sports Park
As visitors set foot on the new Kai Tak Sports Park West Bridge, they are not just walking a path—they are moving through a close to 100-meter-long visual journey of Hong Kong’s heritage and ambition. T&DA, the creative studio behind the flagship audio-visual experience, working in partnership with agency Leo Hong Kong, has unveiled a groundbreaking piece of content for Cathay, as part of their sponsorship of the West Bridge.
The project was a deeply personal one for T&DA Creative Director, Ray Leung. As an Australian Born Chinese (ABC), Leung’s connection to the brand and the city became the project’s creative compass.
“I’ve always felt a unique connection to Hong Kong, a refuge from the identity dysphoria that can come with growing up between two cultures,” explains Leung. “For me, Cathay was more than just my first airline; it was the carrier that always felt like it was taking me home. Our mission was to honor that legacy with a perspective that is uniquely familiar: a story of home, seen from the ground up.”
This “ground up” perspective was more than a concept; it was a literal production directive. The T&DA team embarked on a complex two-day shoot using Blackmagic’s 16K Ursa camera to capture the visuals. The production involved a complex underwater shoot, a nod to Cathay’s sponsorship of a local swimming hero, and a sophisticated “underground” rig, shooting talent from 3 meters off the ground through 40mm of plexiglass to capture a true “worm’s eye view”—bringing the on-the-ground story of Hong Kong to life.
This vision is powerfully evident in the final piece. T&DA’s approach was to painstakingly recreate Cathay’s entire history, blending historical accuracy with modern technology. Instead of using grainy archival footage directly in the final video, the team used archival imagery as a precise reference to rebuild the airline’s original ‘Betsy’ aircraft in full CG, ensuring every detail was honored. This commitment to recreation allowed them to build one seamless, modern visual language.
“We wanted to create a single, cohesive tapestry, not just a timeline,” says Tyrone Estephan, T&DA’s Executive Producer. “We built the journey across seven distinct backdrops. It starts with the CG-recreated heritage ‘Betsy’ aircraft and moves through 1960s Hong Kong, a vibrant China Dragon Dance, and the iconic cherry blossoms of Japan. It then transitions to the natural beauty of a canyon waterfall before celebrating our Hong Kong heroes.”
This celebration is the heart of the “ground up” story. The content pays homage to the individual triumph of Hong Kong’s local swimming talent—captured in the complex underwater shoot—and the collective roar of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, culminating in a final scene of fans celebrating at the new Kai Tak stadium itself. It’s a journey that cements the piece as a story “genuinely made for the people of Hong Kong.”
The T&DA team designed the experience for the unique, close to 100-meter-long canvas, paying close attention to ensuring the narrative could be understood from any point.
“Whether you’re just catching a glimpse as you pass by or you’re stopping to watch the whole thing,” Leung notes, “we wanted you to feel that same sense of pride, connection, and homecoming.”
Cathay
General Manager, Brand, Insights and Marketing Communications: Edward Bell
Head of Marketing Communications: Vivian Chan
Marketing Manager, Events & Sponsorship: Angel Wong
Marketing Lead, Events: Esther Guevara
Event Specialist: Adam Chow
Event Specialist: Rachael Ma
Leo Hong Kong
Chief Creative Officer: Christopher Lee
Head of Art: Stratos Efstathiou
Creative Director: Helen Yuen
Associate Creative Director: Sam Wong
Senior Art Director: Tish Sin
Copywriter: Bernice Chin
Managing Partner: Dennis Yeung
Business Director: Carrie Chan
Associate Account Director: Macy Lui
Senior Account Executive: Prudence Wong
T&DA (Technology & Design Agency)
Director: Ray Leung
Executive Producer: Tyrone Estephan
Producer: Caroline Macleod
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