TVBEurope talks to the team behind the film about Eddie Jones and the Japanese rugby teams shock win at the 2015 Rugby World Cup
By Jenny Priestley
Published: September 29, 2023 Updated: October 3, 2023
TVBEurope talks to the team behind the film about Eddie Jones and the Japanese rugby team's shock win at the 2015 Rugby World Cup
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Released globally earlier this month, The Brighton Miracle tells the true story of Japan's victory against the then two-time world champions South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Produced by Simon Le Bon, Yasmin Le Bon and Nick Wood of Syn Studios, alongside Tim Farmer of East Pool Films, and written and directed by Max Mannix, the film follows Eddie Jones, played in re-enactments by Star Wars actor Temuera Morrison as he prepared the Japanese rugby team for the game.
Temuera Morrison stars as Eddie Jones in The Brighton Miracle. Photo Credit The Brighton Miracle The film blends talking-head interviews with Jones and the players alongside re-enactments of events.
TVBEurope caught up with Nick Wood and Max Mannix to find out more about how they brought the film to the screen.
Where did the idea for the film come from? Mannix: I assisted Eddie Jones during his tenure as coach of the Japanese Rugby Team. With years of planning, it was Jones who drove the Japanese team - who at the time had the worst record in Rugby World Cup history to believe that they could beat South Africa, the strongest team in Rugby World Cup history. When it actually happened, and knowing up close the challenges the coach and captain overcame especially in relation to their health and losing family members -the idea for a film was difficult to ignore.
How did Syn Productions become involved? I knew co-founder Nick Wood from the fantastic work he was doing in Japan and internationally. We often spoke of working together and Nick's passion for this project was off the scale. Nick soon started recording music samples that captured the feel of the film and he also began attending producer meetings. The film wouldn't have happened without Nick and his fellow film producer Tim Farmer.
Nick Wood What does The Brighton Miracle refer to? The game took place in Brighton, UK. The media acclaimed the victory as a miracle. We used the title, The Brighton Miracle, as a working title and it eventually stuck.
In terms of filming, can you tell us what cameras and lenses you used? After consulting with DP, Jack Wareham, we decided to use the RED Camera system with Cooke S4 lenses. Jack conveyed to me how the RED camera system is so very versatile and economical, especially when shooting slow motion at a high resolution. As for the lenses, the Cooke S4s are the most natural cinematic lenses that don't need filtering to render a filmic look. So it was an easy choice.
Temeura Morrison as Eddie Jones and Lasarus Ratuere as Michael Leitch Did you use different cameras for the reenactments compared to the talking head scenes? Yes, after consulting with Jack, for the interviews we went with a Panasonic camera with Canon lenses. In post production, we blurred the corner of the interview frames slightly to give an anamorphic look that highlighted the interviewee.
What sound equipment did you use? Decisions were driven by Seth Jackson and Joel Hodgkinson of Soul Sound Design in Brisbane. All up, we used a 688 recorder. Lectrosonics wireless. DPA 6060 Lav mics, Schoeps cmit and Schoeps cmc6mk41 boom mics.
How was the film edited? Time was a big issue as we needed to hit a firm release date. Lead editor Cameron Hales was keen to edit in Adobe Premiere Pro. With the short turnaround we had three editors working around the clock under Cameron's direction.
Does the film include footage from the real match? Yes, we chose to use the real footage for the main game which, after permissions from World Rugby and key stakeholders (MasterCard, Land Rover, Heineken, DHL, Emirates and Soci t G n rale), we then sourced and negotiated footage directly from IMG.
Max Mannix How was the film colour graded? The film was graded in Resolve by Brisbane-based colourist Justin McDonald who was masterful in integrating the real game footage with the dramatic footage.
Is the film released in HD or 4K, and why did you choose that resolution? The film was finished in 4K so we could release it in cinemas and also so we could meet criteria for any streaming platforms.
What about sound, is it stereo or Dolby Atmos? We did a 5.1 surround Dolby mix and a stereo mix.
What was the biggest challenge of making the film? Apart from raising the budget, a lack of time to complete the project was definitely the biggest hurdle.
What's next on your development slate? A documentary about Japan's most noted Shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa. Tokugawa ruled Japan from 1603 and was responsible for moving the capital from Kyoto to Tokyo. We are very fortunate to be working with Iehiro Tokugawa, the 19th generation head of the Tokugawa family, and last remaining direct descendent of Ieyasu Tokugawa.
The Brighton Miracle is available to watch now on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vimeo and Microsoft Video.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
22/01/2026
Last November, Ed Sheeran returned to his musical roots for an intimate, one-nig...
22/01/2026
Every delay costs. When a subtitle fails QC, even the smallest issue can mean missed deadlines, extra vendor costs, or frustrated teams. The new Accurate.Video ...
22/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz, Qualcomm, and Motorola demonstrate successful 5G Broadcast comp...
22/01/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
21/01/2026
Wednesday 21 January 2026
Backing Britain on the global stage: Sky becomes an o...
21/01/2026
Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Resul...
21/01/2026
Baselight v7 brings colourists and post-houses smarter mattes, faster workflows and deeper control
FilmLight, known for its detailed colour toolset and longsta...
21/01/2026
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of Jackie Fox as its new Washington Correspondent. Jackie is a multimedia journalist with RT News and has repor...
19/01/2026
Monday 19 January 2026
Sky News reinvents News at Ten for the modern audience with The Wrap
Sky News today announces The Wrap, a bold evolution of its 10pm ou...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones is striking a new chord in piano miking with the debut of its DPK2015 Piano Stereo Kit, an out-of-the-box, plug-and-play miking solution that ta...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones will present its 4099 CORE Instrument Microphone and redesigned...
19/01/2026
Trianel relies on Arvato Systems for future-proof data center operations
Moving to the cloud: Arvato Systems implements extensive IT migration project
Migrat...
19/01/2026
Celebrating 21 Years of the RT Choice Music Prize
RT Choice Music Prize
In association with IMRO and IRMA
Irish Album of the Year 2025 - Shortlist Announce...
18/01/2026
January 18 2026, 21:30 (PST) Dolby Cinema Arrives in Bengaluru: Dolby Laborator...
16/01/2026
The start of a new year brings fresh possibilities. Whether you're diving in with big goals or simply setting new intentions, audiobooks can bring inspirati...
16/01/2026
In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...
15/01/2026
The SGL Carbon site in Bonn has a long tradition of training. For many years, young talent has been successfully trained here, regularly achieving excellent exa...
15/01/2026
The JEC Composites Innovation Awards annually honor the most innovative and ambi...
15/01/2026
X-energy Reactor Company, LLC ( X-energy ) and SGL Carbon LLC ( SGL ) have signed a 10-year framework agreement to provide graphite for the deployment of X-ener...
15/01/2026
RT is tonight announcing that Mari Hurley has decided to leave her role as RT 's Chief Financial Officer to take up a new position outside RT . Mari will r...
15/01/2026
15 Jan 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Reaches 3.0 million Customers with Starlink Dir...
15/01/2026
Views to free streaming service U grew by 15%, average monthly active users by 23% and registrations by 18%
UKTV's channels achieved record viewing share, ...
15/01/2026
Thursday 15 January 2026
Sky Sports to show Final Stage of inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup
Sky and FIFA have agreed an exclusive new partnership whi...
15/01/2026
Thursday 15 January 2026
The official trailer for the second season of Seth Mac...
15/01/2026
Wuppertal January 15, 2026
Riedel RefCam Takes Center Court in German Basketba...
15/01/2026
Arvato Systems Named Launch Partner for AWS European Sovereign Cloud
As a launch partner for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, Arvato Systems enables customer...
14/01/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 13th January, 2026 ITV, one of the UKs leading broadcasters, has selected Yospace, the global leader in Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), to ...
14/01/2026
Steiger Media's adoption of Calrec's compact Argo M console not only makes its innovative new hybrid truck faster, more efficient, and agile, but also e...
14/01/2026
Press Release: The Boston Globe Names Cartesian a Top Place to Work in 2025
January 14, 2026
News
Cartesian - January 14, 2026 - EINPresswire.com - Sp...
14/01/2026
Comscore and Marcus Theatres Announce Five-Year Extension for Cinema ACE and Ent...
14/01/2026
Comscore and Santikos Entertainment Announce Five-Year Circuit Wide Commitment t...
14/01/2026
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Sky News announces Cathy Newman to lead flagship new political programme
Sky News today announces that award-winning journalist and ...
14/01/2026
The first stamp of An Post's 2026 Stamp Programme, marking 100 Years of Broadcasting, was unveiled at the GPO by Patrick O'Donovan TD, Minister for Cult...
14/01/2026
It's official! Beverley Callard has landed in Carrigstown. The beloved actor, known for her unforgettable roles and iconic screen presence, is joining the c...
13/01/2026
Independent media in Brazil and Colombia is facing an urgent crisis of traditional business models alongside a deteriorating security environment, according to ...
13/01/2026
Some days you want your music to reflect a specific feeling, memory, or vibe that goes beyond a single artist or genre. You want to do more than listen. You wan...
13/01/2026
Luxembourg, December 17, 2025 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading spa...
13/01/2026
Written and executive produced by Steve Lightfoot and Angela LaManna, produced b...
13/01/2026
New updates to Hitmaker Expansion from Celemony and Softube Edit pitch-perfect vocals with Melodyne Essential and get radio-ready guitar tones from Softube...
13/01/2026
Live broadcasts from RT 2FM Breakfast with Carl, Roz & Aisling, RT Radio 1 Tod...
12/01/2026
Spotify's new co-CEOs, Alex Norstr m and Gustav S derstr m, start off the new year with a message of renewed leadership, creative responsibility, and what&#...
12/01/2026
At Spotify, we listen to a lot of music. And every year, our global editors and artist partnerships teams come together to spotlight the emerging voices we beli...
12/01/2026
Spotify's global editors and Songwriter & Publisher Partnerships team spend their days immersed in new music, tracking the writers behind the songs breaking...
12/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz opens larger office in Japan and increases its support for the J...
12/01/2026
X-Rite and Rhopoint Launch Rhopoint PANTORA Aesthetix to Streamline Creation of...
TVBEurope talks to the team behind the film about Eddie Jones and the Japanese rugby teams shock win at the 2015 Rugby World Cup
