Short of the Week

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Documentary Scott Lazer

Ball People

Each year, over a thousand people apply to join the Ball Crew at the US Open tennis tournament. Being the only Grand Slam with no upper age limit, the ball crew draws a broad pool of talent vying for their spots. This film follows a group of applicants from the 2022 tryouts through the selection process and into the tournament.

Play
Documentary Scott Lazer

Ball People

Each year, over a thousand people apply to join the Ball Crew at the US Open tennis tournament. Being the only Grand Slam with no upper age limit, the ball crew draws a broad pool of talent vying for their spots. This film follows a group of applicants from the 2022 tryouts through the selection process and into the tournament.
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Ball People

Documentary about Community in Live-Action
Directed By Scott Lazer
Produced By Pomp&Clout
Made In USA

Wow! It’s the end of August already? To my fellow tennis enthusiasts, we know what that means—the US Open is almost here. Qualifiers started a couple of days ago and up until September 10th, Flushing Meadows Park turns into a tennis mecca. Now, when watching tennis, it is customary to look at the players hitting the balls. But, there is one group of people who are also on the court—a group that, by specific instruction, you’re meant not to notice…the ball people. We welcome back S/W alum Scott Lazer (West by God) with a documentary that provides focus on those you’re supposed to ignore, the unsung heroes of all tennis tournaments. From the application process to the tournament itself, Lazer follows the ball person journey, capturing it with sensitivity, humor, and lightheartedness, subverting the tropes of the conventional sports doc along the way. 

“I wanted to pay homage to a sport that I love in my own way.”

Lazer shared with us that, while watching Wimbledon one year, a specific movement by the ball crew caught his eye. Yanked into awareness of their presence on the court, Lazer was prompted to wonder “…how one becomes a ball person?” Quick research followed and he discovered that tryouts for the US Open exist. He immediately knew this might make for an interesting film and his research uncovered other advantages—unlike the other Grand Slam tournaments the US Open has no age requirements for the ball crew applications, making it unique, more inclusive, and evidently a more compelling group of aspiring ball people to follow. According to Lazer, each year, more than a thousand applications are received by the US Open. 

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A scene from the ball people locker room.

Simply following the prospective candidates could create a rather formless documentary, but Lazer does discover stakes for the film. The number of available spots is limited, which creates a competition dynamic in the narrative. Still, despite the ambition on display, there is an undeniable cheerfulness to it all, a quality that comes as a breath of fresh air for the sports and competition documentary genre. Lazer chooses his participants and some will make it and others won’t. But, we see them from the start of training up until the final decision and a supportive environment is maintained throughout.

It’s an interesting angle and Lazer tells us that he, “…wanted to pay homage to a sport that I love in my own way.” The unique entry point of the film accomplishes that and gives shine not only to the hopefuls but also gives a moment in the spotlight to those who train them. In our rush to celebrate the heroes and legends that are on the court swinging a racket, we often forget about the army of individuals behind the scenes who are necessary to create this experience. Ball People reminds us of that and introduces an entirely different way of loving this sport. 

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Lazer and Taylor McIntosh use the geometry of the court to interesting effect when shooting ball persons.

As the film is unabashedly a love letter to tennis, Lazer and DP, Taylor McIntosh, carefully give the film a strong visual aesthetic but preserve a hint of magic. I’ve said it in previous tennis-related shorts, but the nature of the court allows filmmakers a great canvas to create visually pleasing frames. In Ball People they also use it as a narrative tool to echo the place the ball people occupy on the court and thus in the spotlight. Editor Nico Frank also does an impressive job with the edit, giving the film an engaging pace, jumping between all the different applicants and the ball crew instructors, sharing their motivations and what brought them to this side of tennis. The film finds the right balance between having enough stories to get a diverse perspective but not too many so that we are prevented from getting emotionally involved in each individual journey.  

Ball People had its world premiere at the 2023 edition of SXSW, it went on to earn a Jury Special Mention at the Aspen Shortsfest before being released online this week through GQ Sports. Lazer already has a new documentary that should be hitting the festival circuit soon and he is also working on expanding this short into a feature. Between West by God and Ball People, Lazer’s versatility as a director is undeniable and we can’t wait to discover his upcoming projects.