Hollywood, the French film industry, Steven Spielberg, Luc Besson. War of the Worlds, ET, Jaws, Léon, Nikita, The Fifth Element. Your boys took a hell of a beating.

An unknown Yorkshireman and his producer were hailed as the heroes of London's triumphant Olympic bid after their five-minute promotional film saw off big-budget presentations directed by Besson and Spielberg for Paris and New York.

Daryl Goodrich, 40, a sports and commercial director who has never directed a feature film, and producer Caroline Rowland created Inspiration,a short film which was shown to International Olympic Committee delegates either side of London 2012's final presentation by Lord Coe.

As Besson enjoyed VIP treatment in Singapore, describing his home city's final pitch as "perfect", Goodrich and Rowland were left behind in London, where they joined the crowds in Trafalgar Square.

But the lavish portrait of Paris by the French director was eclipsed by Inspiration, which was shot for £400,000, said to be a fraction of Besson's budget.

Their film told the story of how the Olympics could inspire children around the world. The first segment showed four children from Mexico, Africa, Russia and China watching images of London winning the 2012 bid. The second segment followed them growing up and chasing their dreams of being Olympian cyclists, runners, swimmers and gymnasts.

The pair have produced the latest adverts for Travelex and commercials for Ford and BA. Rowland said she believed their non-partisan approach paid off, in contrast to the French bid's more traditional showcase of their capital city.

"It's very hard to criticise Besson for his film-making skills, but it seems France's decision was to make a presentation like a tourist film to show the attributes of Paris. I think they took quite a safe route which perhaps backfired.

"I think it raised a few eyebrows when Spielberg and Besson were involved and it was announced that Goodrich and Rowland would make the film for London. It's nice to come through at the end."