Dublin agency Third Mind teams with South African animation studio Pocket on a dark and dramatic spot evoking a rough woodblock aesthetic for Forged Irish Stout, the beverage brand owned by MMA star Conor McGregor.

Max Fedorov, CD at Third Mind: “With its rich narrative, captivating visuals, and unmistakable Irishness, we shot this advert to captivate audiences and entice them into the world of Forged Irish Stout. We decided against using the traditional white or paper background for animation, choosing instead to nod to the Forged brand colors of cream and yellow on a black background, which meant an incredibly long production timeline.

“The unique and labor-intensive production process took place over the course of ten months and required us to build a bespoke camera-rig to shoot over 25kg of drawings which took 1,000+ hours to create partnering with the animators at Pocket.”
 
 

 
Client: Forged Irish Stout

Agency: Third Mind
CD: Max Fedorov, Emily Fedorov
Visual/Concept Design: Patrick Kelleher, Ivette Matavacas Alibes
Animation Rig Design/Build: Max Fedorov
Script: Sam Kirwan
Storyboard Artist: Ian McCafferty

Production: Pocket
Lead Animator: Stuart Cloete
Animator: Cara Bush, Ric Capecchi
Illustrator: Cam Lofstrand, Yashira Singh

Audio: Windmill Lane
Sound Design: Tom Morris