Imaginary Forces Leaks Asian Calligraphy into Life for Sapporo

Imaginary Forces (IF) director Michelle Dougherty gives iconic, ancient Japanese imagery new life in the indisputably eloquent :60/:30 “Lounge” for Sapporo out of DentsuBos, Toronto.  The chic, sultry animated :60/:30 features a well-heeled club being overtaken by Japanese Sumi-e paintings of warriors, musicians, and muses.  The spot, co-directed with Karin Fong, is also airing in the U.S. 

“Sumi-e ink paintings are not meant to simply recreate an image, but are intended to capture its spirit. When creating the artwork, the artist needs to be as inspired by the nature of its subject more than its actual image." Says IF’s Dougherty

"By using this style of painting with Sapporo, we are able to showcase a brand that embraces its heritage, yet remains sophisticated in modern environments. And, in 'Lounge,' the Sapporo can literally provides this visual experience by transforming a common drop of condensation into the artist’s ink, and bringing paintings to life," adds Dougherty.

Credits

Client: Sleeman Breweries Ltd.

Brand: Sapporo

Title: “Lounge” :60/:30

Agency: DentsuBos, Toronto

Agency Producer: Dena Thompson

Agency Creative Directors: Andy Mason, Andy McKay, Wade Hasson

Agency Copywriter: Shelly Dwyer

Designed & Produced by: Imaginary Forces

Creative Directors: Michelle Dougherty, Karin Fong

Executive Producer: Ben Apley

Head of Production: Claudina Mercado

Producer: Brian Butcher

Lead Illustrator/Designer: Arisu Kashiwagi

Designers: Michelle Dougherty, Karin Fong, Charles Khoury, Arisu Kashiwagi, My Tran, Kris Fortin, Wes Yang

Animators: Eric Demeusy, Joseph Langmuir, Gary Hebert, Meats Meier, Pota Tseng, Michael Rogers, Lindsey Butterworth, Sam Ortiz, Eugene Goryachev, Maziar Majd

Lead Editors: Nathaniel Park, Danielle White, Phil Jackson, Stacy Auckland

Assistant Editor: Alex Frankel

Inferno Artist: Eric Mason

Storyboard Artist: Bernard Custodio

Coordinators: Dominick Guglielmo, Joseph Abou-Sakher, Nicole Zschiesche, Ryan Speers

Design Interns: Lisa Chen, Jeannie Park, Hannah Kim, Katherine Liang

Production Company: IF Live

Director: Michelle Dougherty, Karin Fong

Executive Producer: Ben Apley

Producer: Brian Butcher

Director of Photography: John Lynch

VFX Supervisor: Eric Mason

Production Services (SA): The Big Pictures

Producer: Nicola Corte

Color Correction: Incendio

Colorist: Clark Mueller

Music and Sound Design: Vapor Music

Creative Director: Joey Serlin

Executive Producer: Lindsey Bates

Head Engineer: Julian Rudd