After the success of our Carlsberg “Journey” commercial, Owens DDB commissioned the Film and Post team to work on their next campaign to introduce Carlsberg’s new beer glass for 2012.
For “Through the Ages”, we portray the captivating story of the perfect pint through a series of glasses that represent Carlsberg’s brewing history of more than 160 years. The commercial was a fun example of our co-creative process. In consultation with the Carlsberg Museum’s archivist in Denmark, we sourced props that were representative of the glasses used in the actual eras depicted. We had the good fortune of having two fantastic Soho pubs, the Dog and Duck and the Coach and Horses, both with wonderfully preserved period décor. And, we were able to enlist a stylist to transform our cast to fit the settings.
We open the commercial as if we are looking through a zoetrope, a great starting point to illustrate Carlsberg’s inception in 1847. An illustrated beer tankard, typical of the era, spins on a parchment-like background. We transition to the 1920’s and see a hand-tinted goblet of beer set against a black-and-white backdrop of our flappers and chaps at the Dog and Duck. Decorative flourishes incorporating Carlsberg branding frame the screen.
Next, we find ourselves in the 1960s, and a tall connoisseur beer glass stands in the foreground on the table while the cast, now coiffured and styled for the 1960s, socialises in another Soho favourite, The Coach and Horses. Finally, we reveal the 2012 glass triumphantly glowing against a black and green backdrop consistent with the Carlsberg 2012 poster campaign.
Sound design and music from our audio production partners helped to bring each scene to life. We move from honky-tonk piano through to the Charleston, old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll and end with a nightclubbing track. To capture the refreshing look of each perfect pint, we returned to the studio for another high speed Phantom shoot. Our VFX team composited the beautiful beer into the scenes, and our colourist provided DI services and a delectable grade to represent each era and the medium of film typical of the period.
This was the second of our series of commercials for Carlsberg airing in Ireland.