Michael Ko - RELIC - ANCIENT AMBER

CREATIVE INTENT

The group challenge was to build a brand worth believing in using Papyrus. The concept landed on an ancient Egyptian brewery. Logo and labels were the group's. The commercial was mine.

A logo and a label can only carry a brand so far. Tone sells it — who this beer is for and what world it belongs to.

The Indiana Jones homage does two jobs. The obvious one: temple raider, Egyptian brewery, same frame. The one that matters: men in their thirties and forties grew up on those films. The wardrobe, the timing, the shape of the hero read instantly to them and to nobody else. The story wasn't chosen because it fit the brand. It was chosen because it fit the buyer.

Everything follows from that. Comedy played straight against cinematic craft, not motion graphics. One man alone in frame — because the target isn't watching an adventurer. He's watching himself as one.

The group challenge was to build a brand worth believing in using Papyrus. The concept landed on an ancient Egyptian brewery. Logo and labels were the group's. The commercial was mine.

A logo and a label can only carry a brand so far. Tone sells it — who this beer is for and what world it belongs to.

The Indiana Jones homage does two jobs. The obvious one: temple raider, Egyptian brewery, same frame. The one that matters: men in their thirties and forties grew up on those films. The wardrobe, the timing, the shape of the hero read instantly to them and to nobody else. The story wasn't chosen because it fit the brand. It was chosen because it fit the buyer.

Everything follows from that. Comedy played straight against cinematic craft, not motion graphics. One man alone in frame — because the target isn't watching an adventurer. He's watching himself as one.

CREATIVE INTENT

The group challenge was to build a brand worth believing in using Papyrus. The concept landed on an ancient Egyptian brewery. Logo and labels were the group's. The commercial was mine.

A logo and a label can only carry a brand so far. Tone sells it — who this beer is for and what world it belongs to.

The Indiana Jones homage does two jobs. The obvious one: temple raider, Egyptian brewery, same frame. The one that matters: men in their thirties and forties grew up on those films. The wardrobe, the timing, the shape of the hero read instantly to them and to nobody else. The story wasn't chosen because it fit the brand. It was chosen because it fit the buyer.

Everything follows from that. Comedy played straight against cinematic craft, not motion graphics. One man alone in frame — because the target isn't watching an adventurer. He's watching himself as one.

PROCESS & CRAFT

The synopsis was mine, written start to end in Claude and iterated toward commercial cuts — fast, legible, every shot carrying the story forward. Nothing decorative.

Getting the exact angles meant building 3D animatics before anything else. Camera, cut points, action, the trajectory of the face, when dialogue starts, expression and gesture — all iterated with Claude and locked before a frame was generated.

Character sheets, environments, product and label artwork built and locked as references. Post grade, compositing and fixes in After Effects and Premiere. Edit and sound design by me.

The synopsis was mine, written start to end in Claude and iterated toward commercial cuts — fast, legible, every shot carrying the story forward. Nothing decorative.

Getting the exact angles meant building 3D animatics before anything else. Camera, cut points, action, the trajectory of the face, when dialogue starts, expression and gesture — all iterated with Claude and locked before a frame was generated.

Character sheets, environments, product and label artwork built and locked as references. Post grade, compositing and fixes in After Effects and Premiere. Edit and sound design by me.

PROCESS & CRAFT

The synopsis was mine, written start to end in Claude and iterated toward commercial cuts — fast, legible, every shot carrying the story forward. Nothing decorative.

Getting the exact angles meant building 3D animatics before anything else. Camera, cut points, action, the trajectory of the face, when dialogue starts, expression and gesture — all iterated with Claude and locked before a frame was generated.

Character sheets, environments, product and label artwork built and locked as references. Post grade, compositing and fixes in After Effects and Premiere. Edit and sound design by me.

CHALLENGE & SOLUTION

Generative video drifts. Camera wanders, characters shift, continuity breaks — if you let the model make those calls. The animatics were the control layer. Blocking the whole spot in 3D meant the model was filling in a plan, not inventing one.

CHALLENGE & SOLUTION

Generative video drifts. Camera wanders, characters shift, continuity breaks — if you let the model make those calls. The animatics were the control layer. Blocking the whole spot in 3D meant the model was filling in a plan, not inventing one.