Carlsberg enlists 6 Brits to build the world’s 1st waterfall-powered pub

In a world first, Carlsberg teams up with creative agency, Fold7, and production company, Armoury, to launch a waterfall-powered pub off the back of a new four-part documentary series, ‘Build the Danish Way’. The branded documentary series turns reality TV on its head in a seven-day Danish lifestyle immersion

With this new piece of branded content, Carlsberg opts for a non-conventional approach to the reality TV format to re-imagine the beloved British institution with a unique Danish twist. The brewery giant challenged six strangers to ditch their office desks for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure experiencing the Danish way of living. Camping out in the magical wilderness of Tintagel, North Cornwall, the cast of young professionals are tasked with building a waterfall-powered pub, from scratch, in just five days – despite having zero building experience between them. Throughout the week, the cast discover what it’s like to escape modern-day distractions as they swap their smartphones for hardhats and handsaws. The six individuals not only reconnect with nature but also uncover surprising truths as they overcome various challenges.

Carlsberg and Fold7 partnered with London-based production company, Armoury, to create four five-minute films that immerse viewers in the cast’s fascinating and wanderlust-inducing journey. Shot in the mythical forests of Tintagel during summer, the visually stunning films transport the audience to a narrative that is, refreshingly, worlds away from our fast-paced daily grind. Equally original is the intimate but non-invasive way the documentary series portrays the six Brits’ stories developing.

Creative Director at Armoury, Jack Laurance, comments:

We’re all familiar with the idea of ordinary strangers competing in challenges but we wanted to add a unique spin to the Carlsberg films – taking the reality TV format and subverting it to give the series more weight and sincerity. To achieve this, we shot the series cinematically, using anamorphic lenses. We also drew on slightly more surreal and whimsical elements. For example, for the big climax at the end of episode one where the cast come face to face with the build crew for the first time, we focused on giving this encounter an almost otherworldly feel through the lack of dialogue, series of close-up shots, and the builders’ stylized wardrobe

Similarly, we felt that the cast’s back stories deserved to be explored in a more nuanced and subtle way to the overly dramatic reality TV approach we’re so used to seeing. For example, there’s a moment where one of the guys opens up about experiencing loss – rather than magnifying it as a sob story, we decided to lens this quietly and tenderly in a style that was more in line with the campaign’s message.

The cast of six was supervised by award-winning architect and Founder of New British Design, Ben Huggins. The carbon-neutral ‘Carlsberg Cabin’ pub is now available to rent on AirBnb.

‘Build the Danish Way’ launched on 13th August on Carlsberg’s YouTube channel.

Armoury Films is a Creative Production Company, formed in 2011. Between them, they have over 25 years experience working in branded content, advertising and feature films. An extended family of award winning creatives, directors and producers, Armoury makes films from scripts or from scratch working collaboratively with agencies and brands direct.

Credits

Advertiser: Carlsberg

Creative Agency: Fold7

Creative: Verity Messett

Creative Director: Ryan Newey

Agency Producer: Emily Rohan

Managing Partner: James Joyce

Senior Account Manager: Jono Craven

Account Manager: Jamie Craven

Titles Designer: Ben Gibbons

Art Department Designer: Ed Garland

Experiential Agency: Hyperactive

Executive Producer: Andrew Casher

Producer: Christine Cowin

Production Company: Armoury

Director: Jack Laurence

Producer: Matt Hichens

Production Manager: Billy Rowlinson

Production Co-ordinator: Katie Milner

Director of Photography: Jordan Buck

Camera Operator: James Rhodes

A Cam 1st AC: Alasdair Baines

Loader / 2nd AC / DIT: Josh Tilley

Camera Trainee: Maggie Stanczak

Camera Dept. Runner: Peter Davidson

Sound Recordist: Brendan Crehan

Sound Assistant: Marco Baldassarre

Runner: James Chatwin

Runner: Nat Willcocks

Drone Pilot: James Keith

Drone Op: Tom Hughes

Offline Editor: James Demetriou

Colourist: Tim Smith @ Electric Theatre Collective

Sound Design: Marcin Pawlik @ ENVY Advertising

Build Team: Ben Huggins, Hannah Huggins, Jon Wilcox, Miguel Fernandez, Toby Sharp, Fletcher Coney