Dragons Rugby - Dragons Rugby

With a budget less than half of the national average for a commercial brand film commission, our challenge was to generate emotional connection without being able to lean purely on financially-fuelled spectacle.  Additionally, this piece was commissioned in the off-season for the club, meaning that ‘live’ footage was not available and due to commercial restrictions the use of kit and equipment showing previous sponsors was not permissible on screen.  These restrictions were trying, but they also focused our minds to consider the creative challenge from different perspectives.

Having ‘rugby’ taken away from our visual options (when promoting a rugby team) could well have floored many an agency, but our realisation in this instance was that we were best to tell the story of the club through those around it, not those inside it.  The story we wanted to tell, rather, was of South Wales, of Gwent, and by tackling some of the more difficult elements of life in that part of the world we could position Dragons as a symbol of pride.  Unemployment, public-sector cuts, and dwindling industries are, sadly, part of life - but so are the pride of place, the love of the arts and a love of language on which our concept could hinge.