The Making of “Forever Is Made Now”

We’ve prepared a behind-the-scenes sizzle video and the below explanation to demystify the process behind Under Armour’s “Forever Is Made…

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The
Making
of
“Forever
Is
Made
Now”

We’ve prepared a behind-the-scenes sizzle video and the below explanation to demystify the process behind Under Armour's "Forever Is Made Now" commercial, illustrating how AI is a creative tool that is guided by people.

THE ASK

  • Create a video to promote Under Armour’s renewed partnership with 2x unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua ahead of his ‘Knockout Clash’ with heavyweight mixed martial artist and professional boxer Francis Ngannou.  
  • Video to be promoted on YouTube and social media channels. 
  • 4 weeks from concept to production and delivery of final videos.

THE CONCEPT

  • Encapsulate the mindset with which AJ approached his fight with Francis Ngannou, not seeing it as a stepping stone but instead hyper focused on the present. Not because he doesn’t care about his story or legacy, but because he knows the only way to tell it is in the present tense. The future is made when you fight like there is no tomorrow.
  • Focused on crafting a visual narrative that is suited to the strengths of AI visual output.  
  • 1 Week of Concepting, Scripting and Storyboarding with a CD/Writer, Director/Creative Lead, Co-Creative Lead/Art Director

PRODUCTION APPROACH

  • Upfront, we decided to take a mixed media approach using AI visuals/motion, custom CG and pre-existing live action footage owned by UA.
  • 2 weeks of visual development with AI Art Director, VFX and AI team in collaboration with UA and AJ’s teams 
  • 1 week of editing and online + offline post-production including colorist, 3 editors, sound design team, & music scoring team.
  • Key to making a video at this visual fidelity it required a blend of human creativity with AI.  
  • 21 dedicated individuals invested countless hours in conceptualizing, storyboarding, 3D modeling, and producing over 5,256 AI images and thousands of AI video clips (curated to 52 AI shots in the video) to build the video in conjunction with the existing assets.
  • In addition, there was previously shot content. This footage was edited in from pre-existing commercials that Under Armour owns the rights to.  
  • Full credits at end of page

PURPOSE / WHY AI?

  • Joshua’s prep for his upcoming fight required all of his attention so he was not available.  AI offered an opportunity to create surreal, high-concept footage without access to shooting custom content with AJ.    
  • Creatively, AI allowed us to create the motion graphics and transitional graphics to set the mood for the commercial.  
  • AI was used to generate images, motion graphics and create the VO narration to capture the ferocious intensity of Joshua’s dedication to boxing and allow us to tell this unique narrative for Under Armour. 

GUIDELINES

  • Create custom content using AI. Do not train AI on pre-existing footage provided by UA.
  • Use CG and previously shot live action footage for the detailed shots of AJ’s facial features and boxing movements.  

WATCH THE BEHIND THE SCENES SIZZLE

  • To show the process of creating this commercial, we created the below video.   
  • Our goal is to help the creative community and brands view how this was made.  
  • There is no magic AI button that will generate a commercial. AI is a creative tool that is guided by people.

"FOREVER IS MADE NOW"

Credits

Creative Agency & Production Company: Tool
Executive Creative Director: Wes Walker
Executive Producer: Dustin Callif
Producer: Jon Kolnoski 
Creative Director & Writer: Adam Koppel
Art Director: Rex Kane-Hart

Post-Production Studio: Abyss Digital
Creative Producer: Shapxo
Post-Producer: Yan Marchenko
Editors: Rex Kane-Hart & Mykyta Bereg
Assistant Editors: Saveliy Zhukov
Colorist: Yerlan Tanaev

AI Team Lead: Rex Kane-Hart
Creative Strategy: Vince Buyssens
Art Director: Aaron Vergult
AI Engineer: Bjarne Desmet

CGI / VFX Studio: Abyss Digital 
Creative Producer Producer: Shapxo
Post Producer: Ryan Marchenko

CGI / VFX Studio: WeAreFx Studio
Art Producer: Alexandr Dys
CGI Artist: Vladyslav Povoroznyk

CGI Simulations, Body Rigging: Buralqy

Music Composition: Pvali
Music Supervision & Orchestration: Louise Woodward
Sound: Concret.Form
Sound Design & Mix: Raphaël Ajuelos
Sound Editor: Kai Scheer

Original Footage (from prior Under Armour Commercials)

Production Company: new-land
Director: Gustav Johansson
DP: Andre Chemetoff

Production Company: Iconoclast Germany
Director: Maik Schuster
DP: Joao de Botelho