Get Lost in the Game

A product made for the moment

Respawn was launching gum and mints for gamers. The brief was to build awareness and encourage trial by making the product part of an authentic gaming ritual. The audience already knew the language of games, so the humour had to feel at home in that world.

The idea grew from the way players fill a game with their own imagination. As they get absorbed, the boundary between the screen and the room starts to blur. In our films, a piece of gum or a mint is the thing that crosses it.

A small action, an unexpected response

We developed a series of exchanges: a demon taking a gamer’s gum, a runner stealing mints, an NPC demanding a piece, and a crowd of game characters suddenly noticing the player’s snack. Each gives the product an active part in the joke.

The short format made timing a design decision. We needed to establish consumption within the first two seconds, then make the character interaction immediately readable. I kept the storyboards simple and used split screens to hold the gamer and character together. That gave the shoot and CG teams a clear structure to work towards.

Building the rooms around the product

Before the shoot, we worked through expressions, framing, wardrobe, lighting and set plans. Blue, pink and purple environments connected the rooms to the product flavours, with Razer peripherals and small personal details making each space feel lived in.

Wide lenses and expressive reactions supported the awkward humour. Framing guides planned room for the square and vertical adaptations from the shoot, keeping the product and performance visible across formats.

Bringing the two worlds together

The live performances became one half of the exchange. CG characters, gum and mints supplied the other, while the colourful portal and packshot system connected the films as a series. Later client updates refined details down to the gum colour and the final product frames.

The four films share a clear product moment, an exchange between gamer and character, and a consistent portal and packshot treatment.