10/12/09 – The Sufix fishing line weaves a story that rivals all tall fish tales.  The bright yellow line is the hero of our story, surviving weeds, trees, old wrecks and a giant gator. But the big one can't escape his ultimate fate. And like all good stories, our hero Sufix line leaves us with a fairy tale catch.

Gasket Studios and advertising agency Pocket Hercules partnered to create this striking, dramatic and graphic commercial to showcase Sufix, "the worlds most hardcore fishing line."  Client Rapala, who owns the Sufix brand, wanted the spot to be true to Florida-style bass fishing, known for tough conditions and record catches. The action of the fisherman, line, fish, reel drag and turnaround were very important and needed to capture the spirit and drama of a real bass fight, while making the Sufix line (and ultimately the fisherman using it) the winner.

The spot is scheduled to air in the American southeast beginning January 1st, 2010, and internationally after that.
 

  
Creative director Greg Shultz was inspired by the hand drawn images from Charles Darwin's exploration of the Galapagos Islands. Those images and others like it, capture a raw, primal moment in natural history, and tell the story of new discovery. In keeping with that spirit, the Sufix design captures the stark, instinctual flight of a fish through the underwater depths, taking the viewer along for the journey.

BrahmstedWhiteNoise was charged with creating a voice for fishing line being abused underwater. It presented a never before encountered challenge; how to make that Sufix line sound like it's being believably strained to its limits? Inspiration came from BWN sound designer Carl White's 8 year old son during dinner. After hearing his dad's challenge, he said "I know!" He then dragged his fork across his dinner plate, making the familiar and very unpleasant screechy scrape of metal across ceramic. Carl heard that and said "Leo, that's brilliant! Thanks!" The rest came together in a snap.
 
 

 
Early boards stressing strong perspective and camera work for the animation to come.
 
 
  
This style board shows the overall look, feel and design we wanted for the spot.

 
 
Images evoking prehistoric history and the underwater world guided us in our designs.
 
 

   
 
The texture and color of the fish and elements was very important, particularly since we were working in a monochrome environment.  The surfaces had to pop, presenting a real tactile experience.
 
 
 
Jack Supple, creative director at Pocket Hercules, became our 'model' fisherman, showing us all the moves and proper attire.  Note the Lakemaid Beer cap — a key fishing accessory.

 

 
Our initial fisherman was on the stout side, but the Rapala client wanted to make our character a little younger and more athletic.  And considering the size of the bass, he needed all the muscle he could get!
 
 

  
Viola.  We have a young, trim athletic fisherman with a huge catch.

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