Local director behind epic ‘Discord-The Movie’ ad

Cavan filmmaker and cinematographer Finn Keenan is the creative force behind the mind-churning and star-studded epic short film launched for online platform Discord.

Unveiled last week, in time to take advantage of the prime slots available during the Tokyo Olympics, the project is inspired and in parts conceived by those who use the digital social service.

Filming saw the multi-award wining Finn travel to Mexico and then LA where he rubbed shoulders with main feature characters- Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Twins) and actress, rapper and comedian Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, and Jumanji: The Next Level).

Earlier this year Discord users voted Danny DeVito as the ‘best representative’ for Discord, and the pitch in turn followed an Instagram story shared by the platform who asked their followers ‘What does Discord mean to you?’ as part of their branding campaign ‘Imagine a Place’. The response, varied and more often than not downright weird (One person simply replied ‘Sandwich’), would inspire the treatment Finn would ultimately return back in April.

The narrative of the advert spirals from DeVito himself mulling over the question at the start ‘What is Discord?’ He’s then sucked into the the internet and a Matrix-esque digital realm alongside co-star Awkwafina. Within, DeVito begins a journey of discovery by experiencing the various and quirky Discord communities that exist- everything from gamers to people who just simply have a passion they want to share with a broader audience.

A self-confessed DeVito obsessive from his fictional role as ‘Frank Reynolds’ in dark-humoured sitcom ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’, Finn chose a route which has served him well in the past.

“I just said I’m going to go weird as f**k with this! Go big or go bust kinda thing,” says Finn. It was a tact which served him well when pitching to work on the Nike ‘Qiang Diao’ advert back in 2019.

“I was definitely the wildcard pick of the group, so the way I saw it was, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by standing out.”

He credits that willingness to push creative boundaries as being a critical part of his upbringing in Cavan.

“It’s funny, because almost the reason I feel so comfortable going ‘yeah let’s do this’ is because of that community I grew up around in Cavan. The whole feeling was let’s make something happen, make something weird, not be afraid to see what happens knowing it’ll all come together somehow and make sense in the end. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Within a week of being tasked with filming Discord’s vision, Finn and his fello w London based Riff Raff film crew were on a plane to Mexico, where they filmed for two weeks, before decamping to LA to complete what remained of the almost six-minute-long commercial epic.

The filming itself is reflective of the various creative mediums representing just a taste of the diversity of its communities, allowing Finn to squeeze his creative juices right down to the last drop by embracing a range of visal techniques from stop-motion to sock puppets.

Along with DeVito and Awkwafina, Finn also had the opportunity to work with a host of other interesting stars such as Filipino beauty influencer and social media personality Bretman Rock, one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time J. Balvin, and musician Grimes.

In total, Finn spent three-months filming. He audibly brims with joy on the other end of the phoneline from London where he lives when recalling how incredible elements of the shoot simply “fell into place”. Like when Jeffrey Kurland came on board, costume designer on almost 40 feature films and a go-to guy for the likes of Christopher Nolan on his mega-movie projects.

“We chanced our arm asking this big honcho in the industry and he said ‘sure’. There were just so many of these pinch yourself moments in what was already a one long continuous pinch yourself moment.”

Finn adds that working with DeVito in particular was “one of the most surreal” and fantastic occasions of the entire experience.

“He turned up with his shades and hat on, was a little reserved, but the moment he got to the costume fitting he just lit up.

“He was just so, so funny, so, so nice and kind, and interested as well. At no time did you ever feel he was performing. He’s just this really lovely man.”

So ‘What is Discord?’ the Celt asks Finn given his newfound and intimate knowledge.

He’s responds by laughing out loud. “Even after doing all that I don’t know if I’m any closer to knowing how best to explain what it does,” he says chuckling.

Ultimately he settles by going back to original premise of the mini-movie, by regarding what Discord means to those who use the service. Like Lucie Winterwolf, disabled following an accident in 2005, and represented as a pirate in the film. She is a leader of the Discord group ‘Helpful Pirate Society’ which has nearly 400 online members that initially formed around the sandbox virtual building game Cubic Castles.

“For a lot of people it’s a chance to escape,” says Finn. “So hence going down the path of creating something visceral, much more a ‘feeling’ than simply a down your throat advert, that hopefully will then make people want to check it out for themselves.”

He acknowledges that this latest project, coupled with working with a cast of such calibre, is a feather in the cap of his career which most recently saw Finn direct commercial features for the likes of Just Eat, Dairygold, and Fifa 2021.

It’s also whetted the Cavan man’s appetite to explore the possibility of taking on larger and more challenging projects such as for TV, film or film shorts in future.

“It has definitely opened up a real intrigue in me for doing longer form stuff. There was something so rewarding in having the space and time to weave through this narrative we’d conceived. I’m open to whatever opportunities may come out of this.”