Piranha Bar creates an animated film for RTÉ marking a century of Irish public broadcasting, following “The Signal” from its first crackle to today’s digital spectrum. A crackly signal emitted a century ago this year marked the dawn of Ireland’s public broadcast service. National broadcaster RTÉ commissioned Piranha Bar to create an animated film celebrating the twists and turns of “The Signal” as it became the voice of a new nation before transforming into the multifaceted digital spectrum of today’s media landscape.
The film collides disparate styles with dynamic movement to follow the Signal through different eras. From dance hall jigs to the Moon landing and beyond, from scenes animated with a single ink line to contemporary collage, animated illustration, and even a diorama model of a 1990 pub, things never stand still. The journey is a rush of technique and invention designed to reflect the pace of change through the decades. The studio team embraced the varied styles, hand drawing the initial Signal sequence, building a parlor room in animated watercolor, cutting out elements for a surreal collage, creating a three-dimensional painting of an old TV store, and flying into the stratosphere with Irish public figures coalesced from particles and a giant nebula-crowned Croke Park stadium. A rich soundscape of clips, news extracts, and poignant strings from Ireland’s Folding Waves underscores the action, providing the emotional connection and gravitas befitting the ambitious journey.
We’re proud to be a part of this celebration of the Irish broadcasting legacy, harnessing the boundless possibilities of animation to revisit the past and herald the future.
Credits: Director: Gavin Kelly Creative Director: Richard Chaney Head of Production: Emily Brady Producer: Lizzie Jones Executive Producer: James Turnham Artists: Sam Boyd, Eric Dolan, Aidan O’Leary, Andrei Filip, Emma Petersson, Karolina Jankoic, Shaun Kelly, Amy Downes, Jack Bowler, Liam Conlon & Sebastian Pfeifer Sound Design: Folding Waves VO: Ruth Codd Client: RTÉ Executive Creative Director: John Kilkenny Senior Producer: Darragh Treacy Producer: Katie McDonagh Researcher: Aifric O’Connell Instagram:@piranhabar_insta Instagram:@rteone Instagram:@folding.waves
Email
LinkedIn
X
Threads
WhatsApp
Telegram
More
Piranha Bar creates an animated film for RTÉ marking a century of Irish public broadcasting, following “The Signal” from its first crackle to today’s digital spectrum.
A crackly signal emitted a century ago this year marked the dawn of Ireland’s public broadcast service. National broadcaster RTÉ commissioned Piranha Bar to create an animated film celebrating the twists and turns of “The Signal” as it became the voice of a new nation before transforming into the multifaceted digital spectrum of today’s media landscape.
The film collides disparate styles with dynamic movement to follow the Signal through different eras. From dance hall jigs to the Moon landing and beyond, from scenes animated with a single ink line to contemporary collage, animated illustration, and even a diorama model of a 1990 pub, things never stand still. The journey is a rush of technique and invention designed to reflect the pace of change through the decades.
The studio team embraced the varied styles, hand drawing the initial Signal sequence, building a parlor room in animated watercolor, cutting out elements for a surreal collage, creating a three-dimensional painting of an old TV store, and flying into the stratosphere with Irish public figures coalesced from particles and a giant nebula-crowned Croke Park stadium. A rich soundscape of clips, news extracts, and poignant strings from Ireland’s Folding Waves underscores the action, providing the emotional connection and gravitas befitting the ambitious journey.
We’re proud to be a part of this celebration of the Irish broadcasting legacy, harnessing the boundless possibilities of animation to revisit the past and herald the future.
Credits:
Director: Gavin Kelly
Creative Director: Richard Chaney
Head of Production: Emily Brady
Producer: Lizzie Jones
Executive Producer: James Turnham
Artists: Sam Boyd, Eric Dolan, Aidan O’Leary, Andrei Filip, Emma Petersson, Karolina Jankoic, Shaun Kelly, Amy Downes, Jack Bowler, Liam Conlon & Sebastian Pfeifer
Sound Design: Folding Waves
VO: Ruth Codd
Client: RTÉ
Executive Creative Director: John Kilkenny
Senior Producer: Darragh Treacy
Producer: Katie McDonagh
Researcher: Aifric O’Connell
Instagram: @piranhabar_insta
Instagram: @rteone
Instagram: @folding.waves