Pre-Production

Concept & Scripting

This project was built to deliver a straight-shooting, benefit-driven story—positioning WPP’s natural gas generator packages as the smarter, more efficient alternative to diesel. Lower costs, better reliability, and environmental flexibility. The core storyline: start with the pain of high diesel costs, assess site-specific needs, and then show how custom generator packages solve the problem.

The narration drove every visual decision. Because it was broken into clean segments, we developed a modular shot structure to match—comparing equipment, mapping gas availability, running sizing diagnostics, showing environmental adaptations, and ending with product deployment. There were no talking heads or character animation to lean on, so every frame had to carry the weight—communicating the process clearly through 3D visuals and motion graphics. That clarity dictated how we approached pre-production—from icon systems to scene realism to asset modularity.

Rapid Prototype (RP)

During Rapid Prototype, we built out all generator-related assets from scratch in Cinema 4D—no stock models, no shortcuts. This included multiple generator types (like HiPower and Caterpillar), enclosures, dual-fuel connections, propane tanks, pumpjacks, fuel regulators, and mobile trailers. All models were grounded in reference photos from the field—real gear, on real sites across the U.S.

These weren’t just high-detail assets—they were built clean for performance and reuse. UVs were laid out to support seamless shading inside Cinema 4D and After Effects via Element3D. We engineered the assets to be modular, so the same model could flex between different environments—exploded views, weather changes, side-by-side comparisons—without rework or duplication.

As models came online, we rendered stills of each key setup and compiled them into a style deck. This doubled as our internal storyboard, with proposed camera angles, lighting schemes, and overlay framing. Before a single animation started, this deck aligned the visual strategy with the script’s structure—locking in what we needed each shot to say.

Early Visual Styles Explored

With the project riding on a hybrid visual style—real-world 3D with abstracted overlays—we used early styleframes to lock in lighting, materials, and layout. The balance was everything: visuals had to look grounded and real, but stay clean enough to support icon overlays, stylized maps, and fast conceptual transitions.

In lookdev, we tested soft lighting that gave metal surfaces, pipes, and enclosures proper shape without harsh shadows or blowouts. Real-world lighting behavior was approximated—enough to keep form legible and surfaces believable, without getting in the way of clarity when these assets were composited over dark or neutral backgrounds.

At the same time, we developed the full icon system—power sources, fuel types, flare gas markers, regional indicators, weather states, and all technical UI for sizing interfaces. These were built from day one to drop cleanly into both 3D scenes and 2D motion overlays, minimizing friction during animation and post.

Prototyping Animation Concepts

We also began laying down animation logic during prototyping, aligning it with our toolset—especially our heavy use of Element3D in After Effects. Generator models were built with null-driven groups, allowing for easy turntable rotations, breakouts, and UI callouts in post—no need to re-render geometry every time something moved.

Scene transitions were mapped early, especially the environment transformation shot where the same generator moves between snow and desert conditions. We prototyped this using high-res HDRI photos and projection mapping in Cinema 4D—delivering grounded reflections and shadows without needing full 3D environments. Camera moves were kept simple—mostly zooms—to protect projection fidelity while still allowing for dynamic transitions.

Other early animation tests included pipe connections, regulator flow paths, sun-to-snow swaps, and UI overlays for the comparison scene. These were initially roughed out as motion sketches and timing passes, to be refined later in production.

Style Choices and Reasoning

Visually, the strategy was simple: use a hybrid system to tell a technically accurate story with clarity and speed. Semi-photoreal 3D visuals made the equipment feel real—rooted in the industrial world. Motion graphics, overlays, and UI gave us flexibility—speeding up understanding without adding noise.

Photoreal modeling built trust. You could see this gear in the field. The overlays added accessibility—spinning generators, mapped locations, animated gas analysis—so viewers could get what they needed fast, even if they weren’t engineers.

Choosing Cinema 4D’s standard renderer and Element3D wasn’t just practical—it was a pipeline choice built for flexibility. This setup let us stay reactive: titles, stats, and branding could be updated late in the game without rerunning renders. Generator turntables could be tweaked in post. Gas data could be adjusted live. It was a workflow designed for changes without compromises.

For the environment transitions, projection mapping was the smart move. We needed to show climate variation without spending time building full 3D environments. Using real images mapped into 3D space let us create realistic shadows and reflections while keeping the process lean. And because lighting was matched to the image maps, the equipment dropped in cleanly—grounded and coherent in every setting.

Full Production & Post-Production

Look Development

Once the previsual was locked, we shifted into full look development—refining every surface, material, and lighting setup with a focus on realism and flexibility. Equipment models—generators, enclosures, engine bays, propane tanks, fuel lines, pumpjacks, electrical boxes, and trailers—were finalized in Cinema 4D with layered materials built from the ground up. Paint finishes were realistic but controlled. Metals popped with sharp highlights, plastics and mesh textures felt grounded, and every surface struck the right balance between industrial credibility and clean visibility in post.

Painted surfaces were tuned with slightly desaturated colors and low-specular settings to avoid glare. Metals and connectors had tight, bright reflections to showcase precision. Texture resolution was optimized for HD delivery and cross-platform use in Element3D—UVs were laid out clean, supporting drag-and-drop positioning and reusability in After Effects without any stretching or artifacts.

Design & Animation

The animation strategy was built for modularity and clarity—every camera move was designed to hold focus. Dolly shots, push-ins, and orbitals were paced to give time for visual digestion and to anchor graphic overlays without having to chase the frame. Most shots started and ended centered, so key elements stayed in frame and overlays snapped into place cleanly without post hacks.

Pumpjack rigs were built with mechanical realism in mind. We used dynamic constraints to replicate torque arcs and vertical compression just like a real system. That attention to detail gave the power generation scenes real-world believability while keeping motion smooth and loop-ready in the background.

For piping and fuel delivery, we animated spline-based extensions that dynamically linked into the regulator assemblies. These transitions were timed to narration cues and enhanced with subtle fades and camera guidance to highlight the action without distraction.

One of the most complex shots was the side-by-side generator in different climates—snow and desert. Instead of building full environments, we used projection mapping inside Cinema 4D. We built basic terrain geometry and projected high-res HDRI photos onto those surfaces. Lighting was matched and tuned to cast realistic shadows onto the projected terrain, and camera moves were restricted to zooms and lateral pans to keep projection integrity. The result: strong environmental contrast, cinematic framing, and zero time wasted on full-scale environment modeling.

Technical Details

This project ran on a hybrid pipeline—Cinema 4D for modeling and animation, Element3D for compositing flexibility in After Effects. All final renders came from Cinema 4D’s standard renderer, but critical assets (sample bottles, turntables, UI overlays) were exported as clean OBJs and imported into Element3D for reactivity in post.

Using nulls and camera solves from Cinema 4D, we anchored all callouts and labels in 3D space inside After Effects. This let titles, icons, and data stick perfectly to their targets, track with camera motion, and maintain depth—so nothing ever felt pasted on.

The gas analysis scene was built entirely in AE. Sample bottles were brought in via Element3D, and particle-based text elements were animated using CC Particle World to represent gas composition—methane, ethane, butane, impurities—each moving at different speeds to imply volume and significance. Every label had context and motion logic.

For generator sizing, we brought in four separate generator models into Element3D, dropped them into a virtual turntable, and animated them with simple rotations while revealing specs, load profiles, and callouts. Working in AE meant we could make layout, timing, and content updates without touching Cinema 4D—speeding up post and keeping the team agile through final delivery.

Map sequences were treated graphically. We used black backgrounds, white vector lines, and simple shape layers for regions, pulses, and location pins—all positioned in 3D space for true parallax. This gave the maps dimension and focus without clutter.

Environmental VFX—sun flares and snowfall—were added in AE. Lens flares were light-wrapped into the desert scenes to match HDR reflections. Snow was layered using particles, with falloff and direction tuned to lighting and movement in the snowy projection map. These small touches added depth and realism without introducing heavy render overhead.

Color and compositing were completed in After Effects using layered adjustments, curves, color correction, and exposure passes. Gradient overlays and shadow treatments were used to unify lighting across Cinema 4D and Element3D renders. Brand visuals were checked frame by frame—logos, color palettes, type, and CTAs were all aligned to WPP standards for consistency across the full runtime.

Final Compositing & Delivery

The project was delivered in 1080p ProRes—ready for digital and internal use. All renders, Element3D comps, overlays, and graphics were layered in After Effects, built with safe color profiles and export integrity. The final piece included fully composited 3D equipment, interactive overlays, data callouts, animated icons, and environmental transitions—delivering clarity, consistency, and brand impact from first frame to last.

Transcript:

Are you spending over forty thousand dollars per month on diesel fuel for your on-site generator? 

Switching your generator to a natural gas unit customized for your well's field gas can save you money on fuel, give you a more reliable power source, less downtime, and limit your flare gas. 

Call Worldwide Power Products at 713-434-2300 or visit our website to learn about natural gas generator rental, lease, or purchase options today.

We customize your package to fit any of your conditions from the cold weather and low methane gas in the Bakken to the hot climates and rich fuel in the Eagle Ford and everywhere in between. Here is how we walk through the process: 

First, we take your fuel specs through the gas analysis taking into account your methane content, fuel BTUs, impurities and water, and the quantity of gas produced. 

In the sizing analysis, we customize the unit needed by finding the right mix according to your past load and gas profile. 

Finally, we outfit the package based on your geography’s seasonal temperature to maximize efficiency and decrease your operation’s downtime. 

Units are outfitted with a freezing weather package, motorized dampers, dual fuel line enclosures, solar protection, or oversized radiators. 

You know what your fuel bills are. If you are spending over forty thousand per month, call us and we can help save you thousands. 

Spend less on fuel, eliminate diesel refills, flare less natural gas, and limit your downtime. 

Don’t spend over forty-k. Call Worldwide Power Products today at 713-434-2300.