Research powers miracles
The situation: A major California university needed to translate a complex medical milestone—the first lung transplant using a pioneering Organ Care System—into a human, emotionally resonant narrative.
The breakthrough
An animated film that anchored the science in human emotion. The story followed a simple visual thread: a plush bear passed from hand to hand, serving as a symbol of connection, hope, and real-world impact beyond the campus.
To accelerate the pre-production phase, we integrated generative AI tools to build high-fidelity storyboards based on real characters and locations. This hybrid workflow streamlined the stakeholder approval process, providing the exact precision needed to move efficiently into a fully handcrafted, end-to-end 3D animation pipeline.
My contribution:
Creative Direction: Co-led the overarching narrative framework, transforming a complex academic milestone into a human-centric story.
AI Integration: Pioneered the use of generative AI tools during pre-production to build high-fidelity storyboards, accelerating client approval.
Art Direction: Oversaw the end-to-end visual execution, managing a multidisciplinary pipeline of writers, 3D animators, and sound designers from script to final mix.