Pre-Production

Concept & Scripting

From day one, this project set out to turn the complexity of insurance mechanics and revenue flow into something viewers could actually see and understand. We knew we had to explain a dense, data-heavy model in a way that felt clean, modern, and grounded. So we anchored everything in a modular, 3D conceptual style—abstracting housing units and financial behavior into structured visuals that moved with purpose.

RLL’s “win-win-win” brand message guided both the script and the visual logic. The narrative walked viewers from the problem space into the optimized RLL solution, supported by consistent isometric design, data-driven motion, and color-coded financial callouts. Using Cinema 4D and After Effects in tandem, we played to each platform’s strengths: procedural 3D control where it mattered, layered 2D motion and UI where we needed speed and flexibility.

Rapid Prototyping (RP)

The big lift in prototyping was figuring out how to show insurance events in a way that was structured, scalable, and crystal clear. We solved it with a grid of identical, abstract unit boxes—each standing in for a rentable housing unit. Using a dual-cloner system in Cinema 4D, we built two layers: one to fill the grid with units, another to inject variations based on peril type and frequency. With layered effectors and null controls, we had full control over when and where perils showed up.

This wasn’t just visual—it was system-driven. Each triggered peril triggered a 3D animation: a dollar sign floated up and dropped into a 2D icon in After Effects. Underneath, real-time number counters tracked event frequency. The visual hierarchy was tight, and the logic behind it was bulletproof.

In After Effects, we built a column-style UI overlay that scaled dynamically based on those 3D events. Each peril type drove its own icon, reflecting the frequency and severity of claims. This hybrid setup—live data in 3D, scalable visuals in 2D—was stress-tested during prototyping to make sure it held up.

Once the system was live, we used it across multiple scenes, only changing data inputs and camera angles. Camera moves were kept slow and subtle—gentle orbits and dolly shots—to ensure the composition stayed clear and that overlays stayed readable.

All charts and graphs were composited directly in After Effects on top of the final renders, letting us iterate in real time during feedback rounds. The RP stage was a full blueprint. It validated timing, narration pacing, and overall flow before we ever committed to a full render.

Early Visual Styles Explored

We always knew we were aiming for a conceptual look, but we explored multiple variants to land on the right tone. We ran material tests on the unit grid, played with lighting setups, and tested multiple icon styles to find the sweet spot between abstraction and clarity. The background stayed clean and neutral—dark gray—keeping the focus on the data overlays and key messages.

We intentionally offloaded most of the storytelling to After Effects so we could keep feedback loops fast. Only the final Redshift renders carried heavier lighting and material complexity—we kept early visuals lean for speed and clarity.

All 3D animations during RP were built procedurally. That meant we could plug in new data sets and re-seed the unit grid on demand. The dual-cloner logic gave us full visual control, and the setup remained flexible enough to respond to changes without breaking downstream scenes.

We locked camera paths and refined motion in Cinema 4D, while UI overlays, transitions, and number animations were mocked up in After Effects. That gave us full visibility into how the whole piece would look and feel—long before final rendering.

It also meant we could stress-test how the data and visuals lined up against voice-over pacing and user attention span, adjusting motion logic wherever needed.

Client Feedback Shaping Direction

Client feedback directly shaped how the visuals worked and how the narrative came together during the RP phase. Early reviews zeroed in on making sure the animation nailed RLL’s value proposition—and made it obvious. That meant clearly showing unit-level activity and how it translated to real financial outcomes.

One early callout was around peril icon density. When too many stacked up, legibility took a hit. We adjusted spacing and boosted contrast so each icon could breathe, even at tighter scales. The client also asked for stronger visibility on key financial benefits—“Claims Paid by RLL,” “Additional Rent,” and “NOI Increase.” We responded with color-coded callouts, precisely timed to match peril groupings and financial effects.

Another big pivot came with environment design. Originally, all unit grids sat on a flat dark gray background. The client asked for a clearer signal when the story moved into RLL-controlled territory. We switched those scenes to a branded blue background—a simple but powerful cue that visually marked the transition to control and optimization.

They also asked for stronger brand presence in the last frames. We tightened the CTA layout, added the RLL logo, and backed the copy with a branded yellow highlight. This sharpened brand recall and made the conversion moment visually punchier.

Style Choices and Reasoning

The 3D conceptual isometric style was built for this type of storytelling. It let us show structure and contrast—two things you need when explaining risk, cost, and optimization. The grid layout gave us consistency, while each unit box could house its own micro-story of risk and value.

From the beginning, we prioritized clarity and modular design. Abstracting units into geometric boxes and distilling complex financial actions into icons and counters helped simplify the entire experience. The isometric view gave us a systems-level vantage without sacrificing detail.

Color strategy was critical. Each peril had its own distinct color. The shift from dark gray to blue wasn’t just visual—it marked the move from unmanaged chaos to RLL-led stability. White and green overlays emphasized financial wins in real time, giving the data emotional impact.

We used Redshift to dial in material and lighting. Peril icons had a subtle emissive glow, just enough to make them stand out. HDRI and directional light sources kept the scene sharp without adding clutter. The aesthetic was clean realism—borrowing from our photoreal playbook, adapted for an abstract explainer.

In the end, this style worked because it made complexity feel intuitive. Every element—from the size of the icons to the pacing of transitions to the color of the CTA—was designed to make RLL’s platform look like the smart, structured solution in a messy world.

Full Production & Post-Production

Look Development

With the animation system and flow locked during Rapid Prototyping, Full Production was about leveling up fidelity, lighting, and render precision—turning a functional prototype into a sharp, high-impact final piece. We carried over the dual-cloner structure that powered peril distribution and unit logic, which kept the modular flexibility while allowing us to push the polish.

Redshift was our render engine of choice—fast, clean, and ideal for the stylized 3D conceptual look. Lighting was the first big upgrade. We introduced an HDRI setup for soft ambient illumination and layered in directional key lights to add structure and draw focus. Each camera-facing side of the unit grid was lit for falloff, making sure icons stayed legible even at skewed angles.

Materials were reworked from the ground up. The base units got a matte treatment with soft specular highlights—subtle enough to stay out of the way, but enough to give form. Peril icons got custom Redshift materials with low-level emissive properties, just enough glow to stand out without blowing out the grid. That balance kept the visual hierarchy clear and clean—what mattered, popped.

Motion response was tested under every camera move. Whether zooming or orbiting, peril icons held up in contrast and clarity. We rendered them into the geometry itself—no 2D compositing tricks—so everything reacted properly to light, parallax, and occlusion across every shot.

Design & Animation

We took the same procedural animation logic from RP and pushed it further—layered effectors, instanced cloners, all dialed in. That gave us precision over when, where, and how perils showed up, how often they appeared, and how the story progressed visually.

Key updates focused on smoothing transitions, dialing in the pacing, and syncing every camera move with narration beats. Whether it was a slow dolly or a wide orbit, camera movement was choreographed to support the message—not distract from it.

Transitions between chaos and control were designed to feel real. In one scene, periled units dissolve out with a soft easing motion while RLL-covered units grow in, perfectly timed to a background shift from gray to brand blue. It didn’t just look better—it made the message land harder: RLL brings order.

Motion stayed consistent with the clean, conceptual aesthetic. Long arcs, soft easing curves, and controlled transitions maintained spatial clarity. Animation in the RLL scenes slowed slightly to telegraph control and structure. Earlier chaos moments had a sharper, more unpredictable rhythm.

Technical Details

Cinema 4D and After Effects were tightly synced. We exported object buffers and multipass elements to get total control over every shot in post. Redshift AOVs included material IDs and emission passes, letting us adjust glow intensity per icon type without having to re-render.

In After Effects, we laid in UI, text, and overlays with exact placement. We used tracked 3D nulls from the Cinema 4D scene to anchor labels directly to 3D geometry. That meant labels moved perfectly in sync with camera motion—no sliding, no faking it.

Icons and data representing peril frequency were built to scale dynamically, triggered by what was happening in the 3D box array. When a dollar sign floated up from a unit, it dropped cleanly into a labeled icon below, connecting the 3D motion to the 2D interface without losing clarity.

Glow effects, motion blur, and timing tweaks were handled in After Effects to speed up iteration and keep transitions flexible. That approach was critical when visual density increased—UI overlays, animated numbers, and 3D motion all working together in a single frame.

Final Compositing & Color Grading

The final polish phase was all about rhythm and finish. We layered in secondary animations—icon pulses, value ticks, chart growth—all designed to add life without pulling attention from the core message.

Global color grading brought everything into visual alignment. We tuned contrast, exposure, and color response to make sure every peril type stayed distinct—even when lighting changed from shot to shot.

The gray-to-blue shift was reinforced with color grading—saturation and contrast were increased to give the RLL scenes a cleaner, more controlled feel. We simplified the background, slowed animation pacing, and framed the blue segments to feel safe, stable, and unmistakably branded.

Typography followed RLL’s guidelines to the letter. Font weights, sizes, and placements were tuned for readability and consistency. On-screen text remained legible across all shots thanks to calibrated contrast settings. The final CTA—a bold white call-to-action over blue with a yellow accent—was framed and locked to maintain integrity no matter where it played.

Delivery

Final renders were delivered in 1080p H.264, optimized for digital use. Captions were included via an SRT file, keeping the animation accessible and effective for muted playback on platforms like LinkedIn or at live events.

Every motion graphic was verified against safety zones, and test runs confirmed all text stayed in frame on standard devices. By the time post wrapped, this wasn’t just a finished explainer—it was a visual proof point of RLL’s value. Every icon, dollar sign, and camera move worked together to deliver one message: control equals clarity, and clarity delivers measurable returns.

Transcript:

Here’s how property management looks when you’re not protected by RLL.

Say you have 2500 units in your portfolio. When damages from the 5 perils happen -as they often do -you have to pay for them out of your budget. 

And little by little, those losses add up, and your revenue bears the scars.  

But here’s what happens when you offer The Waiver to your residents.

Not only does The Waiver cover claims from the 5 perils that result from accidental resident-caused damage, your communities also receive a revenue enhancement. 

You simply add an amount to your residents’ monthly rent, pay RLL a fixed amount, and keep the difference.

So, month after month, as more residents sign up for the waiver, your NOI increases. Your annual revenue increases and the value of your investment increases, as well.

In short, instead of paying out of pocket for claims you’ll be saving money, making more money, and increasing the value of the investment all at the same time.

A win-win-win.