Commercial & Branded Content
Commercial & Branded Content
Water is Life
Water is Life
Water is Life
An educational sustainability campaign combining Unreal Engine, Blender simulations, live-action cinematography, drone footage, and motion graphics to promote responsible water conservation for the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa.
An educational sustainability campaign combining Unreal Engine, Blender simulations, live-action cinematography, drone footage, and motion graphics to promote responsible water conservation for the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa.
An educational sustainability campaign combining Unreal Engine, Blender simulations, live-action cinematography, drone footage, and motion graphics to promote responsible water conservation for the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa.
Overview
Created for the University of Hawaiʻi Office of Sustainability, Water Is Life was designed to encourage students to become more mindful of their everyday water usage. The campaign focused on simple habits that collectively make a significant impact on water conservation across campus. The inspiration for the project came from observing my own roommates routinely leaving the sink running while brushing their teeth. Seeing this unnecessary waste firsthand inspired the bathroom sequence that became the visual centerpiece of the film. As my first large-scale commercial production for the Office of Sustainability, this project combined multiple disciplines—including Unreal Engine environments, Blender fluid simulations, live-action cinematography, aerial drone footage, MetaHuman animation, motion graphics, and compositing—into a single educational campaign. The completed film was later showcased during University of Hawaiʻi football games and dorms to help spread awareness about sustainable water usage.
My Role
Director • Producer • Screenwriter • Storyboard Artist • Environment Artist • MetaHuman Animator • Blender Simulation Artist • Drone Pilot Cinematographer • Video Editor • Motion Graphics Artist • Compositor • Colorist
Tools Used
Unreal Engine • Blender • MetaHuman Creator • Adobe After Effects • Adobe Premiere Pro • DJI Air 3
Process / Workflow
Process / Workflow
Process / Workflow
The project began with scripting and storyboarding before moving into environment development inside Unreal Engine, where I designed a modern bathroom that became the primary setting for the commercial. To better visualize water conservation, I challenged myself to learn Blender's fluid simulation system, creating realistic water simulations that were later incorporated into both the commercial and related Unreal Engine scenes. This project marked my first experience integrating simulations from Blender into a larger production pipeline. Alongside the CGI work, I captured live-action footage and aerial cinematography across the University of Hawaiʻi campus to reinforce the campaign's message with real-world visuals. I also collaborated with a voice actor, recording dialogue in a professional studio before working with audio engineer Ryan Hood to complete the final sound mix. One of the biggest technical challenges was animating the MetaHuman student character. At the time, I had not yet learned motion capture workflows, so the character was animated almost entirely by hand using Unreal Engine's animation tools. Although time-consuming, the process significantly expanded my understanding of character animation and virtual production. The final production was assembled in Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, where compositing, color grading, transitions, and motion graphics brought together every element into a cohesive educational film.
The project began with scripting and storyboarding before moving into environment development inside Unreal Engine, where I designed a modern bathroom that became the primary setting for the commercial. To better visualize water conservation, I challenged myself to learn Blender's fluid simulation system, creating realistic water simulations that were later incorporated into both the commercial and related Unreal Engine scenes. This project marked my first experience integrating simulations from Blender into a larger production pipeline. Alongside the CGI work, I captured live-action footage and aerial cinematography across the University of Hawaiʻi campus to reinforce the campaign's message with real-world visuals. I also collaborated with a voice actor, recording dialogue in a professional studio before working with audio engineer Ryan Hood to complete the final sound mix. One of the biggest technical challenges was animating the MetaHuman student character. At the time, I had not yet learned motion capture workflows, so the character was animated almost entirely by hand using Unreal Engine's animation tools. Although time-consuming, the process significantly expanded my understanding of character animation and virtual production. The final production was assembled in Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, where compositing, color grading, transitions, and motion graphics brought together every element into a cohesive educational film.