Capital HVAC Reel

The Cap-HVAC Cinematic Universe

Before any styleframes, storyboards or animation could be made, we first had to create our characters. Production began with the creation of three master puppet rigs. Establishing the rig mechanics early on defined the characters' range of motion and animation style before storyboarding began. We prioritized this puppet-based workflow for its asset re-usability, which was essential for meeting rapid project turnarounds.

Pre-Production Character Design And Rigging

Initially we focused solely on our human trio, but soon into production, the client requested the additional "fuzzy friend" to round out the cast, because every Mystery Machine needs a Scooby Doo; and that’s when Merle arrived. While originally brought in purely for comic relief, Merle quickly evolved into a bonafide HVAC technician. Helping Jason, Seth, and Laura fix issues no matter the weather. The images below demonstrate how our character artist translated the client’s physical plushy reference into the various animated designs you see on screen.

The Fuzzy Sidekick

With the rigs in place, we move into storyboarding, sketching quick, rough panels to map out the narrative beat by beat. Each drawing was planned with the rigs’ motion limitations in mind, ensuring the action would translate cleanly into animation. These boards provided a clear visual roadmap for the stages that followed.

We often synced the storyboards to the voiceover for each commercial. Giving us a rough but functional animatic. This helps us visualize the pacing and understand how the animation will fit within the allotted time.

Storyboarding

Animatic

The culmination of this hard work comes together in this 30 second commercial spot. Using this production formula, we created a total of eight animated spots, each on a tight turnaround of about one week. Every spot has its own charm, bringing to life the adventures of Jason, Laura, and Seth; sometimes even Merle. These commercials were a tremendous learning experience for me and the entire team.

Bringing it all Together