CESAR Energy Drink
CESAR is a fictional premium energy drink commercial created using AI generated characters, environments and product design. The concept follows a trail runner pushing through a forest before stopping to drink CESAR at golden hour.
The goal was to create a realistic outdoor advertisement with consistent character design, product identity, environment and cinematic camera language throughout the sequence.
The process
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The process 〰️
AI development and visual references
I first developed the three core visual elements for the commercial: the @runner, the CESAR @can and the @forest environment. I created the reference images in Higgsfield using ChatGPT Image 2, focusing on establishing a consistent visual identity for each element before generating the final video.
For the runner, I created 11 different reference angles of the same character provided below. This allowed me to establish her appearance from multiple perspectives and reduce inconsistencies in facial features, hairstyle, body proportions and clothing when generating the video.
I then used these references together with a detailed cinematic prompt to control the character, environment, product and camera direction throughout the sequence. The full prompt can be found below the gallery of the angle pictures.
The final video was animated using Seedance 2.5 in Runway.
Tools
Higgsfield
Character, product and environment development
ChatGPT Image 2
Creation of visual reference images
Seedance 2.5
Video generation and animation
Runway
AI video generation workflow
Prompt
@forest is the lush temperate forest environment reference, @runner is the Japanese female trail athlete character reference, 100% match to the reference, @can is the CESAR energy drink product reference. Maintain strict visual consistency with all three references throughout the entire sequence.SCENE CONTEXTAn exhausted Japanese female trail athlete pushes through a dense forest at golden hour, running hard along a narrow natural trail surrounded by tall trees, moss covered trunks and thick green foliage. She is visibly fatigued from the run, breathing heavily, sweat and fine dust on her skin. Warm sunlight breaks through the canopy in dramatic shafts of light. She continues running until she reaches a quiet clearing where she stops in the sunlight and reaches for the CESAR energy drink. The mood is premium, cinematic, natural and physically grounded.CONTROLLED FOUR SEGMENT SEQUENCE, THREE HARD CUTS. Real time motion. Lens locked per segment, no artificial camera drift. Preserve the exact character identity, hairstyle, wardrobe, body proportions and product design from the references.BEAT 18° super telephoto observation lens, camera positioned approximately 20 meters down the forest trail, low to the ground. Dark tree trunks and soft foliage create natural foreground occlusion. The athlete from @runner is already in frame from the first frame, small and centered, running directly toward camera along the trail. Her stride is heavy and uneven from fatigue. Fine dust rises from her shoes as she runs through shafts of golden sunlight. Leaves and small branches move subtly in the surrounding air. The camera observes from a distance. Natural atmospheric depth between foreground, subject and background. The forest environment must closely match @forest.HARD CUTBEAT 224° wide handheld lens, camera approximately 1 meter from her right shoulder at chest height, moving naturally alongside her. Tree trunks and foliage pass close to camera creating strong foreground parallax. She slows from a run to a walk, breathing heavily, one hand briefly touching a moss covered tree for support. Sweat is visible on her face and neck. Her breathing is ragged and her movement shows realistic fatigue. The forest remains dense and immersive around her. Slight natural handheld movement, physically realistic operator motion. Maintain exact visual identity and wardrobe from @runner.HARD CUTBEAT 335° short telephoto lens, camera low near her waist and angled slightly upward through the surrounding foliage. She stops inside a shaft of warm backlight. Her tired hand reaches toward the CESAR can from her hydration vest. The can from @can must remain visually identical to the reference, including its shape, proportions, aluminium material, branding and typography. The can catches the golden sunlight, producing a subtle natural highlight along the aluminium surface. She lifts the can toward her face and opens it. The tab snaps open naturally with a subtle metallic crack and carbonation hiss. Her hand interacts naturally with the physical weight of the aluminium can. Condensation droplets remain attached to the cold surface and behave realistically. Tiny dust particles and moisture droplets are visible in the backlight. The camera remains close and intimate.HARD CUTBEAT 450° classic telephoto lens from approximately 4 meters away, near profile close up. Her face is framed against the softly compressed forest background, with warm golden sunlight creating a subtle rim light along her cheek and hair. She lifts the CESAR can from @can and drinks. The can remains consistent with the product reference throughout the shot. Realistic swallowing motion and subtle movement of the liquid inside the can. Her breathing gradually settles. Sweat, natural skin texture and small traces of trail dust remain visible. Condensation remains visible on the aluminium surface. The CESAR branding remains clearly visible on the can. The camera becomes almost completely still for the first time in the sequence. She lowers the can, exhales slowly and looks forward into the forest.AUDIODiegetic only. Heavy breathing gradually becoming more controlled. Realistic footsteps on dirt, dry leaves and small stones crunching under her shoes. Subtle movement of clothing and hydration vest. Wind moving naturally through the forest canopy. Distant birds and natural forest ambience. Branches and leaves moving softly in the breeze. The faint sound of her hand brushing against vegetation. The sharp metallic crack and carbonation hiss of the CESAR can opening. Subtle carbonation fizz immediately after opening. One clear swallow as she drinks. One long controlled exhale as her breathing settles.No music. No spoken dialogue. No voiceover. No artificial sound effects. No exaggerated cinematic impacts. Natural realistic location sound only.VISUAL STYLEPhotorealistic premium outdoor sports advertising. Cinematic natural lighting. Realistic human movement. Realistic physics. Subtle handheld imperfection. Natural depth of field. Detailed forest textures. Realistic sweat and condensation. Natural atmospheric perspective. Physically accurate interaction between the athlete, clothing, environment and product. Accurate aluminium can physics. Realistic liquid and carbonation behavior. Premium commercial cinematography.CONSISTENCY AND CONSTRAINTS100% character identity consistency with @runner. 100% environment consistency with @forest. 100% product consistency with @can. Maintain identical hairstyle, facial features, body proportions and wardrobe throughout all four beats. Maintain identical CESAR can shape, proportions, branding, typography and materials throughout all shots. No extra people. No character morphing. No face changes. No wardrobe changes. No product redesign. No text changes. No warped hands. No deformed fingers. No deformed objects. No floating objects. No artificial camera drift. No unnatural camera movement. No sudden changes in lighting. No unrealistic physics.16:9 cinematic composition.