https://vimeo.com/1053756343?fl=pl&fe=sh
Aurelius Encephalon needed a flagship explainer video for their gamified ERP product, Aurelius Consilium. It had to attract investors and comprehensively explain the product within a two-minute runtime. Not a typical walkthrough. A pitch piece.
The client already had strong branding built around two metaphors: Marcus Aurelius and the Roman Empire, and chess. My job was to weave those into every layer of the video.
The video opens with a soft hook that speaks to the investor mindset, then leans into the Roman Empire metaphor. Marcus Aurelius appears as a stoic emperor and transforms into a modern CEO. That transition bridges ancient wisdom into the business world.
The middle section presents the ERP's components, features, and differentiators. We close by returning to the chessboard. Marcus Aurelius makes his final move. Checkmate. The entire narrative arc lives inside the metaphor.
I used Milanote to map out each shot alongside the narration, which also helped me list the assets I'd need later. The board positions were drawn from actual chess games so they'd hold up to anyone who knows the game.
The client responded well to these sketches. Seeing that level of detail early gave them confidence the production was headed in the right direction.
I started with three style frames built in Illustrator and After Effects. Graphics, composition, and layout were blocked in Illustrator. Compositing elements like lighting, blurs, particles, and glows were added in After Effects. Some frames even used Blender so the 3D assets would be production-ready from the start.
I placed each storyboard sketch side by side with its style frame so the client could immediately see how the rough drawings would translate.
