Created at Petrol Ad

Leona Showcase

Empty Vessel | Defect
2025

The work

Nine shots · Six weeks
Client
Empty Vessel | Defect
Studio
Petrol Advertising
Year
2025
Role
Director, Lighting
Stack
Unreal 5, Houdini
Delivery
Character showcase

A cinematic reframe of an in-game character asset. I directed the shot, shaping mood, camera, and environment to give the character a stronger sense of presence while staying true to the original world.

The piece lifts the client's existing asset into a story-driven context — atmospheric lighting, environmental depth, and deliberate camera work turn a game model into a portrait.

One character, one shot, all atmosphere

The asset already existed as a game model. The brief was to reframe it — build a world around a single figure and let environment and light carry the story without movement.

Volumetric light did the heavy lifting. Every shadow, reflection, and atmospheric layer was placed to make the character feel present in a world that existed before the camera arrived.