Pre-Production

Concept & Scripting

Exodus Evolution: Part 2 set out to reposition TightLine’s message—from a clinical breakthrough to a commercial opportunity. Part 1 laid the groundwork by introducing the Exodus system’s surgical utility and packaging innovation. Part 2 had a broader job: show Exodus as an investable platform, with clear value for surgeons, distributors, and investors. It needed to go beyond surgical impact and articulate the business case—design, IP, and financial growth—in a way that felt urgent and credible.

We built the script around one unavoidable market truth: revision hip and knee procedures are surging. The voiceover leaned into that reality, tying Exodus directly to the demand with single-use trays, time-saving workflows, and patent-backed tools. 

TightLine came prepared. They provided CAD models for the newest tools (like the Trunnion Grabber and Cement Drill), PDFs of recently granted patents, and internal sales docs with financial projections. These assets shaped the narrative from the ground up. 

Some assets, like the Cement Drill, came with caveats. The CAD we received still showed a Stryker-based interface, which didn’t match the client's preferred redesign. With no final geometry available, we modeled a stub for RP purposes—clearly marked for follow-up in Full Production. This let us keep animation moving without compromising long-term accuracy.

The VO had to land hard on data without losing clarity. Big numbers—like $9M to $35M revenue growth in five years or >90% margins—had to hit clean and land visually. Every line was pressure-tested for pacing, tone, and sync. Narration wasn’t allowed to get ahead of the charts or lag behind key visuals. Everything moved in step.

Rapid Prototyping (RP)

Once the core message was locked, it was time to turn strategy into structure. RP wasn’t just about roughing in visuals—it was a validation phase for chart mechanics, model integrity, and narrative flow. Thanks to the asset work from Part 1, we had the full Exodus instrument library already built and textured—so we could dive straight into layout and motion.

In Cinema 4D, we dropped the trays, tools, and packaging into a fresh scene, stripped out lighting, and focused purely on composition and camera motion. Everything was timed to the scratch VO, with placeholders inserted for any unknowns.

2D charts and overlays were built in After Effects simultaneously. These weren’t mockups—they were driven by actual client-supplied numbers. The revenue bar chart tracked post-COVID recovery, SKU segmentation, and CAGR—built with editable precomps so we could adjust bar heights, labels, and data pulses in real time. This flexibility proved essential when the financials were updated mid-cycle.

The charts had to be client-approved for both message and appearance, so we rendered them in final brand fonts, colors, and layouts even during RP. There were no placeholder values. The only visual stand-ins were for patent callouts—simple blank panels labeled to block timing and position, which were replaced later with real overlays and camera tracking.

Because the video was built around financial data, animation logic had to be airtight. In RP, we tested bar chart mechanics—should growth animate left-to-right or scale vertically? Should callouts animate in with easing? The final version used upward bar fills with soft acceleration curves to mimic growth momentum. These matched perfectly to VO cadence and gave the charts a sense of energy without distraction.

Client Feedback Shaping Direction

Client collaboration during RP was fast and precise. Feedback zeroed in on clarity, pacing, and visual priority. Key adjustments included:

• Chart Data Revisions: Midway through production, revenue numbers were updated based on CPA review. Because of our precomp structure in After Effects, we were able to adjust values, margins, and CAGR without breaking animation or pacing.

• Patent Callouts: New patent documentation led to requests for overlays. We locked camera framing early to give these overlays fixed anchor points, so we could composite the final patent figures cleanly in post.

• VO Pacing: The scratch voiceover was re-recorded after RP, tightening up phrasing around financials and improving timing with chart animation. That required sync tweaks and re-keyed animation curves—but kept the message on target.

All feedback was tracked, implemented, and signed off. By the end of RP, animation logic, chart builds, pack layouts, VO sync, and IP positioning were all client-approved. The framework was in place—ready to move into polish, final lighting, and compositing in Full Production.

Production (Full Production / FP)

Look Development

With camera moves, animation timing, and overall structure locked during RP, Full Production was all about turning those functional previews into polished, photoreal visuals. We brought the scenes into render-ready form inside Cinema 4D and moved all final output through Redshift. Because Part 2 needed to align visually with Part 1, we reused our previously approved material setups—tweaking only where new instruments or lighting environments demanded it.

The look leaned into physically based rendering from the ground up. Instruments were built from matte-blast stainless steel, polished machine-finished parts, and silicone-coated handles. Textures were based on TightLine’s actual product photos, then refined with procedural micro-surface noise maps to simulate small imperfections and lighting variations. Redshift shader networks used roughness ramps and anisotropic reflection controls to distinguish grip zones from polished finishes.

Lighting wasn’t about flash—it was about precision. We used a hybrid three-point lighting system: a muted HDRI dome for base tone, a narrow rectangular key to sculpt curves, and a thin rim light to define edges. Instruments were staged on black or neutral gray surfaces to dial up contrast without relying on saturation. We added volumetric haze and soft shadows to give dimensional cues and reinforce depth in post.

Every sequence was hand-lit based on its layout. That shot-by-shot approach kept the entire piece visually consistent, even with complex transitions and evolving motion.

Design & Animation

Since all tools were already rigged and textured from Part 1, animation in Full Production centered on refining feel, smoothing cameras, and syncing everything to VO cadence. Every camera pass was reworked—easing, interpolation, motion arcs—to avoid anything robotic and bring a more fluid, cinematic motion profile. For array and tray shots, we used spline-constrained cameras with target nulls for precise focal tracking while moving through space. Depth of field was tuned with Redshift’s camera tags to adjust focus dynamically as tools entered or exited frame.

Product movement was handled with strict hierarchy—keyframed using null parenting to preserve spatial logic across complex detachments, assemblies, and rotations. We layered in slight overshoots and ease-outs to keep the motion grounded and believable. Every beat matched the narration; tool transitions hit exactly on word cues to reinforce clarity.

A standout moment was the flat lay of the dozens of tools arranged in a perfectly planar grid on a matte black surface. Unlike orbit or exploded shots, this one needed clinical precision. Everything had to lie flat with no Z-offset, which required careful null alignment and identical world rotation across all assets.

We lit it like a high-end product photo. The lighting rig was redesigned just for that frame to deliver soft, even highlights and avoid hot spots. Shadows were tuned to give each instrument a subtle, grounded presence without flattening the image. We dialed in silicone sheen just enough to separate handles from steel parts, making tool boundaries crisp in a dense layout.

This wasn’t just visual—layout was story-driven. Tools were grouped by geometry and use-case (graspers, spreaders, drills), and positioned to support upcoming overlays. Orientation mirrored surgical intent. The whole scene read like a blueprint in motion. Key pieces like the Knee Claw and Strike Plate Handle were not just centered, but framed to support line-of-sight and VO callouts. These placements were finalized using composition guides, grid overlays, and tracked object buffers in C4D.

Style Choices and Reasoning

Stylistically, Part 2 had to walk a line. On one side, photoreal rendering for surgical credibility—on the other, commercial clarity for partners and investors. Surgeons needed to see the tools exactly as they are. That meant no approximations—just high-fidelity materials, honest lighting, and functional visibility. At the same time, the video needed to move fast and land hard in commercial conversations.

We solved for both by layering clean motion graphics into the 3D renders. That gave us the space to bring in growth charts, margin data, and patent overlays—without breaking realism.

Visual language came straight from TightLine’s decks: neon green for revenue, orange for hip, blue for knee, grayscale for baselines. Font choices leaned modern, clean, and legible. We used soft glows to separate text from dark renders. Overlay motion mimicked UI behavior—hover states, opacity fades, timed pulses. Every graphic element was data-first and intuitive. Nothing ornamental.

Camera work was slow and steady. No fast cuts. No handheld. Moves were dolly-based and eased—gliding through product moments, letting quality speak for itself. We used shallow depth of field strategically: not as a crutch, but to isolate action while keeping detail readable.

One core principle drove it all: clarity in motion, precision in form, and contrast in message. Whether this was playing in a pitch room, a tradeshow booth, or a surgical suite—it needed to land.

Technical Details

We did all 3D animation and rendering in Cinema 4D with Redshift. Material systems used layered Redshift shaders with procedural noise, curvature masks, and multi-directional reflection breakup for texture and realism.

Lighting was scene-specific. Base tone came from HDRI domes, but edge highlights and surface control were dialed in with tightly placed area and spot lights. All renders were output as 16-bit EXR with full multipass support: object buffers, motion vectors, cryptomattes, and Z-depth—all used later in compositing.

Camera rigs were built with spline paths and target nulls, giving us fluid movement and stable focus. Depth of field was rendered in-scene for closeups, and composited in AE when chart overlays were involved. All animation ran at 30fps for smooth pacing. Final renders were delivered in 1920x1080 for video, 3840x2160 for stills.

Patent overlays were composited in After Effects using tracked 3D planes exported from C4D. These overlays stayed resolution-independent, giving us flexibility to revise content and scale as needed.

Chart animation lived entirely in AE. We built precomps with global control layers so we could adjust data on the fly—bar height, label position, timing—all centralized. This made it easy to respond to CPA-driven financial revisions without breaking the sync.

Collaboration & Revisions

Full production ran fast and tight. Financial data was often updated with less than 24 hours’ notice. Because our AE charts were built modularly, we made changes without reanimating. Late VO updates were synced with visual transitions using our time-coded structure.

Post-Production & Delivery

Final Compositing & Color Grading

Post-production for Part 2 was built around clarity, contrast, and brand alignment—full stop. With 16-bit EXR render passes exported from C4D (diffuse, specular, reflections, Z-depth, cryptomattes, object buffers), compositing happened in After Effects using a modular, layer-based approach. That gave us full control—letting us isolate instruments, apply motion graphics, and maintain photoreal integrity across every shot.

Color work focused on sharpening contrast and enhancing dimensionality while keeping the medical realism intact. The signature Exodus green was locked using a brand-matched hex pulled from packaging references. For silicone handles, we boosted green saturation with curved adjustments to lift visibility without blowing out the dark-stage contrast.

Brightness and tone were dialed per scene: chart sequences were brighter and more UI-forward; tray sequences leaned darker, with focused vignettes and tighter depth cues. We applied radius-controlled sharpening on select 4K shots to keep instrument detail crisp without introducing edge artifacts.

For the logo open and close, we added a refined chromatic aberration pulse synced to the final UI lock—splitting RGB channels subtly and recombining with blur and opacity to keep things cinematic without stepping outside the brand’s clinical tone.

Infographics, UI Overlays, Data Visualization

Motion graphics were the driver behind Part 2’s message. Every data point—revenue, growth, margin, pack sales—was built as a stylized overlay, tracked directly over 3D renders using object buffers and spatial masks for parallax and coherence. We animated each chart using After Effects expression rigs, allowing bar growth, pulse reveals, and label timing to sync directly to the VO.

Chart colors followed a consistent system. Fonts and UI assets came straight from TightLine’s sales deck toolkit, so the visuals stayed cohesive across video and print.

Each chart lived inside a precomp with exposed controls—so when the financials changed mid-post, we didn’t miss a beat. Callouts like “>90% Margins” and “$5 Million Revenue” were timed to VO peaks and animated with bounce easing or light pulses to underscore impact without distraction.

UI-style overlays were key in tool walkthroughs and tray groupings. These were placed using 3D-tracked planes from C4D and composited using object buffers to let them slip behind tools when needed. 

Final Edits & Optimization

Final assembly happened in Premiere Pro. We brought in composite clips from AE, dropped in the final VO, synced the music bed, and tightened pacing by 2.5 seconds from the RP draft. Transitions were tightened using match cuts, camera push-ins, and visual handoffs—like floating a tray out of frame as a revenue bar rises in to take its place.

Every frame was cross-checked against TightLine’s brand system. Fonts followed print guidelines: clean sans serif, consistent tracking, and all-caps for headers. Color matching was handled with direct sampling from packaging reference files and validated against internal assets.

Patent overlays were tightly reviewed. Only issued patents made it into the piece, with figure references confirmed from PDF source docs. These overlays were styled with TightLine’s secondary orange, placed inside UI-styled corner boxes, and labeled with number, figure, and instrument name.

Late-stage updates included replacing the linear flare on the logo outro with a bloom-style sweep timed to the music cue. Slogan text (“Designed for Revisions. Designed for Surgeons.”) was re-kerned to align with print layouts.

Delivery

Final delivery centered on a clean, fully finished master rendered at 1920x1080 in H.264. This version included the VO, motion graphics, 3D renderings, and final grade—ready for sales meetings, investor decks, and distribution through approved channels.

In addition to the core video, we delivered a curated set of high-res 4K stills. These were built for use in presentations, web, and product documentation.

Transcript:

Exodus is the right solution at a critical time in the History of Hip and Knee Arthroplasty revision surgery, 

Revision surgeries are increasing exponentially, and there’s not enough surgeons to meet the demand.

Surgeons will have to be more efficient

Post-pandemic joint replacements immediately returned to their pre-pandemic pace in 2021 and grew even more from deferred elective surgeries and will continue as the target population expands.

Exodus offers patented differentiated solutions to help surgeons be more efficient in both hospital and ASC surgical settings.

Exodus has continued to grow since its official launch in 2019, 

with a distribution agreement in place, Exodus has scaled rapidly and is on pace for five million in revenue this year.. 

Given the growing demand,  Exodus Expects a compound annual growth rate of 40%, growing annual revenue from 9M next year to 35 Million in year 5

with the potential for greater than 90% margins on recurring attachment sales.

There is a groundswell of market need coming and only with solutions like Exodus can we solve these problems. 

Exodus: Designed for revisions. Designed for surgeons.