Honestly, this concept has been gnawing at me (in all the best ways) since the creative team took me through the deck the other day. That chat answered a lot of my questions but also inspired some fresh ideas. As I dug into research, writing, and visual inspiration, I couldn’t help but start putting a few things together—testing ideas, seeing the concept in a tangible way.
Normally, I wouldn’t kick off a treatment like this, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized: this concept is big. Too layered to just talk about—we need something visual to ground us. Something that captures the energy, movement, and heart of the story.
There’s that old saying that films are made three times: once in writing, once in shooting, and again in the edit. So, I’m skipping ahead, cheating a little, and crafting part of an edit before we even roll camera.
Director’s Treatment by Lorenzo de Guia
*best viewed on a computer
SUPERPOWERING THE FUTURE
Words that get me excited when thinking about this campaign; BOLD, MOMENTUM, PROPULSION, ACCELERATION, DRIVE, HUMANITY.
These words lock into our core theme—human ingenuity, power, and progress. Everything—our visuals, camera work, edit rhythm—should embody those ideas.
As I started piecing together the teaser, it hit me: this isn’t just about history. It’s about now. It’s about what Chevron is building, what they’re powering, and where we’re headed.
BOLD INTIMACY
What makes this campaign so exciting is that the creative team has already crafted an incredible journey through history, seamlessly connecting it to Chevron. It’s confident, stylish, and forward-thinking—but most importantly, it never loses sight of the people at its core.
This campaign lives at the intersection of humanity and industry.
Chevron is a powerhouse—a massive global force in energy. But this story isn’t just about scale; it’s about heart. That’s why every element of the final edit—its rhythm, imagery, and tone—needs to strike the perfect balance between innovation and human impact.
With so many deliverables, I want an editorial strategy that’s flexible but still drives the story forward. When you draw a line from the birth of American ingenuity to the future of AI, it’s impossible not to feel excited. Our cut should embody that enthusiasm and forward momentum.
As we plan, prep, and choreograph each setup, keeping that human factor front and center—while also delivering rich, cinematic imagery with scale—will make this campaign hit on all levels.
VISUAL LANGUAGE
There is so much to unpack here for the visual approach so let’s break it into a few sections.
This campaign should have the adrenaline and attitude of a sports spot but the rhythm and soul of a visual poem.
How do we do that?
We have three essentials parts to our story; our opening archive/stock footage, the turbines and data center, and then finally the heart and humanity part of our story.
While we will shoot for big, beautiful, stylized imagery, we will never stray too far away from a grounded human approach. A few things will be at work, how we light, how we move the camera, and how we treat performance.
Notes On Opener
While most, if not all, of the opening montage will be sourced from stock footage, it still plays a crucial role in setting the tone and energy from the start.
As you can see from my teaser edit, I love the idea of structuring it as a journey through time—blending photographs, graining video, Super 8/16mm/video, high-res graphics, and more. It should feel like we're jacked into the Matrix, downloading 200+ years of American innovation at a feverish pace before catapulting into the present day with Chevron.
Light
As you can see in the examples throughout the deck, in the opening teaser edit, and in my own work, I love lush visuals. The imagery has to evoke an emotion.
The light is a key component.
I love the blueish hue the creative team has presented in the deck and I’d love to augment and supplement that with bold lightning in our GE warehouse and Data center. Let’s inject a bit of artistic life into those spaces and elevate them. We can go beyond the white stark lifeless light of those spaces with something more curated.
We’ll take those same cues but build each one to fit the scenario. For example a family scene during the day would feature sun soaked rooms and natural light combined with our established camera language. Each scene will have the same BOLD, DYNAMIC lighting while maintaining a look and tone that feels authentic.
Camera Movement
Some bullet points:
Think of the camera like a dancer—fluid, intentional, always moving.
The theme of forward progress needs to be baked into the way we move the camera—smooth, confident, never static.
Steadicam and handheld will be our go-to tools.
A mix of tight, detailed shots and large, sweeping wides will create a balance of intimacy and scale.
Camera will never be static unless intentionally so. It might be to build a moment of space, calm, or highlight a detail. Otherwise, we will motivate the action and camera to move.
CASTING
With all this talk of style, I don’t want to lose authenticity. Whether real people or cast talent, every moment will be grounded in truth. For the lifestyle moments, I’ll approach it like a stylized documentary—long takes, natural movement, and a camera that reacts in real-time.
Performance
I love working with real people and cast talent. You can see this in my work for NHL, Goldman Sachs, BMW Films, etc.
For the warehouse and data center scenes, authenticity is everything. I do think it is important to mix real professionals who know their craft and can show us the work with our cast talent. No pretending, no overacting—just real people doing what they do best. Of course, we will have to take some creative liberties to get the shots and moments we need, but having their expertise on the ground will be immense. They will be guides for our cast talent and provide that extra layer of authenticity.
For the lifestyle moments, diversity is key. I want a cast that reflects the full spectrum of America, making this campaign feel honest and relatable.
PRODUCTION EXECUTION
Beyond the usual production challenges, filming in active warehouses presents unique obstacles, including logistics, safety concerns, and trade secret security.
I’ve navigated these environments many times—whether shooting at one of General Mills' largest packing facilities in Minneapolis, on an active, hyper-secure trading floor with Goldman Sachs, in countless stadiums, and more. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that clear, upfront communication about our filming needs is essential, and once on set, we must be highly organized and efficient to ensure a smooth shoot.
As we plan our days, we need to stay mindful of our impact on the client’s operations, respecting the space without compromising the story. Beyond being a storyteller, crew safety is my top priority, and I’m committed to ensuring a secure and seamless production
HOW IT MIGHT GO DOWN
Here is a possible breakdown for the :60 long form script. Since the other scripts share similar ideas (and likely footage), I’ll focus on the :60 for now. This is just one version of the execution, and I am, of course, happy to make any adjustments based on feedback from the creative team or client. For this version, I closely follow the script recommendations but have made a few slight variations in some scenes. After this breakdown, I have included a small brainstorm with additional suggestions for our lifestyle moments.
Lastly, on the call we can dig deeper into the cutdowns and address any specifics that might be missing.
We open on a landscape shot. Could be nature, could be urban. It is undoubtedly America though.
VO: America moves on big ideas.
We overlay and Flash cuts the American flag, NASA launches, Steve Jobs unveiling the iPod, breakthroughs in tech, art, medicine, and infrastructure. We zip at breakneck speed through 200 years of innovation.
VO: Every leap forward in our history has needed breakthrough energy.
We finally come to present day. A group of engineers enter the fray to build, design, and conceptualize the future. We cut between CAD drawings, turbine assembly, high intensity work, and start to see pieces of a large turbine in a massive warehouse. Our engineers work fast, smart, and tirelessly. The camera can barely keep pace.
VO: Now, AI is here. The next big leap.
It’s a moment of anticipation, the beat drops. Everything holds. Finally the power surges on. The turbine roars to life and the beat comes back full force.
VO: And Chevron is powering it.
The building continues as they put the turbines to work. We get the sense that things are ramping up even more. We match cut to the data centers, where data engineers take the baton and continue to maintain, oversee, and facilitate the charge forward.
VO: We’re collaborating on building massive, multi-gigawatt power stations, right where data centers need them.
We see a flurry of the whole process before cutting to a…
Fast-paced montage:
A street baller with bionic legs daps up friends on the court.
A young girl with a futuristic hearing aid gets real-time translation while eating at a foreign restaurant with new friends.
A group of meteorologists analyzing wind data on an iPad.
A salon owner using AI for bookings.
A mother asking AI for a dinner recipe while holding her newborn.
A group of kids use interactive AI in the classroom to learn music.
VO: AI gets the power it needs. Communities get the jobs.
The music swells — holding us in anticipation. We cut to close up of virtual power supply climbing to 200% capacity (think Iron Man).
VO: And the grid? Doesn’t break a sweat.
We end on a beautiful dusk shot of one of the date centers.
(ALT.) We end on a family moment—a reminder of what this is all for - people.
VO: Because when we power AI today, we build America’s next superpower.
GFX Super: Superpowered by Chevron
Additional Scene Ideas
Here are a few other ideas that I’m throwing out there as a brainstorm. They might help flesh out our existing ones or spark new ideas. I would love to collaborate further as to what works best for our story.
Lastly, once we confirm our lifestyle scenes we can figure out what VFX support we may need vs what can be accomplished practically.
- Deaf person hearing for the first time (doc office or child with parent at home)
- Musicians crafting music with AI tools
- Using “X-Men Danger Room” style setup to teach kids in classroom history by placing them in virtual environments
- Patient getting MRI with doctor getting instant analysis
- Dancers using AI to improve form
-Woman in rain uses AI to accurately predict when rain stops (rain instantly stops on cue)
- Chef using automation in kitchen
- Scientists with weather ballon
- Runner tracking instant health analytics
- AI doctor chatbots
- AI personal Assistants (think Jarvis)
- AI education (real time translation tools at home or abroad)
- Doctor using AI on pregnant woman to predict health of child
- A parent uses AI on their phone at the grocery store to help buy ingredients for a meal
Sound x Music
Although we don’t have any dialogue in the script (just voiceover), I still feel it’s important to capture some ambient sound from our scenes. Machinery, small bits of dialogue, and interactions can add to the texture of each moment and will help fill out our world.
I firmly believe that, in most cases, the search for music is best conducted during the post-production process. However, once you guys dropped Led Zeppelin I had to go down the rabbit hole and start getting inspired.
Below are some ideas, but if budget becomes a barrier we can always use something as reference to build a custom track.
CINEMATOGRAPHERS
By now it’s clear how visual this spot will be. With that in mind I wanted to quickly present a few artists I love, a quick note about them, and why they might be best suited for our campaign.
REUBEN S.
Reuben is my most trusted Director of Photography. We have worked on every variety of project over the past decade and he continually brings an amazing eye to each and every job. His work can be fast paced and visceral or soft and unassuming. His ability to shift styles for the job is immeasurable.
TIM S.
I’ve worked with Tim a handful of times and every time I do he has a new trick up his sleeve. He floats between sports, automotive, and the occasional lifestyle spot and he is always bringing his unique flavor of hyper reality to the screen. No doubt he would kill this one too.
ANTHONY C.
I have never actually worked with Anthony but I’ve kept an eye on him over the years and am a big fan. He seems to be very well suited for this particular campaign and I believe he could be absolutely incredible with the visuals we are trying to achieve.
POST
As I mentioned on the phone, I started my career in editing and have a deep appreciation for the post-production process.
I’m fully committed to making this the best story possible in whatever way I can—whether that means working directly with our post partners or, if timing allows, taking the first pass at an offline edit to set the tone. Beyond that, I’m happy to guide the process, review cuts, and provide feedback as much as the team sees fit.
Regarding VFX, let’s continue refining the approach for the final shot and any integrated AI-driven graphical elements that will enhance the edit.
LOOKING AHEAD
Great ideas can come from anywhere. Let’s collaborate, brainstorm, break and build this concept to extract the very best of it. Everything here is flexible and are jumping off points for further discussion.
I look forward to working with the team and ironing out all the details to further refine the vision.
Also, I don't build imaginary walls on set - I hang out in video village and chat with everyone. Come hang out with me at monitor and let’s do #allthethings necessary to tell the absolute best story. Let's push to get what is most honest and most beautiful. I will be a partner in the creative process to help everyone shine. I greatly appreciate the consideration and look forward to taking the team through the treatment.
-Lorenzo