RECHARGED
A Battery's Second Life
AI-Generated Commercial for Runway Big Ad Contest 2026
THE BRIEF
Runway's Big Ad Contest challenged creators to produce a short commercial for a fictional rechargeable battery brand — using only AI tools on the Runway ML platform.
THE CONCEPT
What if a battery could outlive the life it was part of? "Recharged" follows a single AA battery through a decade of someone's life — from a hopeful purchase to a quiet divorce. Packed into a cardboard box it ends up at a garage sale. A stranger takes it home. Click — it still works. A story about second chances, told through a thing that was designed for them.
STYLE DIRECTION
Wes Anderson's signature aesthetic — symmetrical framing, pastel palettes, deadpan warmth, and meticulous set design — felt like the perfect match for a story that finds beauty in small, overlooked objects. Every frame is built around centered composition, muted tones, and quiet emotional beats.
PRODUCT DESIGN
The rechargeable AA battery uses a bold four-stripe color scheme — green, dark blue, white, and orange — designed to stand out in every frame and feel distinctly retro yet modern.
PACKAGING
A silver metallic tin with a technical "Battery Operational Schematic" engraved on the lid. Wrapped with a colorful striped band matching the battery's palette. The packaging feels like a collectible — something you'd keep, not throw away. The design mirrors the film's core message: this is a product built to last, built to be kept, built for more than one life.
STORYBOARD V1
01 — The Purchase. A cashier stamps the battery box. 2014.
02 — First Home. A couple on a pastel couch, remote in hand.
03 — Family Life. Kids on the floor, toys everywhere. The remote still works.
04 — The End. A meteorite in the backyard. Things fall apart.
05 — Packing Up. He puts the battery in a box labeled "STUFF."
06 — Garage Sale. The box sits on a table marked "FREE". She takes it.
07 — New Beginning. She unpacks. Finds the battery. Puts it in a remote. Click — the TV turns on.
08 — Packshot. The camera dives into the screen. The battery spins on a vinyl record.
AI WORKFLOW
1. SCRIPT & STORYBOARD
Written and visualized scene by scene before any
generation began.
2. IMAGE GENERATION — NANOBANANA 2
Each frame started as a detailed text prompt on the Runway ML platform. Key challenges:
- Character consistency across scenes
- Maintaining Wes Anderson's symmetrical style
- Matching color palette and lighting throughout
- Product accuracy (battery design, packaging)
3. VIDEO ANIMATION — KLING
Static frames were animated using Kling's
image-to-video pipeline:
- Start frame / end frame technique for transitions
- Camera controls: static, tilt, zoom, orbit
- Motion intensity tuned per scene
- 5-second clips assembled in sequence
4. MUSIC
Music created on Suno AI platform.
5. POST-PRODUCTION
Final assembly, color grading, green screen
compositing, text overlays, and sound design.
ITERATIONS
Not every generation was perfect on the first try. Some key frames required 10-20 iterations to achieve the right composition, lighting, and emotional tone. The AI workflow demands patience and precision in prompt crafting — much like directing real actors
on a real set.
THE FINAL FILM
Some things outlast everything. A rechargeable battery is one of them.
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