What I did (back at the start):

Before I even started modelling John, I created the script and storyboards for John’s Journey. This was done right at the beginning of the project – before the character ageing work, before the rigging, before any of the technical challenges I’ve documented in this blog. Around three months into the project, I also created a rough animatic to work out timing, which I then tested with users to validate the approach.

Looking back now with the character rigged and the badge complete, I can see how crucial that early planning was.

The storyboards:

The storyboards focused on key narrative beats rather than every single shot. They mapped out the emotional arc: the achievement, the routine, the confusion, the loss, the recognition. Each scene had its purpose clearly defined, which has helped me stay focused on what actually needs to be modelled and animated as the project has progressed.

They also established the visual language early – how colour desaturation would progress through the timeline, where the badge would appear in frame, what camera angles would serve the story. Having these decisions made before diving into production meant I could build with purpose rather than figuring it out as I went.

The animatic:

About three months in, whilst I was working on the character creation, I filmed myself acting out the scenes for a rough animatic. It wasn’t my most refined work, but it did exactly what it needed to do. The animatic gave me timing for each scene, showed me the pacing, and revealed which facial expressions and body language John would need at each age.

User testing:

Once the animatic was roughed out, I tested it with 10 people to see if the story actually worked. They watched the animatic and answered survey questions about the core message, emotional impact, visual approach, and clarity.

The results were encouraging:

  • 50% correctly identified the core message – “Identity persists even as abilities fade”
  • 100% understood the final reveal – the moment landed clearly
  • 90% found the badge staying red “very effective” – the visual metaphor worked
  • Emotional impact was high – most rated 4-5 out of 5 for being emotionally moved
  • 40% said nothing was confusing – though some wanted clearer time markers and earlier establishment of why the badge matters

The most emotionally affecting scenes were the licence renewal (keys hanging unused) and the final reveal, which told me those beats were working as intended.

This feedback directly informed production decisions. A few of the issues that were identified were down to my lack of resources while filming. I knew the facial animation needed to carry significant emotional weight, that I needed to establish the badge’s importance earlier, and that subtle era markers would help viewers track time without being heavy-handed about it.

Some stills from the animatic:

 

What I learned:

Planning at the start saves massive amounts of time later. Every decision locked down in the script, storyboards, and animatic meant one less thing to figure out during production. Testing early meant I could resolve problems on paper rather than in finished animation.

The animatic particularly informed the facial rigging – I knew exactly which expressions were essential because I’d already acted them out and tested them with users. That’s why I kept the 30s John’s rig relatively simple; the testing showed me what was actually required.

Looking back:

Now that I’m moving into creating the older age variants and sorting the car models, I keep referring back to those storyboards and that user feedback. They’re the roadmap. When I’m tempted to add detail or complexity that isn’t serving the story, the storyboards remind me what actually matters. When I’m making design choices about the badge or the ageing, the user testing tells me what resonated and what needed work.

The planning phase felt slow at the time – I wanted to jump into the modelling and animation work – but it’s paid off. I’m building exactly what the story needs, not guessing and hoping it’ll work out.

Next:

With the planning validated and the 30s character now rigged, I’m tackling two parallel work streams: creating the older age variants (50s, 70s, 90s) using the Copilot reference images, and sorting through the car models I’ve sourced – Rover P6, Rover SD1, Peugeot 308CC, and Peugeot 2008. Both require careful attention to consistency across the decades, and both are informed by those early storyboards and user feedback showing me exactly what each needs to do.