What I did:

Two environments this session – one new build, one revisit.

The road scene is for the roundabout sequence, where John is driving and suddenly goes the wrong way around the roundabout – a moment of confusion mid-junction that will be the key dramatic beat of the scene. I used my PCG road generator tool (built during the Procedural Content Generation module) to create the road environment, then modelled the roundabout itself.

Multiple copies of the Peugeot 2008 are positioned at different points along the road for the various shots of that scene. A couple of additional vehicles from BlenderKit populate the roundabout. Everything has been scaled and built around the 2008 model, which is the hero asset for this sequence. Cameras are in position, but will need refining to sell the moment of confusion effectively. There’ll also be a silhouette or blurred representation of John’s wife (my mum) in the passenger seat.

 

 

 

The second task was to modernise the hallway from Pt. 20 and update it to reflect the 2010s, for the scene where the DVLA letter arrives. The parquet floor (which my dad laid himself) remains as a constant visual thread through both versions of the space. The front door is the same too, just with an updated material so it appears to have been painted white over the natural wood grain, the kind of thing that happens to a house over thirty years. Almost everything else has changed: wall colours, light fittings, a cordless phone has replaced the dial one, the Yellow Pages has gone, the new console table now displays ornaments that suggest the quiet accumulation of a long life. The two photo frames remain.

 

What I learned:

Using the PCG road tool on an actual production asset rather than as a module exercise was a satisfying and fast way to create the basis of the environment. Again, scaling everything to a specific hero asset from the outset, rather than trying to match things up later, will save a lot of time.

The hallway revisit reinforced how much environmental storytelling can do quietly. The painted door is a small detail but it should read clearly on screen – same space, same distinctive door, updated. The parquet floor and the photo frames are the other constants, everything else marking the passage of time subtly.

Next:

I’m torn between creating the age variants of John, or blocking the movements of the scenes and cameras and rendering those so Martin can look at the music.

I feel a huge amount of pressure at the moment. I’m still trying to work for my clients, as well as creating John’s Journey. This is such an important project for me personally, I want to get it right, but I also have to look after my business, and I’m exhausted!

The Alpha handup is due in five days, and I’m so far off. I think milestones are good for moving projects along, but each project is different on this course, one size doesn’t fit all so the deliverables need to be cut a bit of slack! I need to prepare slides and present my work so far, when all I really want to do is continue to do the work on the actual project itself. The Alpha submission feels like a detour I could do without, but hopefully it will help me to reflect on what I have achieved and focus on what I need to get done next.

I have a lot of good work done on my user testing pool, and I’m confident that I have the groundwork done for the rendering process. I know I’m behind in some areas, but I’m ahead in others. I’m still anxious though!