The project started with storyboards built around the unrolling paper idea. I used those early frames to figure out how the paper could move through the Microsoft apps and still feel like it was doing real storytelling work instead of just decorating the piece.

From there, I worked with Studio Color to refine the boards, tighten the flow, and keep shaping the visual language. That back and forth helped the concept get more specific before we moved into animation.

Preliminary Storyboard by Patrick Flaherty

Revised Storyboard by Patrick Flaherty

Once the boards were in place, I moved into animatics to map the motion of the paper and see how the transitions would actually play over time. That stage was where the idea either held together or fell apart, so it mattered.

We also used test animations to work through adjustments before final production. Those passes helped us refine the movement, the pacing, and how much the paper should lead versus support the UI story.

By the time we got into final production, the main job was making sure the animation and the narrative felt locked together. The paper needed to move cleanly through the piece and still make the product feel simple and useful.

The end result was a polished video that gave Forms a strong visual idea and made the product easy to understand without overcomplicating it.