How a freestyler changed pro Rocket League — Feature Documentary

Role: Director, Writer, Interviewer, Editor, Motion Graphics Designer, Sound Designer

Tools: Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop

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Project Overview‍

This project is a feature-length documentary exploring the rise of Rocket League freestyler turned professional player: Joyo. The story follows his early days as a fan at the 2018 RLCS Season 5 World Championship in London, to his championship victory with team Moist Esports in 2022.

Released on my YouTube channel, Wayton Pilkin, the film has accumulated over 900K+ views and was awarded International Video of the Year at the Baguette Awards 2025.

I produced this documentary completely on my own, with the exception of a few outsourced 3D shots and a 40 second montage near the beginning. The writing, editing, interviewing, motion graphics, sound design, etc. was all done by myself from start to finish.

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Creative Goals‍

The goal of this documentary was to create a cinematic, emotionally engaging, and high-quality long-form narrative that goes beyond gameplay highlights, diving deep into team and family relationships.

I focused on:

• Structuring the story for maximum audience engagement and retention

• Integrating motion graphics to augment gameplay spectacles and visualize tournament/season progression

• Using sound design, pacing, and interviews to highlight emotional beats

• Remaining true to the original story while showcasing and retelling it through an exciting, cinematic lens

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Editing & Storytelling‍

The documentary was structured mostly chronologically, with hints of symbolic foreshadowing, to showcase Joyo’s personal and professional growth.

Editing decisions emphasized:

• Foreshadowing and a healthy balance of momentum vs breathing room to maintain audience engagement

• Highlighting career milestones, including their lower bracket runs that defied the odds and the championship-winning Spring Major

• Emphasis on personal character growth and overcoming obstacles along the way

Interviews with Joyo and casters Corelli and Dazerin were woven into the narrative to give context from both emotional and analytical angles.

An important narrative I wanted to develop throughout the story was Joyo's relationship with his mom, as he earns her support at the beginning, and makes her proud in a beautiful full circle moment by the end. With this plan from the start, I made sure to ask relevant questions in Joyo's interview to allow him to speak about what his relationship with his mom means to him and how it evolved throughout his journey.

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Motion Graphics‍

Motion graphics were utilized as necessary to enhance clarity in storytelling without distracting from the action.

Specific use cases included:

• Highlighting gameplay moments with animation overlays

• Displaying and animating whole tournament brackets (built from scratch)

• Showcasing tournament results across the season

• Re-enacting DM conversations between players

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Reception & Impact‍

The documentary has received widespread praise from both viewers and fellow content creators:

• 900K+ views

• Awarded International Video of the Year at the Baguette Awards 2025

• Commented on and shared by creators with millions of subscribers

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Movie Poster‍

Since this was such a big project in the making and it was a feature-length documentary, I decided to have a movie poster made for it which is seen here.

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