ProfessionalStoryboarding

ProfessionalStoryboardingRulesofThumb

SergioPaezandAnsonJew

Firstpublished2013byFocalPress70BlanchardRdSuite402Burlington,MA01803SimultaneouslypublishedintheUKbyFocalPress2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RNFocalPressisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness©2013Taylor&FrancisTherightofSergioPaezandAnsonJewtobeidentifiedasauthorsofthisworkhasbeenassertedbytheminaccordancewithsections77and78oftheCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproducedorutilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,nowknownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orinanyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublishers.NoticesKnowledgeandbestpracticeinthisfieldareconstantlychanging.Asnewresearchandexperiencebroadenourunderstanding,changesinresearchmethods,professionalpractices,ormedicaltreatmentmaybecomenecessary.Practitionersandresearchersmustalwaysrelyontheirownexperienceandknowledgeinevaluatingandusinganyinformation,methods,compounds,orexperimentsdescribedherein.Inusingsuchinformationormethodstheyshouldbemindfuloftheirownsafetyandthesafetyofothers,includingpartiesforwhomtheyhaveaprofessionalresponsibility.Productorcorporatenamesmaybetrademarksorregisteredtrademarks,andareusedonlyforidentificationandexplanationwithoutintenttoinfringe.LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationDataPaez,Sergio.Professionalstoryboarding:rulesofthumb/SergioPaezandAnsonJew.p.cm.Includesindex.1.Motionpictures—Productionanddirection.2.Televisionprograms—Productionanddirection.3.Storyboards.I.Jew,Anson.II.Title.PN1995.9.P7P252012791.4302′3—dc232012029406

ISBN:978-0-240-81770-5(pbk)ISBN:978-0-240-81771-2(ebk)

TypesetinGiovanniBookandFranklinGothicbyFlorenceProductionLtd,Stoodleigh,Devon

AuthorBiographiesAcknowledgments

Introduction

AchievingSuccess

1.OverviewTheHistoryofStoryboardsEarlyStoryboardsStoryboardsfromtheDisneyStudio

PlaneCrazy(1928)

WhoHiresStoryboardArtists?

IndependentContractorsvsStaffersStaffersIndependentContractors(akaFreelancers)

2.VisualLiteracyScreenReferenceTheStoryPointEmotionalResponseVisualAppealCompositionwithinYourPictureFrameWorkingwithShapes

LinesTheRuleofThirds

DesignoftheShapes

FocalPointDepth

PerspectiveContrastForeground,MiddleGround,andBackgroundOverlappingFormsChangeinSize

3.DrawingforStoryboardsYourDrawingAlphabet:SICOShapes

S-CurvesStraightLinesC-CurvesEllipsesCompoundShapes

TheArtoftheRoughDrawingShortcuts

SimplifyCharactersStarPeoplePosesHandsHeadsEyes54

4.CinemaLanguage

AspectRatios

1.33:11.66:11.78:11.85:12.35:1

ShotChoice

ExtremeWideShot(EWS)WideShot(WS)FullShot(FS)CowboyShotMediumShot(MS)

CloseUpShot(CU)ChokerShotExtremeCloseUp(ECU)OvertheShoulderShot(OTS)PointofViewShot(POV)ReverseShotReactionShotInsertShot

CameraPositionandHeightCameraPositionAffectsEmotion

EyeLinePivotingMotionsoftheCamera:PanningandTiltingMovingCameraShotsOtherSpecializedShots

CameraLenses

LongLens(Narrow-angleLens)ShortLens(Wide-angleLens)FisheyeLensZoomIn/ZoomOutRackFocus

DrawingDifferentCameraLenses

DrawingaLongLens(40–120mm)DrawingaShort-angleLens(18–40mm)

ScreenDirectionThe180°Rule

180°RulewithThreeCharactersBreakingthe180°RuleCaseExample

5.StoryStructureWhatIsaStory?

StoryProtagonistMotivationConflictAntagonistIncitingIncidentPlotClimax

Resolution

StoryChartsIncorporatingDesigninYourScenesRhythmChoice

6.EmotionJuxtapositionofShots

7.StagingSecondaryActionUseDepthtoSupportYourStaging

8.StoryboardTypesBeatBoardsContinuityBoards/ShootingBoardsLiveActionBoardsFeatureAnimationBoardsAdvertisingStoryboards/PitchBoardsTVAnimationBoardsVideoGameStoryboardsPrevis

9.StoryboardingTheStoryboardProcess

ScriptAnalysis

FulfillingtheStoryPointSubtextThumbnails

StartingYourRoughDoubleCheckYourWork

FinishedStoryboards

DigitalStoryboards

ChecklistforIdentifyingCommonMistakes

10.AdvancedStoryboardTechniquesCreatingEfficiency

ComplexCameraMoves

Transitions

VisualTransitionsStoryPointTransitionsAudioTransitionsEffectsTansitions

CuttingStylesCreativeDialogueCreativeScreenDirectionAwesomeActionScenesWinningAnimatics

CreatingtheIllusionofParallax

11.PortfoliosandPromotionPortfolioDesign

WhattoAvoid

RésuméBasics

12.FindingWorkOnlinePresenceStartingtheSearchNetworkingUnionvsNon-union

IATSELocal800(www.adg.org)

What'sYourRate?InterviewsFreelanceWorkGottheJob—NowWhat?

13.Spotlight:TheProfessionalStoryboardArtistInterviewwithBentonJewInterviewwithJeffZugaleInterviewwithJoshSheppard(www.thestoryboardartist.com)InterviewwithShermCohen,StoryboardSupervisoratDisneyTelevisionAnimation(www.StoryboardSecrets.com)

MoreTips

14.PartingThoughts

ResourcesFilmographyIndex

SERGIOPAEZ

Sergio Paez is a San Francisco artist specializing in storyboards, animation, and visualdevelopment forTV, feature film,andgames.Hisanimationcredits in theUnitedStatesandEuropeincludeprojectsforPixar,Lucasfilm,Sony,andSega.Sergio'sworkisfeaturedinTheArt of CloneWars published by Chronicle Books, in The Art of Darkwatch, published byDesignStudioPress,andhewasfeaturedattheTotoroForestProjectArtExhibition.Withastrong foundation in traditional animation and illustration he has built his career on contentcreationandstorystructure.

In 2008 Sergio launched www.StoryboardArt.org, an online story community, with both acontent creation and educational focus to further techniques in visual storytelling. CurrentlySergio is working in San Francisco developing newmedia projects. You can see more ofSergio'sworkatwww.SergioPaez.com.

ANSONJEW

AnsonJew isa freelance illustratorandstoryboardartistbased inLosAngeles.Hiscreditsinclude:TheChroniclesofNarnia:PrinceCaspian,TMNT,SkyCaptainand theWorldofTomorrow,Anacondas:HuntfortheBloodOrchid,Scooby-Doo:MysteryInc.andWolverine

andtheX-Men.Hehasstoryboardednumerouscommercialsandvideogamesandpreviouslyworkedasananimator in thecomputergame industry(LucasArts) fornineyears.Ansonhasspokenon the subject of storyboards atSanDiegoComicConand atArtCenter and taughtstoryboardingatOtisSchoolofDesign.

We owe a great debt to the artists that came before us since they forged the way tocreating the modern stories we now tell. I thank all the filmmakers, animators,illustrators, and storyboard artists of whose work and great skill I was always soenvious.Inowrealizeitwasagift theyleftforusotherartiststofollowandbuildontheirworkinthehopesthatwetoomightachievegreatnessastheyhave.

Icaretoacknowledgeallthosewhoinonewayoranotherfacilitatedandsupportedmetoachievemydreams.TomyparentsandmybrotherAndré,withoutyouIwouldhavenevergottenthisfar.ToJoséMariaGuzmánMoreno,thanksforbeingpatienttoayoungartistandsharingwithmeyourstoryboardknowledge.Iamforevergratefultotheworldofstoryyouunlockedforme.Finally,IpaytributetothememoryofthegreatBarbaraBradley,underwhoseguidanceIachievedthemostartisticgrowth.Youarethegenerouseducator,whopassedtometheknowledgeIneededtoachievemydreams.

SergioPaez

AsIputmytabletpendownandshutdownmycomputermycellphonebuzzesagainforthethirdtime.It'sanothertextmessagefrommyfriendPetewonderingwhereIam.Seeingashemadethesedinnerplansforustwoweeksago,Ireallyshouldbemorepunctual.Irushoffandarriveattherestaurantbuttheonlythingdancinginmyheadisthedialoguefromthesceneonmydesk.Thequestionskeepringingthroughmyears.

Shouldn'tthecharacterbesadatthismoment?WhyamIcuttingfromawide-angleshottoaclose-up?Isitbettertouseatwo-shothere?Doesitmakesensethatshewouldslaptheguyinthefaceatherwork?

Throughoutdinner,Iabsorbtheidlechitchatandnodlikeastoicrobot.IlookatPeteashisface turns into a composed square offset by the plants in the background behind him. I seeverticallinesdividingmyviewintotheruleofthirds.

Thiswouldmakeacoollongshotinthatbarscene,Ihave.“Wakeupman,it'slikeyou'redaydreamingorsomething.”Petecatchesmyblankstare.“Sorry dude, it's this scene I'mworking on. I just can't figure out how to get the stagingright.”

Petedoesn't get it.Most peopledon't.Onceyouget the storybug, it takesover yourwholebeingandtheonlythingyoucanthinkaboutistryingtosolvethevisualproblemsinthemostuniqueandcreativeway.Visual storytellinganddrawingstoryboards is another languageofcommunication.Unfortunately, it's a difficult language tomaster and speak clearly, but onceyousolve thevisualproblemsforyouraudienceusingstoryboards, itbecomesanaddiction.Afterawhileyoustarttothinkwhetheranaverageburgerwithyourfriendisreallyasmuchfunasmanipulatingcharactersinyourscene.

Storyboardsarecomicbookstyledrawingsthatestablishtheemotionalcontentandactionofaproject.Thegoalofastoryboard is tocommunicatean idea.Thesedrawingsmayonlybe

lookedatforafewsecondssoyouhavetouseeverytoolinyourtoolboxtogetyouraudiencetounderstandyour ideas.Becauseof thequickness and relative cost efficiency, storyboardsevolvedintotheblueprintformovies,TVshows,videogames,andcommercials.Theyformthebasisofallotherdepartmentsintheproductionprocess.

Asimportantastheyare,thereislittleinformationinbooksandotherprintmaterialthatcoversstoryboards and visual storytelling. Even art schools and traditional learning environmentsdon't give you the necessary tools to improve your visual storytelling. Seemingly, theinformationofcreatingbettervisualstoriesgetspasseddownfromartisttoartistfromwithinclosed studio environments or only among professionals in the industry.Our aim here is tounlock themystery of telling better visual stories using storyboards.Don't let your personaldoubtsorlackofexperienceholdyouback.Thebestpartaboutstoryboardsisthatanyonecantellanexcitingstoryonceyouknowthebasics.

Storyboardsareessentiallyashorthandforthefilmandvisualstorytellinglanguage.Whatwedescribeindrawingsareaspectsofcinematography:composition,cameraangles,andstaging.Eventhoughwemustmasterthetoolsofdrawing,storyboardsarenotaboutdrawing.They'reaboutcommunication,notillustration.Theendgoalistotellastory,andbecauseofthat,weneedthetoolstocommunicateourideasvisually.Youdon'thavetobeamasterartisttotellagoodstory.Youonlyneedtounderstandhowtocommunicateyourideaswelltoyouraudience.

Whiledrawingskillsarehelpful,theyarenotaprerequisitetomakingstoryboards.Ifyoucandrawstickfigures,youcanlearntocomposeashotthatcommunicatesanideaforyourstory.For those seeking to become storyboard artists as professionals, drawing skills are indeedmuch more valuable. The traditional drawing skills of anatomy, proportion, composition,perspective, color, and design all applywhenmaking storyboards.These arts skills requireyearsoftraining.Whilelackinginstorytraining,mostcommercialartschoolsnowadaysdoadecentjobtraininggraphicartistsintraditionalartskills.Artskills,justasstoryboardskills,area lifelongmentaldiscipline that shouldbepracticedconstantly throughoutyour life.Thefocusof thisbook isnotnecessarilyon traditionalartsskills,but theapplicationofspecifictools to communicate visually through the use of storyboards. As we shall see, evenunderstanding the basic principles of creating storyboards will allow those artists withoutexceptionalartskillstocommunicateclearlyandcreatewinningstories.

ACHIEVINGSUCCESS

Thereisonlyonesecrettomasteringanewartform:practice.Nobookcanmakeyouinstantlybetter.No self-help tapewill give you themagic recipe. It is up to you to learn new skillsthroughrepetitionandpractice.Therearenoprerequisitesoragelimitation;allyouneedisthedesire to improve and the discipline topractice. I find it ironic that people always admiregreatartistsorathletes for their“innategifts”and“God-given talents.”“You'resuchagreatdancer…itmustbefromyourmother'sside,”theyalwayssay.Asifthefactthatyoudedicated14yearsofyourchildhoodlifestudyingacrobaticinterpretivedancehadnothingtodowithit.Thetruthis,everythingIknowaboutstoryboardsandvisualstorytellingwastaughttomebysomebodyelse.Youcantrulylearntobecomeastoryboardartist.Theprobleminthecaseof

storyboards isknowingwhat to learn.The ability to quickly create storyboards that conveyemotion, that show action, and that help to preplan productions relies on a specific set oftechniques.Ouraimistoshowyouthetoolssoyoucanbecomeastoryboardprofessionalandworkonthemovieprojectsyou'vealwaysdreamedof.

THEHISTORYOFSTORYBOARDS

Back in the very earliest days of film, therewasn't awhole lot of thought given to artisticexpression.In1895,AugusteandLouisLumièreperfectedwhatisgenerallythoughtofasthefirst projectedmotion picture that could be shown to large groups of people.1 The LumièreBrothersthrilledpayingaudienceswithsimplefootageofworkersstrollingoutoftheLumièreBrothers’ factory.These early audienceswere impressed by the simple novelty ofwatchingmoving photographs. Ironically, the Lumière Brothers, believing that the novelty of movingpictures would wear thin on audiences, abandoned further development of motion picturephotographyand set their sightson trying todevelopaprocess to create colorphotographs.Usingmoving pictures as amedium for telling stories hadn't occurred to them as a seriousconsideration.

By the time early filmmakers got around to telling visual stories, therewasn'tmuch thoughtgiventocameraangles,cameramovement,orediting.Mostofthetimeearlyfilmmakersshottheirfilmsasifwatchingaplay,withthecamerainafixedpositionwhiletheactionplayedoutinawideshotuntilthescenewasover.Onlythenwouldtherebeacuttothenextlocationandgenerallyonlyusingawideshotandastaticcamera.

Overthefirstdecadeofthe20thcenturynewtechniquesbegantoemerge.Cameramovement,cross-cutting between actions, reverse angles, inserts, point-of-view shots, flashbacks, andother techniques began to take hold and develop into the beginnings of a common filmlanguage.Oneearly film theorist and filmmaker,SergeiEisensteinwrote at length abouthistheories onmontage, about how several shots linked together in certainways could createspecificemotionaleffects.2Histheorieswereveryinfluentialonlaterfilmmakers.

EARLYSTORYBOARDS

Asdirectorsgottothepointwheretheyweremoreseriousaboutstoriesandstorytelling,manyfilmmakers found pre-planning with artists’ sketches to be useful. Eisenstein used them onBattleship Potemkin. Cecil B. DeMille used them for the 1923 version of The TenCommandments.Artistswouldsketchoutideasforgagsordesignsets;however,theseweren'twhat we would consider storyboards so much as concept sketches. It wasn't until a youngupstartnamedWaltDisneycamealongwithoneofthefirstusesofwhatcouldaccuratelybedescribed as a storyboard. It startedwith themaking of a short animated film calledPlaneCrazy, thefirstof threeshortsDisneyproducedaftergoingindependent(theothertwobeingTheGallopin’GauchoandSteamboatWillie).

STORYBOARDSFROMTHEDISNEYSTUDIO

OneoftheartiststostickwithDisney'sstudiowastheprolificUbIwerks,whoisbelievedtohaveproducedPlaneCrazy's firstprimitivestoryboards.3 Itwasbasicallysixpanelshittingthemajoractionpointsdrawnonapagecomicbookstyle,withtheactiondescriptionswrittenon a separate sheet of paper.WaltDisneywould look at the boards and approve of things,suggestrevisions,orcrossoutsomethingifhewanteditcut.Theywerenowseeingthefilmasitappearedasmoreofawhole.Uptothatpoint,inmostanimatedproductions,eachanimatorwasassignedasceneandhadtocomeupwithfunnygagsaroundasinglethemewithoutmuchregards to how the gags worked within the context of the rest of the film. Now withstoryboards, you could get a sense of the big picture; how each series of shots asworkingtogetherasasequence—morelikewhatEisensteinalreadyestablished.

PlaneCrazy(1928)PlaneCrazy,whichalsohappenedtobethefirstuseofMickeyMouseinacartoon,andthesecondshort,TheGallopin’Gaucho,werecreatedassilentshortsandwererejectedbyMGMand sat in the filmvaults collectingdust.By the timeDisneydid the third short,SteamboatWillie,hehaddecidedtousesynchronizedsoundafterthesuccessoftheveryfirstsoundfilm,The Jazz Singer. Steamboat Willie, was such a huge success that Plane Crazy and TheGallopin’Gaucho were pulled from the vault, sound was added, and the success of theseshorts allowed Disney to continue making animated shorts, eventually leading to thedevelopment of a full-length animated feature, SnowWhite and the Seven Dwarfs. A latershort,TheThreeLittlePigsfrom1933,wasthefirstshorttobefullystoryboardedwithmanyshotsdrawnon separatepiecesofpaperpinned to aboard the sameway it'sdone today inanimation.

Asidefromtheartisticbenefitsmentionedearlier,storyboardshaveamuchmorepracticaluse.Infilms,especiallyanimatedfilms,productionisveryexpensive.Manypeopleareinvolvedinshootingfilmandifthingsarecutorchangedafterit'sbeenshot,hugeamountsofmoneyarewasted.Storyboarding allowsyou to edit and change thingsonpaper, before any expensiveshooting begins, resulting in a net savings. It also allows many people to look at thedevelopmentof thefilmandbesure that thestory isworkingformaximumemotionaleffect.Becauseofthisrealization,storyboardusespreadtobothanimatedandliveactionfilmandis

stillwidelyusedtoday.

WHOHIRESSTORYBOARDARTISTS?

Aside fromanimationand live action film,with the adventofnewmediaplatforms suchasvideogames,web,andmobileapplications,storyboardsaremorewidelyusednowthanever.Despitethisfact,thenumberofpeoplewhocreatestoryboardsforalivingisrelativelysmall.Whiletherearecertainindustriesthathirestaffstoryboardartists,moststoryboardartistsarefreelancers.Inmostcases,freelancestoryboardartistsdon'tworkonstoryboardsexclusively.Theyoftenworkinotherareasaswellsuchasprint,productillustration,comics,orconceptart.

IndependentContractorsvsStaffersStoryboardartistscanworkeitheronafreelancebasisoraspartofastaff.Someindustrieswork exclusively with staffers, while others work exclusively with freelancers, althoughoccasionally, companieswith art staff will hire out freelancerswhen they need extraworkdone.Staffpositions forstoryboardartistsare found largely inanimated featureproductionsandanimatedTVseries,aswellasinthegamingindustry.Liveactionfeatures,liveactionTVandtheadvertisingindustryusefreelancersalmostexclusively.

StaffersWorkingasastaffstoryboardartistmeansyouworkinthewaymostpeoplethinkaboutajob:yougethiredbyacompanyasanemployeewhereyouhaveanassignedcubicleorofficeandyouwork 40 hours aweekMonday through Friday. The standard corporate benefitswouldapply.Mostofthetaxyouoweonyourincomeiswithheldforyou.Youhaveco-workersandsupervisors thatyouget toknowover the longhaul.Thereareemployeereviewsandofficepolitics.Youwork thereas longasyoucanbeforeyoueitherquit,get fired,orget laidoff.Becauseanimation,unlikeliveaction,requiresthatanentireshowbestoryboarded,fulltimestaff storyboard positionsmostly reside in the animation industry,TV shows, or the gamingindustry.Staffstoryboardartists’salariesvarydependingonexperiencefromaround$40,000to$150,000ayear.4

IndependentContractors(akaFreelancers)Workingasafreelancermeansyouareself-employed—youareyourownboss.Youdemandyourownpayrate.Youdecideifyouaregoingtoworkornot.Ifyouwanthealthinsurance,youhavepurchaseitonyourown(unlessyou'reinaUnion;moreonthatinChapter12).Youhavetokeeptrackofyourownincometaxesandexpenses.

Freelancerscanbehired forgigs thatareonlyaday longor that last formonths.Theymayworkathomeviatheinternetortheymayhavetocommuteandworkon-sitedependingonthejob.Freelancersgenerallymakeitapolicytochargebythedayratherthanthehour,toavoidsituationswhereyoucommutefortwohoursonaonehourgig,andthencomehometofindan

offerforafullday'sworthofworkormoreinyouremailinbox.

Generally speaking, a freelancer's rate is often higher than what a staffer makes. A decentfreelancestoryboardartistmightchargenearly$700perday.Thismayleadyoutobelievethatfreelance storyboard artists drive foreign sports cars and live in opulent houses in theHollywoodHills.Oh, howwe allwish thiswere true.The reality is freelancers often findthemselvesgoingforlongstretcheswithoutanywork,essentiallyunemployed,burningthroughtheirbankaccounts topay the rentuntil they land thatnextcontract.This isone reason theyhavetochargemorethanstaffemployees.

Beingacontractor is likebeingunemployedall thetimeinthatyouspendalotofyournon-workingtimetryingtofindwork,viatheinternetorthroughphonecallsorthoughsomekindofmarketing program.You are constantly sending out your portfolio and résumé, cold calling,schmoozing,orbuildingupyouronlineportfolio.Unlikeastaffer,freelancersdon'tjudgetheirsuccesssomuchbywhathourlyratetheycanchargeforaday'swork,butbyhowmuchworktheycancobbletogetherinayear.Theirannualincometendstofluctuatedependinghowmuchwork they can drum up. Unfortunately, most artists can't put enough work together to keepcompletely busy for an entire year (and thosewho can, can probably also afford to chargemore).But ifyoumanage tokeep reasonablybusy throughout thewholeyear,aprofessionalstoryboardartistcanmakeacomfortableliving.

Moststoryboardworkthatisrelatedtoliveactionproductionsisfreelance.Thisisforseveralreasons. For one, storyboards are not as universally used in live action as they are inanimation,andwhentheyareused,itisgenerallyonlyforspecificsectionsoftheproductionlikesequencesheavyinspecialeffectsoraction.Also,mostproductionsinvolvingliveaction,likefeaturefilmsandcommercials,aredoneonaprojecttoprojectbasis.Forexample,whenliveaction feature filmsareproduced,each film is itsowncompany thatonlyexists for thedurationof theproductionof that film.Once the film is completed, theproduction companyessentially shutsdownandceases to exist.This is in contrast to animated films, inwhichasingle production company (like DreamWorks or Pixar) has several films in production atonce,andwherefulltimestaffstoryboardartistscanjumpfromproductiontoproductiononcetheircontributiontoaspecificprojectends.

Thechoicebetweenastafferandafreelancerisoftennotthatdifficultdependingonthewhatkindof lifestyleyouwant to lead. Inyourcareeryoumayendupgoingbackandforth fromstaff tofreelancepositions.Inourdiscussionwewillgothroughthebenefitsofeachsoyoucanmakeaninformeddecisionaboutwhichareasofstoryboardingyoumaywanttopursue.

NOTES1B.ChardèreandG.BorgéandM.Borgé(1985),LesLumière,Paris:BibliothèquedesArts.2SergeiEisenstein(1949),FilmForm:EssaysinFilmTheory,NewYork:Harcourt,Trans.JayLeyda.

3FrankThomasandOllieJohnston(1981),TheIllusionofLife,NewYork:Hyperion,p.29.4SeeChapter12formoreinformationonrates.Alsoseepublishedunionsratesathttp://animationguild.org/contracts-wages/

Nowwebeginourjourneyintothemysteriousworldofvisualstorytellingandmakeourfirststrides tobecomingaprofessional storyboardartist.Tounderstandwhat it takes tocreateastoryboardimage,wemustfirstanalyzewhat's involvedincreatingavisualstory.Narrativestoriesusevisualelementsthatarejuxtaposedtogetherinsequenceandprojectedordisplayedonaflatsurfacefortheaudience.(Forthepurposesofourdiscussionwewillleavethetopicofsoundoutforthemoment.)1Thesevisualelementscanbeanythingwefindinourrealworldoreveninourimaginationsuchascharacters,deepseavessels,ordistantplanets.Thevisualelements for these shapes are enclosed in a bounding box or picture frame that defines theedgesofthecomposition.Thisframecanbetheedgeofthemoviescreeninatheater,theframeofyourtelevisionset,ortheedgesofyourcomputermonitor.Itisimportanttorealizethatthevisual elements are enclosed in a frame that allows us as artists to define the composition.Anotherpointtonoteisthattheresultingprojectionofthesevisualimagesisflat.Theflattwo-dimensionalscreenofthetheaterortelevisionmonitoremphasizesthenecessitytocreatetheillusionofdepthonthistwo-dimensionalsurface.Inaphotograph,ora3Drenderingit'seasyto see the illusion of depth because the resulting image more closely relates to how ourphysicaleyeseestheworld.Asweshallseeinadrawnstoryboard,wemust takethedepthcuesfromtherealworld,andemphasizeorde-emphasizethemasweseefit.

SCREENREFERENCE

Whentalkingaboutstoryboards,weoftenrefertotheimagesasiftheywerealreadyprojected“onthescreen.”Wewillrefertotermssuchas“screendirection,”or“cameraleft,”“cameraright.” These terms refer to the physical camera and the final projected image on a moviescreen.Alsotermsmaycomeupthatreferencetheactualshootingofaliveactionmoviesuchas“cameraheight”andlenses.Wewillgointothedeepermeaningsof thesetermslater,butsincetheseindustrytermsaretossedaroundoften,it'simportanttounderstandwhattheymeaninreferencetoasinglestoryboardimage.Whenwediscusscreatingstoryboards,imaginethe

flatstoryboardpanelasthefinalprojectedimageinamovietheateroronaTVscreen.Sincemanyof theprojectswill endup inoneof these formats anyway, it's good from the start toimagine any work we do as closely resembling the final projected image. Throughout thisbook,wewillrefertostoryboardimagesasiftheyarepartofthefinalprojectedmovieoranactualfilmproduction.

THESTORYPOINT

Indiscussingstoryboardsonetopicthatcomesupisfulfillingthestorypoint.Thestorypointissimplythepurposeoftheshotorscene.Itanswersthequestion“why?”Ourgoalasastoryartististosolvevisualproblemsandanswerthe“why”question.Whydidthecharacterenterthe scene?Why is the character afraid?Why did the bank explode? The story point is thereasonwedrawaparticularstoryboardpanel.Eachpanelneedstohaveaspecificreasonwhyit'sdrawnandansweraquestionofwhatstorypointthatimagereveals.Wewilldiscussthestorypointmoreindepthlater,butfornowrealizethateverypanel,youdrawshouldhaveapurposeforthestory.

EMOTIONALRESPONSE

Agoalinanypieceofartworkistoevokeanemotionalresponseinthevieweroraudience.Thisisnolessimportantinavisualstorytellingmedium,suchasstoryboards.Infact,itcanbeargued that it's evenmore important in storyboards andvisual storytelling sinceweneed tocontroltheaddeddimensionoftime.Emotionscanbuildfromthebeginningofyourstorytotheend to create a moving visual experience. In this sense we usually talk about emotions asbeats, thesteppingstones inastory tocreate theoverallemotional response.Understandingwhat techniques evoke these emotions and when to use them is a skill that's built throughexperience. It's not enough to create pretty pictures. These pictures need to be designed tomoveanaudienceemotionallyand trulyengage theminyourstory.Wewilldiscussemotionmorelater,butlet'sbeginwiththebasicsofevokingavisualemotionalresponse.

VISUALAPPEAL

Anotherconceptthatneedstobeclearwithinourimagesistheideaofvisualappeal.Appeal,asdefinedbythegreatDisneyanimatorsFrankThomasandOllieJohnson,isthatinnate“…quality of charm, pleasing design, simplicity, communication and magnetism” in the image.Theygoontodiscussappeal:

Adrawingthatiscomplicatedorhardtoreadlacksappeal.Poordesign,clumsyshapes,awkward moves, are all low on appeal. Spectators enjoy watching something that isappealing to them, whether an expression, a character, movement, or a whole storysituation.Whiletheliveactorhascharisma,theanimateddrawinghasappeal.2

Learning how to create this visual appeal in storyboards requires understanding the basicconceptsofdesignandcommandofvisualshapes.Asartistsgetsbetterwiththeirdrawing,itbecomeseasiertodeveloptheimagestohavemoreaestheticappeal.Althoughtherearemany

artistswith great skill, this doesn't necessarilymean they can create storyboard images thathavethisvisualappeal.Sometimesthesimplestoflinesandshapecanevokegreatappealandgivevaluablestorystrength. It is important tounderstand that thisconceptexists.Sometimeswhenyoulookatyourdrawings,andsomethingfeelsoff,itmightactuallybethatthedrawinglacksappeal.Maybethearrangementoftheshapesinyourcompositionistoocluttered.Maybethe facial expressions looked over-worked. Sometimes just understanding and rationalizingthisconceptcanhelpyouavoidcreatingadullstoryboardpanel.

FIGURE2.1

COMPOSITIONWITHINYOURPICTUREFRAME

Nowthatyouunderstandthat thegoal isanemotionalresponse,andthatyourimagesshouldhavevisualappeal,wecandiscussthetoolstohelpachievetheseends.Asastoryboardartistyou should always start out with a compositional boundary or picture frame. This helpsdetermine theelements thatgowithin thecompositionandhow theyarearrangedwithin thebox formaximum visual appeal. Bymanipulating the elements in the composition, you candirect theaudience'seye towhereyouwant theeye to look.Thiswilldirectattention to thefocus,orstorypointandhelpcommunicatetheemotionalbeat.Wewilldiscussaspectratioslater, but for now, it's important to point out that most visual stories follow a horizontalrectangularcomposition.(Figure2.2)

FIGURE2.2

WORKINGWITHSHAPES

Beforewetalkaboutcomplexshapeslikeautomobilesorthehumanfigure,let'sbreakdownthevisualelementsintothemostbasicabstractshapes.Laterwewillbeabletoimaginetheseshapes as people, trees, or explosions, etc. For now, though, let's take a look at how theseshapesworkinisolation,andthenlaterjuxtaposedtogethertocreateanemotionalresponsein

ourcompositions.

LinesLinesinyourcompositionwillgiveadifferentemotionalreactiontotheaudiencedependingonhowyouuse them.Traditionally, themorehorizontal andvertical lines there are inyourcomposition,themorestaticyourimagewillbe.Themorediagonallinesyouhave,themoredynamicyourcompositionwillbe.Usethistoyouradvantagewhencommunicatinganactionscene,orasubtledrama.

FIGURE2.3Horizontalsgivesthefeelingofcalm-static.

FIGURE2.4Verticalsalsofeelcalm,butfeelsomewhatmoreactivethanhorizontals.

FIGURE2.5Diagonalsfeelmoreactivethaneitherverticalsorhorizontals.

Let'slookathowtheselinescandividethepictureframe.(Figure2.5)

FIGURE2.6Linesthatdividespaceevenlyareboring.

FIGURE2.7Movethelinessothatthespacesareunequaltocreatevisualinterest.

FIGURE2.8Parallelsgiveusasenseofstatelinessandorder.

FIGURE2.9Asymmetrygivesusasenseofchaosanddisorder.

FIGURE2.10Noblestaticcomposition.

FIGURE2.11Dynamiccomposition.

Youcancreatethefeelingofsymmetryorasymmetry,dependingonwhatyourstoryrequires.So often I see young storyboard artists create static and symmetrical images by default.Becauseof this, it's important toforceyourself tocreateapleasingasymmetrical imagefirstandthenadjustthecompositionaccordingtoyourstoryrequirements.Ifyourstorycallsforanoble king to enter into the frame, you might want to use horizontal and vertical lines to

representhisnobilityorpower.Ifontheotherhand,thestoryisaboutadisorganizedbusinessexecutive, you may want to make the lines in your composition, asymmetrical creating thefeeling of uneasiness and disarray. The point to realize is that this is an important artisticchoicetoarrangethelinesandelementswithinthecomposition.

TheRuleofThirdsTheruleofthirdsisaguidetohelpyouavoidsymmetryinyourcomposition.Drawlinesthatdividetheframeintothirdsbothverticallyandhorizontally.Theintersectionsofthelinesmakegood places to put your visual elements. You can align objects with the lines themselves.(Figure2.12)

FIGURE2.12

Symmetry tends to split your composition andmake it seemoverly stiff and formal. (Figure2.13)Unlessthisisyourintent,avoidputtingareasofinterestalongthehalfwayline.

FIGURE2.13

FIGURE2.14

Inmostcases,youshouldputthemostinterestingelementsofyourcompositionsintotheareawherethepicturedividesintothirds.(Figure2.14)

DesignoftheShapesAshumans,wehavebeenconditionedtohavespecificvisualstimulievokecertainemotionsinus.Withknowledgeofthis,thesevisualstimulicanbemanipulatedbytheartisttoinvokethesefeelingsintheaudience.

FIGURE2.15Circles,ovals,andcurvesevokefeelingsoffriendliness,fun,andhappiness.

FIGURE2.16Squares,rectangles,andrightanglesevokefeelingsofformalityandorder.

FIGURE2.17Trianglescreatefeelingsofaggressionanddynamism.

Use the design of the shapes in your compositions to create the feeling you want for youraudience.Thesevisualelementsaddgreatrichnessanddepthtothestory.Often,theaudiencedonotrealizetheyarebeingmanipulated,buteventhedesignoftheshapescaninfluencetheaudience'semotions.Inastoryboardimageeveryelementisimportant,especiallythedesignoftheshapesinyourcomposition.

FOCALPOINT

Goodcompositiondirectstheaudience'seyetowhereyouwantthemtolookonscreen.Everystoryboardneedsafocalpointorcenterofinterest.Thisfocalpointcanbeanywherewithinthe picture frame, but it's important to choose beforehand where your focal point will be.Creatingstoryboardsisaboutdescribingstorybeats,andmanipulatingtheaudiencetolookatwhereyouneedthemtolook.Inordertomakeyourstorypointcleartotheaudienceyourfocalpoint also needs to be clearly designed within the picture frame. Every element of thecomposition should also emphasize the center of interest.Youmight deliberately angle tree

branchespointinginthedirectionofyourfocalpoint.Youcanalsodesigntheanglesoftablesandchairstopointandaccentyourcenterofinterest.(Figure2.18)

FIGURE2.18

FIGURE2.19Designtheelementsofyourcompositiontoemphasizethefocalpoint.

In any storyboard image, you can only have one focal point at any given time. Oftencompositionsgetclutteredwithtoomuchinformation,andthefocusisnotclearintheimage.Thismightbeacaseoftryingtodescribetoomuchinformationallatthesametime.Justasyoushouldonlyrelayonestorybeatata time,youshouldonlyhaveonefocalpointata timeinyour image. This doesn't mean you cannot have supporting elements that help balance thecomposition.Astoryboardimagemighthavetwoareasoffocus,aprimaryfocalpointandasecondary focal point. A storyboard might even have three centers of interest: primary,secondary,andtertiary.Eventhoughtherearemultiplecentersofinterest,thereisalwaysanorderofimportance.Youmustdecidewheretheprimaryfocalpointisandkeepthatelementas the most important in the frame. The secondary and tertiary focal points should alwayssupporttheprimaryfocalpoint.

STORYTIPIfyourstorybeatisconfusing,orthecompositionstartstogetcluttered,itcouldbethatyourfocalpointisnotclear.Beginremovingelementsofyourcompositionuntilyoufindaclear

focustobetterserveyourstorybeat.

FIGURE2.20Primaryfocalpoint.

FIGURE2.21Secondaryfocalpoint.

FIGURE2.22Tertiaryfocalpoint.

DEPTH

One elusive concept for young artists to achieve is a sense of depth in a storyboard. Thedefault tendencyis tocreateaflat imagewith littleperspectiveordepthcues.Asartistsweoftentalkaboutasceneashavingdeepspace,versusflatspace.Deepspaceisascenewithaclearandexpansivesenseofspace.Aflat spacescene isonewherecharactersmightbeupagainstawallorinfrontofastagedbackdroplimitingthedistanceoureyescantravelwithinthe scene. Each spatial choice has a benefit when trying to describe dramatic or comedic

moments and specific story points. These depth cues are a conscious choice to create aspecificeffectfortheaudience.Itisoftenmoredifficulttoachieveascenewithalotofdepthusingdeepspace.Storyartistsshouldnotbelimitedbytheirtoolsandthedefaultshouldnotbeonlywhatyouarephysicallyabletodraw.Thegoodnewsisthatonceyouareconsciousofdifferenttrickstoachievedepthandlimitdepthwhennecessary,itbecomeseasiertoproduceaconvincingstoryboardimage.Let'sdiscusssometoolsforcreatingdepth.

FIGURE2.23Deepspace.

FIGURE2.24Flatspace.

PerspectivePerspective isoneof themostuseful tools to create the illusionofdepth.You shoulduse aperspectivegrid inalmostevery frameyoudraw.Thegrid isaquickandeasyshorthand toestablishthecameraheightandtogiveasenseofdepthwithintheframe.Adrawingwithoutaperspective grid leaves room for interpretation andmight indicate a camera height that youdon't intend. Perspective can be a complicated and intimidating subject, but what we willdescribehereisaspecificuseofperspectiveasappliedtostoryboardimages.Justasinanyothertopicofclassicaldrawing,themoreyouknowaboutperspectivethemoreversatileasanartistyouwillbeandthebetteryourdrawingswill look.Therearemanygreatresourcesonthe topic of perspective, and we highly recommend you study them all. Check out theResourcessectionatthebackofthisbookformoredetailedinformationonperspective.Herewewilldiscussashorthandtoperspectiveasappliedtostoryboardimages.

PERSPECTIVEBASICS

Parallel linesappear toconvergeas theyrecede into thedistance towardapoint (vanishingpoint)onthehorizon.Thisopticalillusionisclearwhenlookingatphotosofrailroadtracksorarowofcarsgoingoffintothedistance.Theobjectswillappeartogetsmallerandconvergetoasinglepointinthedistance.Thehorizonlinerepresentstheeyeleveloftheviewerandtheheightofthephysicalcameraasplacedonamovieset.Youcanhaveaninfinitenumberofvanishingpointsonthehorizonline,butinanycompositionyoucanonlyhaveonehorizonline.Therearethreetypesofperspective,one-pointperspective,two-pointperspective,andthree-pointperspective.

ONE-POINTPERSPECTIVE

Startbydrawingahorizonlinethroughyourpictureframe.Chooseapointonthatlinetobeavanishing point. Radiate lines from that vanishing point below the horizon line.Now drawlinesparallel to thehorizon to create agrid representing thegroundplaneor the skyplane.Thiscreatesaone-pointperspectivegridyoucanusetopositionobjectsinspace.Thesidesofyourobjectswillconvergetothevanishingpoint.Thisgridisahandyreferencethatyoucanusetocreatetheillusionofdepth.

FIGURE2.25

FIGURE2.26

FIGURE2.27

TWO-POINTPERSPECTIVE

Create twovanishingpointson thehorizon line leavinga spacebetween the twopoints.Bydrawing lines radiatingdownfrombothof thepoints the lines intersectcreatinga two-pointperspectivegrid.Two-pointperspectivegivesusamoredynamicwaytoshowtwosidesofanobject.Plantyourobjectsonthegridwiththelinesofyourobjectsconvergingtothevanishingpoints.Thisorientsthefiguresinspacerelativetoeachother,andsupportsthesenseofdepth.

FIGURE2.28

FIGURE2.29

FIGURE2.30

FIGURE2.31

THREE-POINTPERSPECTIVE

Startwithatwo-pointperspective,andaddathirdvanishingpointprojectedverticallyupwardor downward from the horizon line. Vertical lines, such as the sides of a building, willconverge on the third vanishing point. This helps the sense of depth by exaggerating thedistortionoftheobjectsrelativetothecameraheight.

FIGURE2.32

FIGURE2.33

Learningperspectivecanbechallenging,especially ifyouhavelittleexperienceindrawing.Again, the only solution for this is practice. Looking at references from life and fromphotography can help guide you as well. One-, two-, and three-point perspectives are thefoundationsofbuildingarealisticscene,andtheyareaguidetoplantyourfiguresandobjectson that perspective grid. Thisworks even if your perspective isn't 100% accurate.What isimportant in a storyboard is to give the illusion of depth and a size change in the objectsbecauseoftheperspective.Ineveryshotyoudraw,youshouldbeabletoidentifywherethehorizon line is, and why you placed it there. The horizon line represents the height of thecamera.Nothingshouldbearbitrary,especiallytheheightofyourcamera.Theseareconsciousdecisions you will make to manipulate the audience. Knowing perspective is extremelyhelpful,especiallywhenwebegintalkingaboutdifferentcameralensesinlaterchapters.3

CHEATINGPERSPECTIVE

Youdon'thavetodrawthehorizonlineandthegridlineswitharuler.Inaquicksketchyourvanishingpointsandconverginglinesmightnotexactlylineup.What'simportantistheoverallsenseofobjectsconverging to thevanishingpoints.Oftenyourvanishingpointsandhorizonlinemaybeoutsideofyourpictureframe.Youmayevenhaveinstanceswherethevanishingpointsgooffyourdrawingtableordigitalcanvas.Aroughlysketchedgridofconverginglinesisenough,evenwithoutthehorizonlineandvanishingpointsinsidetheframe.Withtimeandpractice,youshouldbeabletodrawasolidgridofperspectivesimplybyknowingwhereyourvanishingpointandhorizonlineshouldbeinrelationtoyoursubject.

TIPDrawtheperspectivegridineveryframetohelpyoucreatethecompositionandtoestablish

thecameraheight.

FIGURE2.34

FIGURE2.35Learntodrawyourperspectivegridfreehandjustbyimaginingwhereyourvanishingpointsandhorizonlineshouldbe.

HANGINGPERSPECTIVE

Hangingperspectiveisastoryboardartist'ssecretweapon.Figuresandobjectsof thesameheight will be cut off at the same place on the horizon line even if they're located atdifferent distanceswithin the scene.Objectswill seem to “hang” on the horizon from thisintersectionpoint.Thisisaquickwaytoplantfiguresandobjectsofthesamesizewithinthepictureframejustbyknowingwhereyourhorizonis.Startwiththefigurethatyouwanttobeyourreferencesubject.Otherfigureswillbebasedonthisfirstfigure.Inthiscase,thefigureiscut off at thewaist by thehorizon line (Figure2.36).Nowyou can addmore figures in theforegroundandthebackgroundand“hang”thematthewaistalongthehorizonline.Withverylittle effort, youhave a scene full of characters that all give the illusionof depth in correctperspective(Figure2.38).

The same rules apply for hanging perspective even if the objects are above or below thehorizonlineandnotintersectingit.Theproportionaldistanceofyoursubjectfigurefromthehorizon line will be the same for all objects or characters of the same height. A good

measuring stick is to use the height of the character's head and the proportional distance oftheseheadheightsfromthehorizonlinetoestablishmultiplecharactersincorrectperspective.In a storyboard it is not necessary to correctly rule out head heights or any other rigidmeasuringpoint.Aslongastheillusionofperspectiveisdrawncorrectlyitisenoughtosellthe scene.With practice, you should be able to draw an image that has depth andmultiplecharacters freehand with no rulers. As long as you understand the concept of hangingperspectiveandsizechangesyoucancreatetheillusionquicklyandeffectively.4

FIGURE2.36

FIGURE2.37

FIGURE2.38

FIGURE2.39Figures“hanging”fromthetorso.

FIGURE2.40Figures“hanging”fromtheknee.

STORYBOARDMAGIC:THEGRIDTRICK

Havingaperspectivegrid inyourstoryboard isan incrediblypowerful toolnotonly toadddepthanddescribethecameraheightbutalsoitcanbejustasusefultochangethenatureoftheshotcompletely.Simplybychangingthedirectionofyourperspectivegrid,youcanindicateadifferentcameraanglewithoutredrawingyoursubject.Takealookatthedrawingsbelow.Bychangingnothingelsebutthegrid,wesuggestadownshotinthefirstframe,andanupshotinthesecond.Addsomebackgroundelementstocompletetheillusionandyouhaveaconvincingstoryboardpanel.Theperspectivegridisyourfriend.

FIGURE2.41

FIGURE2.42

FIGURE2.43

FIGURE2.44

ContrastContrast,wewill define here as the difference or similarity between objects.Contrast canhelpdefine the focalpointofa shotaswellascreatedepth.Theeye isattracted towhat isdifferent. A light object will stand out if everything else is dark. Play with the amount ofcontrastbetweenobjectstoaffecttheemotionalresponseoftheviewer.Bycontrastingshapesorisolatingacoloryoucaneasilycreateafocalpointwithinyourimage.Youcanjuxtaposedifferent objects and elements in shape, color, value, size and almost any attribute you canthinkof.

Bigvs.smallTriangularshapevs.circularshapeDarkvs.lightSharpfocusvs.softfocusMovingvs.still

FIGURE2.45Thecircularshapestandsoutinaseaofangles.

These gray boxes below have different levels of contrast and, therefore, have differentemotionalweight to theviewer.Thefirstsetofboxesgivesafeelingofcalmandunity.Thesecondcontrastingshapesaremoredramaticandtense.Valueandcolorcontrastisalsoawaytohelpachievedepth.Lightimagesfeelclosertous.Darkimagesrecede.Withcolorimages,warmcolorsfeelcloserandcoolcolorsrecede.

FIGURE2.46

FIGURE2.47

Thingsthatareclosetousappeartohaveabroaderrangeoflighttodarkthanthingsthatarefartherawayfromus,duetoatmosphericperspective.Therangeoflighttodarkismuchlowerinobjectsthatarefaraway.Ashumans,ourattentionseemstobedrawntotheareaswiththegreatestamountofcontrast.

FIGURE2.48Foregroundvsbackgroundcontrast.

Foreground,MiddleGround,andBackgroundWhencomposingyourshots,always try to incorporateaforeground,amiddleground,andabackground. Themore you can show these elements, themore depth your compositionwillhave.Ournaturaltendencyistoflattenthingsoutanddrawimagesthatareononeplane.Forceyourselftobreakthattendency.Eveninacloseupshot,youmightbeabletoaddaforegroundorbackgroundobject.

FIGURE2.49

OverlappingFormsBynot intersecting linesofanobject,weperceiveoneobject tobe infrontofanother.Thisoverlapcreatestheillusionofdepth.Overlappingformscanexistwithinthehumanfigure,orwithdifferentobjectswithinthescene.(Figures2.50and2.51)

FIGURE2.50

FIGURE2.51

ChangeinSizeWith a single object a change in size from one frame to the next creates a sense of depth.Objectsthatgrowappeartocomecloserandobjectsthatshrinkappeartomovefurtherawayfromus.Thischangeinsizeoftheobjectswithinthesceneaddsvisualinterestanddepthtotheshots.Thisisoneofthereasonswhyit'spreferabletostagecompositionssothatobjectswillgrowinsizewithintheframeinsteadofusingprofileshots(Figures2.52and2.53).

FIGURE2.52

FIGURE2.53

FIGURE2.54

FIGURE2.55

FIGURE2.56

FIGURE2.57

FIGURE2.58

FIGURE2.59Avoidprofileshotsandstageyourcompositionssothatcharactersandmovingobjectswillchangesizewithintheframe.

NOTES1Audioplaysahugeroleindesigningavisualstoryanditsimportanceshouldnotbeunderestimated.Ourconcernhereiswithvisualstorytelling,andthetechniquesinvolvedincreatingthestoryboards.It'simportantforastoryartistandafilmmakertounderstand the role of audio and sounddesign in the product as awhole. Sound can often influence the visuals, and viceversa.

2FrankThomasandOllieJohnston(1981),TheIllusionofLife,NewYork:Hyperion,pp.68–69.

3 We highly recommend you study and learn your perspective asmuch as possible. Formore detailed resources, see theResourcessectioninthebackofthebook.

4ForabrilliantdescriptionofperspectiveandhangingperspectiveseeAndrewLoomis(1944),FigureDrawing forAll It'sWorth,NewYork:VikingPress,pp.34–37,45–49.

Storyboardsareaninformationaltool.Theyareaquickshorthandforstorytellingmeantforasmall audience generally consisting of directors, actors, cinematographers and other filmprofessionals.Theyaren'tmeanttobepublished,adored,oradmiredasbeautifulworksofartandareonlyusedwithinthedurationofaproduction.Thousandsofdrawingsmaybeproducedforaparticularproject.Storyboardsarefrequentlyredone,changed,ordiscardedaltogether.Storyboardsaredisposableart—aroughdraftofthemovie.Becauseofthisitisimportanttoutilizeaseriesofdrawing tools tocreateacomplete looking image in thequickestpossibleamount of time. One advantage for the modern artist is to use digital tools to createstoryboards. Digital tools and computer work speed things up considerably, but a thoroughunderstandingofdrawingshortcutsisstillimportant.Itmaybethecasewherethereisenoughtime to create a highly polished and complete illustration that can be used as a storyboardimage.What ismore often the case, is deadlines are extremely tight andwithout the use ofdrawing shortcuts it might be impossible to finish the assignment. Building a library ofshortcutswill help you draw effective and quick storyboards. Forget about the unnecessarydetail,anddrawwhatisimportanttocommunicatingtheaction.Youshouldbeabletodrawacar, boat, house, person, or tree, with simple recognizable shapes that you draw withinseconds.Simplifyingadrawingalsohelpswithclarity.Ifthedrawingisn'tclear,allthefancydrawing in the world won't fix it. A story drawing must be clear, first and foremost, tocommunicatetheidea.Let'sdiscussanapproachtoreachingmaximumefficiencyandshortcutsinyourdrawings.

YOURDRAWINGALPHABET:SICOSHAPES

Everythingyoudrawcanbasicallybebrokendown intodrawinga fewelements:S-curves,straight lines,C-curves, andellipses. Once youmaster drawing these elements confidentlyand fluidly, thequalityofyourdrawingswill improve significantly.Practice theseover andoverwiththekindoffinesseyouwouldifyouweretryingtomasteryourgolfstrokeoryour

forehandintennis.Ghostyourstrokejustabovethesurfaceofthepaperseveraltimesandletthepencil tip lightlydropon to thepaperasyou try tomasterasinglesmooth,wobble-freeline.Practiceandmasterdoingthisfromasingleangle.Ifyouwanttodrawyourlineorcurveatadifferentangle,don'tchangeyourstroke,spinthepaperinstead.

FIGURE3.1

Theseexercisesmightseembasicandboring,butyouhavetolearnhowtoskatebeforeyoucanplayhockey,right?Findthetimetodrawwhilechattingatdinnerwithafriendorwhileinfrontof theTV.1Get into thehabitofcarryinga sketchbookeverywhereyougoandusing iteveryopportunityyouhave.Andbyeverywhere, Imeaneverywhere! Ifyou're in lineat themovies you should be drawing.On the bus?That's drawing time.Outwith your girlfriend?DRAWHER! Ifyouhavenothing todrawyoucanalways spend10minuteson theseSICOexercises.Thepointisfromnowuntilyourdeathbed,youwillcarryasketchbookanduseit.Itmakesnodifferencewhetherthedrawingsaregoodorbad.Theideaistomoveyourhandandbuildthepencilmileagethatwillhelpyouproducegreatworklateron.

S-CurvesMastering the S-curve will take you a long way in creating fluid, expressive drawings.Practicedrawingthemasdescribedabove,butespeciallypracticedrawingS-curvesthathaveasubtlegentlecurvetothem.Itmaybesosubtlethatyou'realmostdrawingastraightline.TrytotraceoveranS-curveyou'vealreadydrawnassmoothlyasyoucaninasgracefulastrokeasyoucan.ThenpracticedrawingreverseS-curves.

FIGURE3.2

StraightLinesDrawtwodotsonapageandpracticeyouraccuracybytryingtodrawastraight,freehandlinethatpassesthroughbothdotsinasinglestroke.Practicedrawingaseriesofstraightparallellines.Drawslowlyatfirst,thenbuildupyourspeed.ThinkofthisexerciseasZenmeditation,whichisalsogoodpracticefortheartofpatience.Withtime,youwillbeamazedhowcloseyoucanachievenearperfectlystraight linesdrawingfreehand.The trick is tobuildupyourhandandeyecoordinationsothedrawingstrokesreactasyouwantthem.Don'tbelieveme?Takemychallenge—trydrawingstraightlines10minutesperdayforaweek.Bytheendoftheweekyouwillbelikearobotdrawingperfectlymechanicalstraightlines.

FIGURE3.3

C-CurvesPracticedrawingC-curvesasyouwouldS-curves,especially focusingon thesubtlecurves.Youcanpracticethemoreseverecurvesbydrawingthreedotsonapageandtryingtodrawasmooth,gracefullinethatpassesthroughallthree.

FIGURE3.4

EllipsesPracticedrawingsmooth,evenellipsesatvarioussizes.Trytoclosetheshapeascleanlyaspossible. An ellipse is a very difficult shape to master especially because of the differentperspectiveviews.Treat drawing ellipses,much likedrawing straight lines above.Practicedrawing the shapes a few minutes a day for a week and you will be amazed at yourimprovement.

FIGURE3.5

CompoundShapesDrawshapeswith3to5sidesusingonlyS-curves,C-curves,andstraightlinesasthesidesofyour shapes. Combining these shape techniques will help greatly when you create yourstoryboardimages.

FIGURE3.6

THEARTOFTHEROUGH

If storyboards are disposable artwhymake a roughof a rough? Inmany situations, such asstorypitchboards,youwouldn't.Butifyouweredoinganagencyboardforacommercial,or2Dtelevisionanimationshowtobesentoverseastobeanimated,yourboardsneedtobecleanoronmodel2enoughtobeunderstoodbypeoplewhoweren'tintimatelyinvolvedintheinitialpreproduction process. Also, it will often come down to the individual preferences of thedirectorwhethertheyliketightstoryboardsornot.Inanycase,itshouldbecleartoyouwhyyou are doing the rough. Rough drawings are used by all kinds of illustrators, graphicdesigners,andanimators,butfordifferentreasons.Animators,forinstance,usetheirroughstohelpthemmapoutaction,stayonmodel,andestablishrealisticvolumes.Butasastoryboardartist,thesearesecondaryortertiaryconcernsintherough.Yourprimaryconcernisplacementof the characterswithin their environments in the clearest,most dramatically satisfyingwaypossible as they relate to the story point. Spending a lot of timemaking a single characterdrawinglookjustrightisawasteofyourtime,andmoreimportantly,yourdirector'stime.Thethingyoushouldbeconcernedaboutisfulfillingthestorypointusingyourdrawingskills.Sowhenyouaredoingyourroughs,youshouldexpectthatyouwillbedoingalotofrearrangingof the characters before taking thedrawing to finish.Thismeans that you shouldbe able todraw,erase,andredrawyourfiguresquicklyandpainlessly.Don'toverinvesttimeoreffortonyour figuresat the roughsketch stage. It's a tremendouswasteof timeandeffort andcanbeheartbreaking if you get too attached to your work. See the work you are doingwithin thepropercontextofhowit'sgoingtobeusedwithintheproduction.“Easytodraw,painlesstoerase”shouldbeyourmottoinregardstoroughs.

One way to think about your roughs is that you are arranging and photographing uncarvedmarble slabs on a soundstage to represent your characters, props, furniture, etc. Once theplacementoftheseelementsiscompleteandworkingproperlyacrosstheentirescene,thenandonlythenshouldyougobackandcarveoutmorecompletedrawingsoutofyourroughslabs.

FIGURE3.7

Notice inmy analogy, that I said “marble slabs.”Not piles of feathers, or largemasses ofchickenwire.Marbleslabsaredistinct insizeandshapewitheasilydiscernibleboundariesandedges.Theyareclearlysubjecttothelawsofperspectiveandthereisnoambiguityaboutthem.Lookatthesethreeroughdrawings.(Figure3.8)

Thefirstisthetypeofroughyoumightexpectfromananimatororacomicbookartist.Thisisfar toomuch investment of time and effort for use in storyboards. Storyboards aren't aboutpretty figure drawings, they are about fast communication. Taking time on a figure drawingwithinthecontextofastoryboardwon'tgetyouadmiration.Itismorelikelytogetyoufired.

Thesecondroughisfartooindistinctandambiguous.Youcan'ttellwherethetopoftheheadstarts and the bottom of the feet ends. You really can't tell how wide the figure is either.Withoutanyofthesevisualcuesbeingclearlydefined,itwillbedifficultwithinthecontextofa storyboard todistinguish the size and scaleof the character. Inmediumand close shots itwouldbehardtodistinguishdifferentcharactersfromoneanotheraswell.Adirectorshouldbeabletolookoveryourroughsandbeabletotellexactlywhat'sgoingon.

FIGURE3.8

FIGURE3.9

Thisthirdroughisbetter.Youcaneasilyseetheboundariesofthecharacterandhowtalltheyare.Thebody typeandposeareclearlydefined.At thesame time it is“quick todraw,andpainless to erase” and redraw if necessary. Notice that even though the drawings are verysimple,youcanclearly read theposesandevenseeperspectiveandforeshortening insomecases.Withsomeminoradjustments,youcanevendistinguishbodytypesandgender.Allthisinformationishereevenwithoutthesurfacefeatureslikefaces,clothing,shading,orrendering

of anykind.Anotherbenefit of this typeof rough figuredrawing is that it forcesyou toputmore emphasis on the whole body. There is a tendency among beginners to express everyemotion through the face.Thisputs anundueburdenonyour ability todrawaccurate facialexpressions,andislimitingasfarasstorytelling.Ifyourfigurescanexpresstheemotionsyouwantatthisroughlevelthroughbodylanguagealone,youknowthatanyfacialexpressionyouaddlaterwilljustbeicingonthecake.

Oneway tomaster thesekindsof figures is todraw the figurewithout aheador arms, andadding those parts last. Learn tomaster these simplified figures and it will save youmanyheadacheslater.Evenatthisveryroughlevelcertainrulesaboutthefigurestillapply.It'stoyourbenefittodrawyourcharactersatcorrecthumanproportions,evenatthisroughlevel.Inanimation,eachcharacterisusuallybasedonbodyshapesandanumberofheadstall.Forliveactionfilmthereisastandardroughlybasedonrealproportionswithvariationsallowedforageandbodytype.Ingeneral,thestandardadulthumanisdepictedasbeingeightheadstall.3With theseproportions, certainbody landmarks fall in someeasily rememberedplaces.Thecrotchappearsatthehalfwaypoint—fourheadsdown.Theshouldersstartroughlyaheadandahalfdownfromthetopofthehead.Thepectoralmusclesendattwoheadsdown.Thenavelisthreeheadsdown.Thefingertipsendfiveheadsdownfromthetopofthebodywhenhangingstraightdown.Theknees fall justabove thesixheadsmark.Formore informationon figuredrawingseeourresourceslistedinthebackofthebook.

DRAWINGSHORTCUTS

Lookattheseimages.Canyouidentifyeachoftheseobjects?(Figure3.10)Canyougetasenseofeachobject'sthickness,roundness,orflatness?It'snotsodifficult,right?Thisisdespitethefact that there is no shading, or any kind of interior visual cues to be seen. We oftenunderestimatehowmuchinformationwecanseejustbyobservinganobject'ssilhouette.Savethedetailforyouroilpaintings.

FIGURE3.10

TIP“Communicationnotillustration”isthenameofthegamewhendrawingstoryboards.

SimplifyAsastoryboardartist,youcan takeadvantageof silhouettesbydrawingshapes.Notice thatmost of these objects can be broken down into easy to draw primitive forms—cylinders,cubes,etc.Takeawaysomeofthepickydetailsandtheseformsaren'thardtodraw.Learningto do this will speed up your drawing time and help your images read instantly. Start byblockingintheform.(Figure3.11)

Addstructure.(Figure3.12)

Finishwith somedetails.Noneed to over render for the purposes of a storyboard. (Figure3.13)

FIGURE3.11

FIGURE3.12

FIGURE3.13

CharactersAswementionedabove,whenyoudrawahumancharacter simplify thebodies,hands, and

faces,formaximumclarity.Whatisimportantistocommunicatetheposeorexpression,notthedetail.

FIGURE3.14

StarPeopleCan't draw?No problem,make a “starman.” It's themost basic expression of a characterwithout drawing a stick figure. With a little bit of practice you can get all types of bodypositionsandevenexpressions.(Figure3.15)

Anothermethodistouseasimpleblockforthemaleform.Youcantaperthesidesabit,butthe shape is still basically rectangular. Add arms and a head and you have a simple butcompletefigure.(Figure3.16)

For a female, try a diamond shape for the upper body. The lower shape should be morerounded. Add arms and a head with some longer hair and you have a symbol of a femalecharacter.Justafewlinesareenough.

FIGURE3.15

FIGURE3.16

PosesForposingyourcharacters,trythisshortcut.Breakthehumanshapeintofourcomponents:1)head,2)torso,3)hips,and4)limbs.Startwiththeheadandworkyourwaydown.Positionthefigureintheframewiththeheadfirst.Drawingthetorsoandthehipsseparatelyallowsyoutooffsettheshapesforflexibilityandtocreatetheillusionofweight.Practicedrawingfiguresbyusingthebodydivisionsinthisorder.Thefasteryoubecomeatdrawingrecognizableposes,thebetteryoucancommunicateyourideaswithyourstoryboards.

FIGURE3.17

HandsDrawaboxandaddfivesausagestoit.Withthesebasicshapesyoucanmakehandgesturesquicklyandeasily.

FIGURE3.18

HeadsAheadcanbeassimpleasacircle. Imagineaheadasasphere inspace.Addverticalandhorizontalaxislinestodescribetheangleofthehead.Movetheaxislinesoff-centertopointthefaceinanydirectionyouchoose.Ifyouaddacarrotforanoseyoucanusethisshapetopointtheheadinthedirectionyouwantthecharactertolook.Youcanalsodistinguishamaleand female face by using the sphere as a base and thenmodifying the shape. The rounded,upperpartofthefaceisanoval.Thelowerpartofthefaceiswideandangulartogivethefaceamoremasculineappearance.Thefemalefaceshouldbecurvedwithnohardangles.

FIGURE3.19

FIGURE3.20

FIGURE3.21

EyesThe shape of the eye and the placement of the eyebrow can indicate expression and thedirectioninwhichacharacterlooks.Pupilsseenfromthefrontareround.Pupilsseenfromthesideareoval.Usethisovaltopointthepupilinthedirectionyouwantyourcharactertolook.Ifyouareinarealrushwithyourdeadline,youcanoftengetawaywithwithoutdrawingafulleyeballandjustdrawingthepupiltodirectthelookofthecharacter(Figure3.22).

Eyebrowsareessentialforshowingexpression.Allyouneedarethepupilsandeyebrowsforafastandeffectivewaytocreateexpressions(Figure3.24).

FIGURE3.22

FIGURE3.23

FIGURE3.24

NOTES1 WatchingTV isa timestealeranda lazyactivity. Inmyopinion,youshouldonlybewatchingTVwhile studying filmsoranimation,orshowsrelated tovisualstories.Evenstill,yoursketchbookshouldbewithyouatall timesso thatyoucanbeactivelydrawingwhilewatchingTV.Drawingwell takesyearsofpractice.Sohurryupandfilleverymomentofyour lifewithdrawingsespeciallywhilewatchingTV.

2Drawingstoryboards“onmodel”mostlyrelatestoanimationstoryboards.Thisreferstodrawingthecharactersoftheprojectaccuratelyasshowninthecharacterdesignscalled“modelsheets”fortheproject.SeethediscussionofstoryboardtypesinChapter8.

3SeeAndrewLoomis(1944),FigureDrawingforAllIt'sWorth,NewYork:VikingPress,pp.28–9.

Astoryboardartistisasprinkleoffineartist,adashoffilmmaker,andasmidgenofwriterallkneadedintoonecrispybreadloaf.Akeyingredientinthemixisthefilmmakerpartandforthatweneedtounderstandthecinemalanguage.Thecinemalanguagemakesdirectreferencetoa camerawhendiscussing shots andvisual storytelling.Theconceptof a camera iswhatdeterminesthepointofviewofthestory.Inthischapter,andthediscussionsthatfollow,wewillbeconstantlyreferringtothecameraastheprincipaldevicefordeterminingtheflowofthestory.Thinkofyourselfasbeingpartofthestoryandbeingabletoviewtheeventsthroughyour personal camera lens. As a storyboard artist, we look through the camera lens of ourmindsandcapturewhatweseeinadrawnimage.Inthebeginning,thesecameraandcinemaconceptsmay seemoverly technical, but onceyouunderstand theprinciplesbehind the filmlanguageitunlocksalloftheexcitementandchallengesofastorytellingproject.

Pay close attention to these cinema principles, for if you memorize and understand thesetechniquesyoucandrawonthemwhennecessarytoenhanceyourimages.Doyourememberwhen you first learned to drive a car? The radio was off—two hands on the wheel—eyespeeking like a hawk at each mirror— each movement in your body was consciouslyrationalizedinyourheadtosafelymaneuverthroughtown.Howaboutwhenyoudrivenow?Ibetit'samorelikethemusicisfullblast—youtalkonyourphonewhilechewingontheFrenchfriesinthepassengerseat.Youdon'thavetothinkanymoreaboutthecomplicatedprocessofdrivingasophisticatedautomobile.Thesamegoeswithstoryboardsandthecinemalanguage.Withpractice,itwillbecomeasnaturalasdrivingacar.Theexhilaratingparthappenswhenthe film language is secondnature, andyoucanworryabout the storycontentof theprojectyou're working on. Remember, to achieve this level of mastery requires practice anddiscipline.

ASPECTRATIOS

Asmentionedbefore,thedefaultframingboxforastoryboardimageisahorizontalrectangle.This rectangular composition box has a specific ratio between the horizontal and verticallengthof theframingboxcalled theaspectratio.Theaspect ratiodetermineshowwide theimageisbydenominatingthehorizontalwidthversustheheight.Forexample,theaspectratioof2.35:1meansthatthehorizontalwidthis2.35timestheheight.Usingdifferentaspectratioswillaffectthecompositionofthestoryboards.Forthisreason,oneofthemostimportantthingstodeterminebeforebeginninganyprojectiswhattheaspectratiowillbe.Onceaprojecthasdecidedontheaspectratiothereareusuallynochangesintheformatfromthenon.Thisway,thestoryboardartistscanusetheparticularframingboxforthecompositionsandmoveontoothervisualstorytellingconcerns.Eachprojectwillcall foradifferentaspect ratio,soherearesomeofthemostcommonformats.

1.33:1Also known as 4:3 aspect ratio. This is the Television 16 mm film and 35 mm Academyaperture.Thisisthemostcommonformatfortelevisionproductions,althoughthetrendisnowmovingtoawidescreenformat.FilmslikeCitizenKane,TheWizardofOz,andGonewiththeWindwere shot in 1.33:1 aspect ratio before thewidescreen formatwas popular.MostTVshowsfromthe1970s,1980s,and1990swereshotusingthisaspectratio.

FIGURE4.1

1.66:1ThisisacommonEuropeanwidescreenstandardandnativeforSuper16mmfilm.Fromthelate1980s to the early2000s,WaltDisneyFeatureAnimationanimated their features in the1.66:1ratioasacompromisebetweenthe1.85:1theatricalratioandthe1.33:1ratiousedforhomevideo.

FIGURE4.2

1.78:1Also known as a 16:9. This is the most common widescreen format for video games andcommercialadvertisements.FilmslikeTheEnglishPatientwereshotin1.78:1.

FIGURE4.3

1.85:11.85:1istheUSandUKwidescreenstandardfortheatricalfilm.

FIGURE4.4

2.35:1Alsoknownas35mmanamorphicprojection,Panavision,orCinemascope.FilmssuchasStarWarsandLawrenceofArabiawereshotusing2.35:1aspectratio.1

FIGURE4.5

SHOTCHOICE

After choosing an aspect ratio, you can choose how your compositions will look in yourvariouscamerashots.Thisshotchoicereferstothecameraanglesandthecamera'slocationrelative to the subjectof the story. Itwillbe shown laterhow thesecompositions, andshotchoicesaffecttheemotionalcontentofthescene.Therearethreebasicchoices:

WideshotMediumshotCloseupshot

Withinthesethreechoicesthereareanalmostinfinitenumberofvariations.Wewillgooversomeofthemostcommon.

ExtremeWideShot(EWS)ThepointofanEWSisoftentoshowtheenvironment.Ifsubjectsareonscreen,theyaresosmallthattheyaregenerallyinterpretedtobepartofthescenery.TheEWSismostoftenusedasanestablishingshot.

FIGURE4.6

WideShot(WS)LiketheEWS,thesubjectsintheWSareverysmallonscreen.Thisisgenerallyusedtoplacethecharacterwithin theenvironment,yet thecharacter is toosmall to focusheavilyon theiractions.ThedifferencefromanEWSisthatintheWS,thesubjectisprominentenoughtobeestablishedasthemainfocusoftheshotratherthantheenvironment.AWSistightenoughtodiscernaction,butdistantenoughthattheenvironmentisstillaprominentelementoftheshot.Often, the shot is about the interaction of the characterwith his environment.AWS is alsooftencalledalongshot.

FIGURE4.7a

FIGURE4.7b

FullShot(FS)TheFSisthetightesttheframingcanbebutstillallowingtheaudiencetoseeboththeheadandthefeetofthecharacter.Thefocushereisclearlyonthecharacter.TheFSisusuallyusedinshotswherebroadbodylanguageortheactionofthecharacterishighlightedinthescene.

FIGURE4.8

CowboyShotThismediumFSincludesthesubjectfromthetopoftheheadtomidthigh.Generallyspeaking,this shot highlights action or gesture expressed through the arms and upper body, likehandshakes or casual hugs. The name of the shot comes from the popularity of this type offraminginAmericanWesternmovies.

FIGURE4.9

MediumShot(MS)

AMS includes the figure from the top of the head to the hips. This shot allows for lots ofexpression from the face,butalsoallows forbroadgesturesandactionswith thehandsandupper body. Slightlymore intimate than amedium FS, a hug, for example,might feelmoremeaningfultotheaudienceifshowninaMSthaninamediumFS.

FIGURE4.10

CloseUpShot(CU)ThemostintimateshotistheCU.Itstartsatthetopoftheheadandendsatthebaseoftheneck.It is usually used when trying to communicate very important personal information about acharacter.

FIGURE4.11

ChokerShotThechokershotobjectifiesthecharactersomewhat,croppingofftheheadabovetheforeheadand ending at the chin. Surface features of the character's face begin to take prominence,althoughitstillcapturesalotofemotion.Thisshotwasoriginallymadepopularinmanyfilmnoirmovies.

FIGURE4.12

ExtremeCloseUp(ECU)AnECUisashotfromthebottomof the lips to the topof theeyebrowsorcloser.This isaspecialcase shot that reallyobjectifies the subject, reducing them tomostly theirattitudeorsurfacedetailsontheface.

FIGURE4.13

OvertheShoulderShot(OTS)Asthenameimplies,thisshotisasifthecameraislookingovertheshoulderofanactorintheforeground.TheshotcanbeusedasaCUorMS,butthereisalwaysaforegroundelementofthe character's head or shoulders. This helps remind the viewer that both characters areinteractingandthattheforegroundcharacteristherelistening.

FIGURE4.14a

FIGURE4.14b

PointofViewShot(POV)APOVshotisacameraanglethatreflectstheviewpointofacharacter.Thistypeofshotoftencomes after a CU of the character and thenwe cut to their POV.Most often, this shot is amediumorWS,butitcanalsobeaCUtopunchinonadetailthecharactersees.

FIGURE4.15POVshot.

ReverseShotA reverse shot is onewhich is shot from the opposite viewpoint of the previous shot. It isimportanttobemindfulofscreendirection2whendoingareverseshot.

ReactionShotOften,acharacter'semotionalreactiontonewinformationbeingrevealedisofsignificancetothe story. A reaction shot cuts to that character's reaction, whether or not that character isactivelyparticipatingintheactioninquestion.ThistypeofshotisusuallyamediumorCU.

FIGURE4.16a

FIGURE4.16bReactionshot.

InsertShotAninsertshot refers to revealingapieceof informationwithin thecontextof thescene.Forexample, two charactersmay be talking about driving, andwe cut to an insert shot of onecharacterpullingouthiscarkeysfromhispocket.ThistypeofshotismostoftenrepresentedinaCU,butdependingonthecontextcanalsobeamediumorWStorevealnewinformation.

CAMERAPOSITIONANDHEIGHT

Aswasmentionedabove,when talkingaboutstoryboardsfilmmakersandartists referencea

physicalcameraeveninanimatedfilmproductions.Thepointofreferenceforstoryboardsisaphysicalmoviesetwhereacameraisplacedinfrontofactors.Withadvancementsindigitaltechnologythecameracanliterallybeanywhereyoucanimagine.Regardless,itiscommontorefertostoryboardshotsinrelationtoaphysicalcameraanditsplacementonaset.Followingthislineofthinking,thehorizonlinedrawninastoryboardistheheightofthecameraandtheheightofthecamerawillaffecttheemotionalimportanceofthesubject.Adjustingtheheightofyourhorizonlineisoftenreferredtocreatingahighangleversusalowangleshot.

Highangleshotsaredefinedasshots inwhichthecameraisplacedabovethesubject'seyelevel.High angle shots tend to focus the viewer's attention on the environment or situation,makingitmoreprominentthananyindividualcharacter.Thisisoftenusedtomakeacharacterseemlessincontroloftheirsituation.Anoverheadshotisashotthatlooksstraightdownontheactionsothatnohorizonlineisvisibleintheframe.It isoftenusedtodiminishsubjectsandmakethemseeminsignificant.Thebird'seyeviewisaspecialtypeofhighshotthatishighabove the action, as if from the point of view of a bird. This gives a broad view of theenvironmentanditslayout.

FIGURE4.17Highangle.

FIGURE4.18aBird'seyeview.

FIGURE4.18bBird'seyeview.

FIGURE4.19Overheadshot.

Lowangleshotsareshotsinwhichthecameraisplacedbelowthesubject'seyelevel.Theseshotstendtomakethesubjectseemmorepowerfulorincontrolbecauseasaviewerwearelookingupatthesubject.Lowangleshotscannaturallyspotlightanindividualbythefactthattheclosestsubjecttothescreenwillnaturallyhavetheirheadhigherthananyothersubjectinthe shot. This camera position also tends to speed up action since the scaling effects ofperspectivearemorepronouncedwhenthecameraisplacedlowintheshot.Theworm'seyeview isaspecializedtypeof lowangleshot thathas thecamerashootingfromgroundlevel.Speed and perspective seem more exaggerated and extreme from this viewpoint, and thescalingeffectsofperspectiveareverypronounced.

STORYTIPYouplacethecamerawhereyouplaceyouraudience.

FIGURE4.20Worm'seyeview.

CAMERAPOSITIONAFFECTSEMOTION

The camera can be placed anywhere in the scene relative to the subject. Different camerapositionsrelativetothesubjectcanhavedifferentpsychologicaleffectsontheviewer.Usethistoyouradvantage,byemphasizingtheemotionalimportanceofthecharacterwithinthescene.Thedifference in cameraheight canbevery subtle.Bymoving the cameraheight (horizon),slightly above or below the character, you give a different feeling of importance to theaudience.Itisimportanttorealizethatyouplacethecamerawhereyouplaceyouraudience.Imaginethecameraasthedirectpointofviewofyouraudience.Inthissense,youcankeepthe

audiencecloserandmoreinvolvedintheactionbyplacingthecameraclosertothecharactersor dialogue.Many times it does not make sense to cut to aWS when your characters areinvolvedindramaticdialogue.Thishastheeffectofpullingyouraudienceoutwidefromtheconversationaswell.Intenseactionisbetterfeltwhenthecameraisinthemiddleofthescene.Ifyouwanttofeeldynamicaction,placethecameranexttocarsscreamingdownthehighway,oralongtheairplanesflyingupinthecloudsinanintensedogfight.Ifyouneedtheaudiencetobeengagedwiththeaction,keepthecameraclosetothesubject.

FIGURE4.21Evenslightdifferencesincameraheightaffecttheemotionalimportanceofthecharacter.Thesetwostoryboardsillustratehowadifferenceincameraheight(horizonline)showlesserorgreaterimportancetothecharacterontheright.

FIGURE4.22

EyeLineIntermsofthecameraplacementwhenlookingatacharacter,themorefrontalanddirectthelookofacharacteristothecamera,themoreengagedtheaudiencewillbe.Wetalkaboutthisasbeingthecharacter'seyeline.Remember, thecamera isarepresentationof theaudience'sviewpoint.Acharacterstaringdirectlyintothecamerashouldbetreatedasifthecharacterislooking directly at your audience. This involves the audience with the character in themaximumpossibleway.Asthecharacter'seyelinemovesfurtherawayfromdirectlylookingat the camera lens towards a profile view, the less engaged the audience will be with thecharacter's reaction respectively. Films like The Silence of the Lambs used CUs with thecharacterslookingdirectlyatthecameratocreatethisaudienceconnection.Youngstoryboardartistswill default to near profile views of the characters inmedium orCU shots.Amoreengaging view of the character would be a 3/4 frontal view of the character with thecharacter'seyelinelookingslightlyofftotherightorleftofthecameralens.Remember,wealwayswantobjectscomingdirectlytowardsandgoingawayfromthecameralensasmuchaspossible.Thisincludestheeyelineofthecharactersaswell.Keeptheaudienceinterestedina

conversationbycomposingthecharacter'seyelinejustslightlyoff-centerofthelens.

FIGURE4.23Frontalshotengagesaudiencemost.

FIGURE4.243/4shot,buttooclosetoprofile.

FIGURE4.253/4frontalshotworksbest.

PivotingMotionsoftheCamera:PanningandTiltingPanning refers to horizontal pivots of the camera, left vs right, and tilting refers to verticalpivots,upvsdown.Thesemovements feel like themovementsof theheadon theneckas itlooksaround.Pivotingthecamerahorizontallyiscalledpanning.Whenweswivelthecamerafromrighttoleftthemotioniscalled“panleft”andpivotingfromlefttorightisknownas“panright.” Pivot movements like pans and tilts are easily distinguishable frommoving camerashotsinthatyouseevirtuallynochangesintheperspectiveofobjectsrelativetoeachother.There is little parallax between objects. The term parallax is an apparent change in theposition of an object when the camera looking at the object also changes position. The

perspectiveofobjectswillappeartochangeandmoveatdifferentspeedscreatingtheillusionofparallax.Imaginetravelinginacarwhilelookingoutofthewindowatthelandscape.Theobjects in the foreground will appear to move much faster than the hillside in the middleground,andthemountainsinthebackgroundmayappeartohavenomotionatall.Thiscreatesthe illusionofparallax between different planes in relation to the camera.Wewill discusshowtorepresenttheillusionofparallaxinstoryboardslater.Becauseturningone'sheadisaverydeliberateactofshiftingattention,itfeelsmorenaturalforcorrespondingcameramotionslikepansandtiltstobe“motivated.”Weneedtofeelthatthereisareasonthatourattentionisbeingdirectedinsuchaspecificway.Pansandtiltsareusuallymotivated by some action that catches our interest like a bird flying across the screen or apersonwalking.Otherwise,theaudiencewillfeelasthoughtheirpointofview(thecamera)isdriftingaimlessly.Theexceptiontothisruleisiftheshotisfromacharacter'spointofview(POVshot).Thecamerabeingsubjectivetothecharacter,isunderstoodtobe“undercontrol”ofthecharacter,andthusoutoftheaudience'scontrol.Also,generallyspeaking,everypanortiltshouldbeginwithastaticbeginningpositionandendwithastaticendingposition.Inotherwordsit'snotfavorabletocutintoapanortilt,norshouldyoucutawayinthemiddleofapanortilt.

MovingCameraShotsThemovementyouseeinpivotmovesandzooms3 is theentireimagemovingrelativetothepictureframe.Themovementinatravelingcameramoveisofobjectsmovingrelativetoeachother(parallax).Movingcamerashotswilldisplayacertainamountofparallaxbetweentheobjectswithin the field of view.Any type ofmoving camera shot can be combinedwith apanningandtiltingmotionofthecameraaswell.

DOLLY

A dolly or tracking shot (also called crabbing, trucking, or tracking left/right) is a movingcamera shot,where the camera is placed on linear or curving tracks and rolled through thescene.Imagineviewingascenefromaslow-movingrailroadcart.Dolliesrefertohorizontalmovementsofthecamera.

PUSHIN/PUSHOUT

APushIn/PullOut(alsocalledTruckIn/TruckOutshot)referstothecameramovingtowardoraway from the subject. Imagine the camera sliding closer towards the subject.Trucking/Pushingreferstoforwardandbackwardmotionsofthecamera.

BOOM

Aboomshotisamovingcamerashotinwhichthecameraisplacedontheendofaboomarmattachedtoafixedanchor.Theboomarmcanpivotaswellasriseupordownonthepivotangle.Imagineviewingasceneontheendoftheseesawasitrisesup.Aboomarmcanalsobeplaced on a dolly and pushed through the scene to add a greater dimension of camera

movement.

CRANE

Acraneshotissimilartotheboomshotexceptamoviecranehasamuchlargerfieldofviewanditspivotarmcanextendoutaswellasrotate.Acranecanalsotravelontracksandcanbepushedthroughthescene.Thiscreatesalargeandsweepingcameramovementthatcanbeginon a CU or MS and end on an EWS or vice versa. Booms or cranes refer to verticalmovementsofthecamera.

STEADYCAM

Asteadycamshot isacamera that ismounted to thecameramanenabling thecameraman tofollow theaction throughout thescene. Imagineyourselfas thecameraasyouwalkwith theactorsthroughtheactionoftheshot.Asteadycamshotcancreateanextendedmovingcamerashotwithmultiple setups in a varietyof compositionswithin the shot.The camera can alsoraiseandloweronthesteadycamarmtocreatealowerorhigherangleshot.

OtherSpecializedShots

DUTCHTILT

ADutch tilt is simply tilting thehorizon lineorcameraso that it isnotperpendicular to thegroundplane.Thiscreatestheeffectofashotthatisleaningtooneside.Itaddsanoff-balancefeelingfortheaudience.Asacompositionaldevice,eventiltingthehorizonafewdegreescanaddvisualinteresttotheangleswithintheshot.(Figure4.26)

ZOLLY(ORTHE“HITCHCOCKEFFECT”)

AZollyisaspecializedeffectinwhichazoom4andadollyareemployedsimultaneously,butinoppositedirections(forinstance,azoominandadollyout),insuchawaythattheframingof the subject does not change, creating an emphasis on the change created between thebackgroundandforegroundelements.ThiseffectwaspopularizedbyAlfredHitchcockinfilmslikeVertigo,andhasbeenusedinlaterfilmslikeMartinScorcese'sGoodfellas.Thiscameramovegivesanunnaturalfeelingtotherealityofthescene.

FIGURE4.26Trytiltingthehorizonlineinyourshotsformoredynamiceffect.

SLEEPER/CORKSCREW

Asleeperisashotlookingdownatthesubjectasthecamerarotates.HitchcockusedasleeperattheendoftheshowersequenceinPsycho.

Uniqueandmemorablecamerashotshavebeencreatedbycombiningavarietyoftechniquestocreate a complex camera move. The opening shot to Touch of Evil is a famous extendedtrackingcraneshot.TheopeningshottoBoogieNightswasaccomplishedbystartingtheshotwiththesteadycamoperatorstandingonacraneandthenloweringthecameramanashestepsoffthecraneandwalksintotheshotfollowingtheactors.

Knowingwhat the camera is capable of doing andwhat types of shots produce the desiredeffect is a key consideration when producing storyboards for any medium. Even computeranimatedprojectswill referenceacameraandcameralenses,andit's important toknowthedifferenceeachcameraeffectwillproduce. It's sometimes impracticalor timeconsuming todraw all the perspective changes over time in a traveling cameramove, so for purposes ofstoryboardsespeciallyinliveactionwork,movesareusuallypresentedwithblockarrows.

CAMERALENSES

In addition to understanding how the cameramoves it is important to understand the visualeffects different camera lenses produce. Again, most productions will reference a physicalcameraandphysical lenseswhen talkingaboutshots and storyboards. It isnotnecessary tounderstandtechnicalphotography,butthegeneraldifferencebetweenlensesisimportantwhendiscussingstoryboardshots.Lensesaredenominated inmillimetersanddifferent lenseswillhavedifferent focal lengthsordepthof field.This focal length is the distance atwhich thesubjectcanbeinsharpfocusanditvariesdependingonthetypeoflens.Wewilldiscusshowtodrawandindicatedifferentlenstypesinstoryboardslater.Fornowlet'sidentifythevariouslenstypes.

LongLens(Narrow-angleLens)Longlensesrefertolensmeasurementsfrom40mmto120mmormore.Longlensshotsaretypicallyshotsthatarefilmedatadistancefromthesubject,buttheimageismagnifiedthroughtheuseofthelens.Becauseofthis,spaceiscompressedandtheperspectiveseemsflatmakingobjectsappearclosetogetherinspace.Thedepthoffield,orpotentialrangeasubjectcanbeinfocus,isnarrowwithalonglens.Thisdrivesthebackgroundandforegroundelementsoutoffocus. This can create a feeling of claustrophobia. Long lenses can also be used in actionsceneswhere characters need to fight each other.Using a long lenswillmake it appear asthoughthecharactersmakecontactbutinrealitytheyarephysicallyfarapart.

ShortLens(Wide-angleLens)Short lens shots orwide-angle shots refer to lensmeasurements from 15mm to 40mm.A

wide-angle shot can be used to showa location in an establishing shot.The lower the lensnumber, themoredistortionthelenscreates.This isoftenunfavorablefordoingCUshotsofcharacters, but a wide-angle lens is being used more as a stylistic choice in comedies orindependentmovies.Awide-angle lenswill alsoexaggerate the speedand sizechangeof acharacterorsubject.ThesetypesofshotsareoftenusedinCUsofactionsequencessuchascarchasesoramartialartskicktowardsthecamera.

FisheyeLensAnextremelyshortlens(18mmorless)createsanexaggerationofperspectiveanddistortionoftheimagethatissimilartolookingthroughabowlofwater.Thiswillexaggerategreatlythesizechangeof thesubjectmatter.Thiscangiveacomedicfeel tothesceneor inasuspensemovie,addanuneasyvisualfeeling.

ZoomIn/ZoomOutAzoomingshotusesalensthatcanchangefrom50mmto100mm,forexample.Theresultingeffectisamagnificationofthesubjectanditappearsthesubjectgrowsonscreen.Thiseffectiscausedbythelensandnotbyanychangeinthedistancefromthecameratothesubject.Azoomingeffect is used sparingly inmodern films since it gives anunnaturalmovementwithlittleparallax.Thistypeofcameraeffectwasusedextensivelyin1960sand1970sfilmsasastylisticchoice.

RackFocusRackfocusistheselectiveuseoffocustoemphasizeonesubjectoveranotherwithinthesameshot.Thedepthoffieldofthecameralensisphysicallychangedduringtheshottobluroutoneelementandfocusonanother.Thistypeofshothelpsindirectingtheviewer'seyetowhatisimportantinthescene.

FIGURE4.27

FIGURE4.28

DRAWINGDIFFERENTCAMERALENSES

Mostofthetimeindrawingstoryboards,specificcameralenseswillnotbecalledoutbytheproduction.Inthiscase,youcandrawageneralrepresentationofaWSversusaCUandleavethelenschoicetothefinalcinematographer.Othertimesthough,directorsmightspecifya20mmlensoran80mmlens forparticular shot.Again, thesearegeneralities thatnoonewillchecktomakesurethattheimageyoucreateisanexactrepresentationofa20mmlens.Whatis important is todraw thedifferencebetweenawide-angleversusa short-angle lenswhennecessary.Forindicatingthedifferenceinlenschoice,wegobacktothewonderfulandusefultoolofperspective.

Youcanvarythesizeofthelensyouuseinyourdrawingsimplybyadjustingthedistanceofyourvanishingpointsonyourhorizon.Thefurtherapartyourvanishingpointsare the longerthelens(narrowangle)willappear.Theclosertogetheryourvanishingpointsaretheshorterthe lens(wide-angle)willappear.Ona35mmfilmcamera,a50mmlens isapproximatelywhat the human eye sees.Use this as the basis for your shots and then adjust the distortionwiderornarroweraccordingly.Asageneralruleofthumb,youshouldnothavemorethanonevanishingpointinsidethepicturearea.Havingtwovanishingpointswithinyourpicturearearepresents tooshorta lens formostcamerashotsas itwillhave toomuchvisualdistortion.(Figure4.29)

DrawingaLongLens(40–120mm)Startbykeepingyourvanishingpointsveryfarapart.Addtheperspectivegridasaguidetoplantyourobjectsinyourscene.Withalongerlens,thereisashortfocallength,whichmeanstheforegroundandthebackgroundwillmostlikelybeoutoffocus.Oneadditionalwaytoselltheshotistocreatetheforegroundandbackgroundonseparatelayersanddrawthemfuzzyorblurthemoutoffocususingdigitaltools.Thesubjectinthemiddlegroundwillappearmoreinfocuscreatingtheillusionofalongercameralens.(Figure4.30)

DrawingaShort-angleLens(18–40mm)

Keep your vanishing points relatively close together on the horizon line. The closer yourvanishingpointsarethemorefisheyedistortionyoucancreate.Youcanevenaddthree-pointperspective to further the illusion of a short-angle lens. This type of lenswill revealmoreinformationintheforegroundandbackground,andthesizechangeofyourmovingcharacterswillbeexaggeratedastheycomeclosertothecameralens.Ifthecharacterissittingwiththeirarmsatthetable,youcandrawanextremelylargeforegroundhandwithasmallerbodyandheadtowardsthemiddlegroundoftheshot.Thiswillgivetheillusionofawide-anglelens.Since the focal length is larger than in a longer lens, the objects in your foreground andbackgroundmight all be in focus. Indicate thiswith a hard edge line from your foregroundelementstoyourmiddlegroundelements.(Figure4.31)

FIGURE4.29

FIGURE4.30Vanishingpointsforalonglens.

FIGURE4.31Vanishingpointsforashortlens.

SCREENDIRECTION

Upto thispoint,wehavediscussedthebasic toolsofdrawing,composition,cameramoves,lenses,andshotchoice.Wealsomentionedbeforetheprincipleofclarityinstoryboards.Itisa good idea now to revisit the principle of clarity and reinforce what is important in astoryboard.Creatingastoryboardisoftenlikecreatingatastyandwellputtogethersandwich.Asandwichhasmanylayersincludingthebread, lettuce, tomato,roastbeef,andmayonnaisedressing.Sometimesasandwichtastesbetterbyleavingoutsomeingredients,andothertimes

asandwichgetsmoredeliciousbyaddingnewlayersoftastycondiments.Inthissense,thinkofcreatingastoryboardimagebyputtingtogetheralloftheseprinciplesinvarioussandwichlayers. Sometimes you will use a camera move together with a wide-angle lens and somedrawingshortcuts,other timesyoumayhaveastaticshotwithhighcontrast.There'sa lot tokeeptrackofinfilmmakingandcreatingastoryboard.Asidefromcreatinganappealingimagethatdirects theviewer'seyeandtouchesanemotionalresponse,astoryboardimagemustbeclear, and instantly identifiable to theviewer.Theprincipleofclarityseemseasyenough tounderstand, but when combining multiple “sandwich” elements of filmmaking together in asingle image it is important not to lose sight of the story point and clarity. This becomesincreasingly important in talkingaboutscreendirectionandmovingcharacters inyourscenealongwithyourcamera.

Most of the time in a scene, the characters and the subject will be moving around the setcreatingtheopportunityforavarietyofshotchoices.Foreveryshot,youdecidethedirectionfrom which the camera is viewing the scene (camera position). Where the characters areplacedinacompositionisdefinedasbeingontheleftoftheframeorontherightoftheframe.Wetalkaboutthisintermsofthefinalprojectedimagebeing“screenright”or“screenleft.”Ifyouestablishacharacteron“screenright,”youshouldmaintainthatcharacterontherightsideofthescreenthroughoutthescene(unlessyouhaveareasontoswitchpositions,whichwe'lltalk about later). This helps your audience identify the character according to their screenposition.Whenyoubeginascenethedecisiontoplaceacharacterontheleftortherightcanbe arbitrary. You might begin a scene with a wide establishing shot where character A isplacedontheleftandcharacterBisontheright.Asyoucontinuethesceneforthepurposesofclarity,itisimportanttomaintaintheestablishedscreenpositionsofthecharacters.Asyoucutinusingclosershots in thescene,maintainingcharacterAonscreen leftandcharacterBonscreenright in your compositionswill improve the clarity for your audience.The audiencewillcontinuetoidentifyandexpecttofindcharacterAcomposedonscreenleftandcharacterBcomposedonscreenright.Theimportanceofthisscreenclaritywillbeshown,aswetalkaboutthecharactersandthecameramovingthroughthescene.

FIGURE4.32

FIGURE4.33

THE180°RULE

The 180° rule or “line of action” is a cinematic convention that helps orient the viewer bymaintainingaconsistent screendirectionbetweenshots throughouta scene. “The line” is animaginarylinethatisdrawnfromonecharactertothecharactertheyareinteractingwith.Ifthecharacter ismoving, the linewill bedrawnalong thedirection the character is travelingorfacing.Therulestatesthatallsuccessiveshotsinasceneshouldonlybeviewedfromonesideofthisimaginarylinewithina180°radiustoavoidconfusingtheaudience(Figure4.34).

FIGURE4.34

FIGURE4.35A180rulesetupwith2characters.Movingthecameratotheothersideofthelinewillappeartomakethecharactersflopposition.

As with all guidelines in filmmaking there are exceptions to this rule. Let's leave theseexceptionsoutforthemoment.Leavingthecamerawithinthis180°safezonebasicallykeepseachsubjectmovingorfacingaconsistentdirectionwitheachsuccessiveshot.Youcanplacethe camera anywherewithin the 180° area and your character position and screen directionwillbe the same foryour audience.Selectinganewshot from theopposite sideof the linewithoutshowinganykindof transition iscalled“jumping the line”andresults in the jarringand confusing effect that the characters have suddenly traded places. If the character is inmotion,theyappeartosuddenlyflopdirection.Toavoidconfusion,thecamerashouldstayononesideofthe180°line.5

180°RulewithThreeCharactersThreecharacterscreatethreeimaginaryaxislines(Figure4.36).The180°ruleappliestoallthreeaxislines.Toavoidconfusionyoudonotwanttocrossanyofthethreelinesfromoneframetothenext.Hereyoucancombinescreendirectionwiththe180°rule.Whathelpsinthissituation is togrouponesetofcharactersfavored toonesideof thescreen.ThisessentiallyremovesoneoftheaxislinesandcharacterAonscreenleftwillbetalkingtocharactersBandC positioned on screen right (Figure 4.38). The axis line in this case is drawn betweencharacterAandacombinationofcharactersBandC.Thistypeofgroupingalsoworkswellwithmultiplecharactersorlargemassesofpeople.Favordifferentgroupsondifferentsidesofthescreenandtreatgroupsormassesofpeopleasiftheyareonecollectiveobject.Indealingwithmultiplecharacters,youcanalsousegeographiccluestoassociateonecharacterwitha

particularbackground.AfamousexampleistheMexicanstandoffinSergioLeone'sTheGood,the Bad and theUgly where three characters face-off in a gun duel for the final climacticscene. Sergio Leone intercuts between all three characters using successively tighter shots,maintaining clear screen direction. Also behind each character are different geographiclandmarkstomaintainclarityfortheaudience.

FIGURE4.36

FIGURE4.37

FIGURE4.38Favoronegrouponeithersideofthescreen.

FIGURE4.39Ifyoucuttoanotheranglemaintainthescreendirection.

Aninterestingthingtonoteisthatscreendirectionismoreimportantthanphysicalgeography.It may be the case on a physical movie set because of location limitations, a character'spositionmayphysicallyhavetochangeinordertomaintainproperscreendirection.Fromshotto shot characters may have to move closer to or further away from the background, forexample. What is more important than maintaining physical geographic accuracy is screendirectionaccuracywiththeresultingshots.Inmostcases,aslongasyoumaintaincharactersonthe correct side of the screen the audience will not notice minor shifts in the geographiclocationwherethecharactersarestanding.

Breakingthe180°RuleAbove all, clarity is key.Don't break the 180° rule, unless you have a good reason. Thereason for flopping screen direction should support the emotional beat in your story. Thehistory of filmmaking is full of examples of stories where screen direction is constantlyflopped disregarding the 180° rule. Most of the time this decision is not arbitrary. Thefilmmakers have intentionally chosen to cross the 180° line because of an emotional beatwithin thestory.Evenso, theremaybe timeswhenit'snecessary toplace thecameraontheothersideofthe180°axis.Youcancrossthe180°linebyfollowingtheseguidelines:

STORYTIPDon'tbreakthe180°rule,unlessyouhaveagoodreason.

CUTAWAYTOANEUTRALSHOT

Aneutralshotisashotthatdoesn'tincludeanyofyoursubjects,orashotthathasacenteredobject in a neutral position relative to the screen direction. A neutral shot between twocharacters inconversationmightbeadeadcenterCUofonecharacter's face. In thisCUthecharacter is lookingstraightahead,not favoringonesideof thescreenor theother.AnotherexampleofaneutralshotwouldbetocutawaytoaCUofanobjectinthesceneandthencutbacktotheconversationwherethescreendirectionhaschanged.Becarefulusingneutralshotsasawaytochangethescreendirection.Itmaystilllookjarringtotheaudienceifyoucutawaytoasingleneutralshotandthencutbacktotheconversationandthecharacterpositionshavechanged.Themoreneutralshotsyoucanshowinbetweenascreendirectionchange,theless

jarringthechangewillbetotheaudience.

MOVETHECHARACTERS

Youcanphysicallymove thecharacters fromonesideof thescreen to theother in thesameshottochangethescreendirection.Iftheaudienceviewsthechangeofcharacterpositiononscreentheywillnotbeconfusedbythenewlyestablishedscreenpositions.

MOVETHECAMERA

Bymoving the camera across the 180° line in the same shot you can change the characterpositions.Becausetheaudienceseethemovementaroundthecharacterstheyarenotconfusedbythechangeincharacterpositions.

MOVEBOTHTHECHARACTERSANDTHECAMERA

Youcanalsomoveboth thecharactersand thecamera tocreateanewscreendirectionand180°line.Thistypeofscreendirectionchangeistrickiertohandle,butaddsvisualrichnesstothescenebyshowingboththecharactersandthecameramovewithintheset.

CaseExample

Iftwocharactersareinteractingwitheachother,butaremovinginthesamedirection(suchasinsideamovingcar),itcanbeproblematic in termsof doing reverse shots.That is to say, if you establishedyour scenewith a shot froman angleshowingonecharacter talking to theother (camera I) andyouwant to shoot fromanother angle toget a reaction (saycameraK),howdoyoudoitwithoutcrossingtheline(BB)?Onewaytodothisistoshootfromaneutralangle(cameraJ)orrestrictyourshotstoanareathatcrossesneitherline(quadrantAAA).Incaseslikethis,the180°rulecanusuallybesuspendedtemporarilyforthedurationoftheverbalexchange,butrevertsbackoncethetalkingisover.Butincaseslikethis,italsohelpstokeeptheshotscloseonthecharacterssothattheaudiencestayfocusedonthecharactersandnotthedirectiontheyappeartobemoving.

FIGURE4.40

NOTES1Theanamorphicstandardhassubtlychangedsothatmodernanamorphicproductionsareactually2.39,butoftenreferredto

as2.35anyway,duetooldconvention.

2SeeScreenDirectionbelow.3SeeZoomIn/ZoomOutbelow

4SeeCameraLensesbelow5Thisisageneralguidelinethathasmanyexceptionsandisdisregardedallthetimeinmodernfilmmakingforvariousreasons.Forthepurposesofsimplicityandclarityitisbesttobeginbyfollowingthis180°ruleandthenmakevariationsonceyouareconfidentthatyourscenesarecomingacrossclearly.

Properly organizing your story into clear and interesting events is an art in itself.Understandingthecinemalanguagewillgiveuswellcomposedshotsandproperlystructuredshotchoices,butwestillhavetoputtheseelementstogethertocreateaninterestingflowtooursequence of shots. As a storyboard artist if you tie this together with drawing skills,composition, film language, it is a lot to keep track of. It can get overwhelming whenattemptingtomakesenseofallthesetools.Butstorydesign,justlikecompositiondesign,isatoolthathasguidelinesyoucanfollowtogettoyourdestination.Iliketothinkthatweallhavean inherent sense of what makes a good story and we have to channel these feelings intosomethingabroaderaudiencecanunderstand.Let'sbeginbydefiningastory.1

WHATISASTORY?

Astorycanreallybealmostanything.Acollectionofjokes,aphotomontage,orarecapofaneventcanallbelooselylabeledastory.Astory inregardstovisualstorytellingandcinemahasadeepermeaningandrequiresmorethoughtarounditsstructure.Forthepurposesofvisualstorytellingastorycanbedefinedas:

AprogressionfrompointAtopointB.

This progression insinuates that there is change from pointA to pointB. The difference inchangefromAtoBdoesn'thavetobeverybig.Buttheabsenceofanychangemeansthereisnoactionand thereforenothing todocumentwith images.Astorycanevengo frompointAback to A, but we need change during the journey in order to document the story. Thisdefinition can include almost anything that includes change.The changing seasons, societiesmovingcloser together,orsubatomicparticlesas theydancethroughtheuniverse,canallbesubjectsofastory.MoreoftenthannotthesubjectofastorywillbehumanexperienceasthemainfocusofthisprogressionfrompointAtopointB.Humanexistencehassomuchdepthandhistoryanditsfamiliaritytousallcreatesalmostinfinitepossibilitiesforvisualstories.This

beingthecase,wecanfurtherdefineavisualstoryas:

TheemotionaljourneyofacharacterintheirpursuitofgoingfrompointAtopointB.

Withthisdefinition,thetermcharactercancometomeanalmostanythingincludingsocieties,seasons, and atoms as mentioned before, but emotion is most commonly applied to humanbeings. This being the case we will keep our discussion focused to emotional journeys ofhumancharacters.2Describingtheemotionaljourneyofacharacterinimages,andthecorrectplacementoftheseimagesinsequenceiswhatcreatesthestorystructure.

Let'sbreakdownstorystructureintoitsbasicelements.Allstorieshaveabeginning,middle,andend.Howyougettoeachofthesepiecesiswhatmakesyourstoryinteresting.Morelikelywhatdrivesyourstoryisthesubjectorprotagonisttryingtoreachagoal(theprotagonistcanbeaperson,object,orabstract ideal).Therewillbe forcesworkingagainst theprotagonistthatcreateconflictsandvisualinterestforyourstory.Thestorybeginswhen theprotagonistdecidesonwhattheirgoalis(thestartoftheprogressionfrompointAtopointB).Themiddlepartofthestoryisthevisuallydocumentedeventsalongthejourney.TheendpartofthestoryisreachingtheimaginarypointB.Theenddoesnotnecessarilymeanthattheprotagonisthasachieved their goal, but that in pursuit of their goal they create events thatwe can visuallydocument.

A story with a beginning, middle, and end is traditionally broken down into a three-acttstructure.3Eachactinastoryservesasamarkerpointinthejourneyoftheprotagonist.ActIisthebeginning,ActIIisthemiddle,ActIIIistheend.Withintheprotagonist'sjourneyinthestorythereisapointofmaximumconflictoremotionalintensitycalledtheclimax.Thisclimaxwillusuallyfalltowardsthebeginningofthethirdactinthetraditionalthree-actstructure.ThestoryendswitharesolutioninthethirdactthattiesthestoryelementstogetherfromActsIandIIandclosesthestoryfortheaudience.Astorywillendwhentheprotagonisteitherrunsoutoftime or runs out of choices. There are an infinite number of ways to use this structure forstorytellingwithdeepcomplexities.Forthepurposesofclaritylet'sfurtheridentifytermsusedinstorystructure.

StoryThisisthewholestorystructureputtogether.Whetheryou'retalkingabouta90-minutefeaturefilmora1-minutecommercial,youcanusuallydivideandsubdividethestoryintosomeformofthefollowing:

ACTS

Thestoryisusuallydividedintothreeactsasmentionedabove.Thefirstactistheset-upandidentificationofcharactersandtheproblem.Thesecondactistheprocessofdealingwiththeproblemandthethirdactishowtheproblemisfinallyresolved.

SEQUENCES

Eachactisacollectionofsequences.Asequenceisacollectionofcloselyrelatedscenesthat

formaunifiedwhole,generallytodrivehomeaparticularstorypointoftheact.

SCENES

Each sequence is divided into scenes.A scene is a collection of dramatic beats unified bycharacter, location, time,or theme.Eachsceneneedsanobjective.Thesceneobjectivemustrelatetotheoverallobjectiveforthearcofthestory.Eachscenemustcausechangetooccur.Eachscenecauseschangeorturningpointsinfourways:

Surprise—wowtheaudiencewithunexpectedreversalinformation.Increasecuriosity—what'sgoingtohappennext?Insight—fillsthegapoftheset-upfrompreviousscenes.Newdirection—changesthecourseinthefilmafterestablishedevents.

SHOTS

Onceastorybeginstobeexpressedinthelanguageofcinema,eachmomentcanbeexpressedthroughaseriesofcameraset-ups,knownasshots.4Shotsareuniquetofilm(althoughcomicscanalsobesaidtohaveshots),inthatanovel,aplay,orascreenplaycanhaveastory,acts,sequences, scenes, and beats, but only film can have shots. As a story artist each shot isdefinedbyanumberofdecisionsyouhavemade,whichinclude:

Whichsubjectsisthecameralookingat?Howhighoffthegroundisthecamera?Whichdirectionisthecamerapointed?Isitawide-angleorlong-lensshot?Howistheimagecropped?Whatpartoftheactionisbeingshownatthismomentandwhendoesitstartandstop?

Inagivenshot,theanswerstothesequestionsbecomeeasiertoidentifyonceyouaskyourselfthefollowingquestions:

Whatdoesmycharacterwantandwhyshouldwecare?

and

Whatdotheaudienceneedtoseerightnow?

Yourknowledgeofhowthecinemalanguageandshotchoiceaffecttheemotionalthrustofeachshotwillbecrucialtoyoursuccessinstorytelling.

BEATS

Each shot is a collection of beats. Beats are collections of actions that describe a singlethought.Ifyouwereatamoviedescribingtheactiontoablindfriend,howwouldyoudescribeit?Eachsentenceyouusewouldlikelydescribeabeat.Abeat is thesmallestunitofactionwithin a visual story. For example, within a shot theremight bemany beats to signify thedifferentmomentsorbreaksinaction.

Let'stake,forexample,acharactertakingasipofwaterandthenlookingtotheright.Iwould

considergrabbingacupasbeat1,drinkingasbeat2,andthenlookingtotherightasbeat3.This is a simple example, but “beat” is also used to signify major actions or importantmoments.Youmayhaveheardtheterm“beatboard”before.Thisisaseriesofdrawingsthatarenotnecessarilyincontinuity,butonlycapturethemajormomentsor“beats”thatdrivethestoryforward.5

Youmaywanttothinkofthisintermsofmusic.Inapieceofmusic,youhavemanynotesthatformthesong.Themusic“beat,”youmightsayis,therhythmictempothatyoucanfeelatthebeginningofeachmeasure.Noteverynoteisa“beat”butyoucanhearthedifferenceinnotesasthebeatsdrivethemusicforward.

ACTIONS

Eachshotisusuallyexpressedasaseriesseveralactionsbycharactersintheshot.Eachactionacharacter takesbegins somewhereandends somewhereelse, relayingapertinentpieceofinformation.Liveactionstoryboardsareusuallydrawndowntothelevelofshotsoractions.Animationstoryboardsoftentakethatastepfurthertothelevelofgestures.

GESTURES

Each action can be divided into a number of gestures.Gestures are abouthow an action istaken.Gesturesareacting.Characterdecisionsarerevealedthroughacting.Sinceanimationisgenerallydealingwithimaginarycharactersinterpretedthroughtheworkofmanyartistsratherthanasingleactor, it ishelpful tobuildasenseof thecharacterat thegesturestage throughstoryboards.

Theprogressionoftheaboveterminologyinstorystructureisasfollows:

Gestures createactions, actions createbeats, beats create shots, shots create scenes,scenescreatesequences,sequencescreateacts,actscreatethestory.

Asidefromtheabovetermstherearespecificelementsofstorystructurethatalsoplayaroleincreatingthestory.

ProtagonistTheprotagonististhesubjectofthestory.

MotivationThis is the driving force inside the protagonist, motivating their decisions to act. Theprotagonistconceivesofan“objectofdesire,”whichcreatesthismotivationtoact.

ConflictThesearetheforcesworkingagainsttheprotagonist.Therearethreelevelsofconflict:

Innerconflict—self.

Personalconflict—friends,family,acquaintances.Outer/extra-personalconflict—societyatlarge,theChurch,government,etc.

AntagonistTheantagonististhepersonificationofthemajorforceworkingagainsttheprotagonists.Thiscanbeavillain,anemesis,oreventheweather.

IncitingIncidentThe inciting incident is an event that propels the protagonist into an active pursuit of the“object of desire.” The inciting incident radically upsets the balance of forces in theprotagonist'slife.Theincitingincidenteitherhappensdirectlytotheprotagonistoriscausedbytheprotagonist.Theincitingincidentthrowstheprotagonistoutofbalancethenthatarousesthedesiretorestorethebalance.6

PlotAplotistheactionofthestory,usuallyexternalconflict.Astorycanhavemanysubplots.

ClimaxThe climax is the point ofmaximum emotional intensity or conflict.Without the climax youhavenostory.

ResolutionThisisthefinalwindingdownofthestory.Theresolutionservesasabeatfortheaudiencetogathertheirthoughtsandpondertheiremotionaljourneyinthefilm.

STORYCHARTS

Whendiscussing a story as anoverall project, the story canbedividedup in the followingway:

Plot—Theactionofthestory,usuallyanexternalconflict.Astorycanhavemanysubplots.Character—Theinfusionofhumannatureinthestory.Thiscanbeaninternalconflict. Theme—The larger idea. The character's relationship with the larger world. The worldchangingaroundyou.

TheseelementswillalsohaveaprogressionfromAtoB.Thereshouldbeanotablechangealthough thechangedoesnothave tobe thatbig.Thisprogression representedvisuallywillhavethethreeactsblockedoutinagrowingprogressionfromlefttoright.ThecurvesoftheactsgrowinsizeuntilreachinganapexinActIIIoftheclimaxandthenthecurvetakesaslightdip as we reach the resolution.We can think of this curve as the emotional journey of theaudiencethroughthestory.Withineachact,thereisalsoamini-climax,oraturningpointthat

resultsinanapexfollowedbyaslightdipasitbeginstoriseagaininthesubsequentact.Inthethree-actstorystructuretheseactturningpointsareusuallymajordecisionsoreventsfortheprotagonistsinthejourneytowardstheultimateclimax.Alsonotethattheincitingincidentisnear the beginning of the story chart as this is what sets the story in motion, and usuallyhappenswithinthefirstactofthestory.Blockingoutthestorystructurethiswayhelpsorganizethevariouselementssowedonotgetconfusedinacomplexstory.

FIGURE5.1

INCORPORATINGDESIGNINYOURSCENES

Visualdesignandstorydesignhavetocometogethertotellagreatstory.Byunderstandingtheemotionalbeatsinthestoryataparticularpointwithinthestoryyoucandesignyourshotswithavisualmotiftobettercommunicatetheemotionalbeat.Youcanusecertaincameramovesformore intense parts of the story, or designmore angular shapes around the villain characterduring the climax.This shouldall begin at the storyboardphaseof theproduction.Thinkingaboutstorystructurewhilecreatingyourstoryboardswill reinforce thebiggerpictureof thestoryasyoudesignyourshots.Byincorporatingcertaincameramovesorcompositions, thiswill affect theemotionalweight in the storyandcanhelp revealdeepermeanings about thecharacterorevenforeshadoweventsyettooccur.Inastorythathasalargereversal,youmaywant tomaintainslowandsteadycameramovesuntil the reversalhappens.Which,after theparticularcameramovementsmightchangeaccordingtothechaoticnatureofthereversal.Thisdesignshouldalsobereflectedfromsequencetosequenceandeventuallythroughoutthewholeproject.Justasthereisaprogressioninstorystructure,thereshouldalsobeaprogressioninvisualdesign,whichbeginswiththestoryboards.

Asstoryboardartists,wedonotalwayshavethelibertytomakestorychangestothescript.Whatwedocontrolisthevisualelementsthatarepresentedasthestorybeatsarerevealed.Thismanipulationofthevisualelementscanbeverypowerfulininfluencingthecontentofthe

script. What would otherwise be a dull dialogue exchange between two characters, astoryboardartist can turn intoanemotionally rich sceneby injectingdynamicvisualdesign,whichreflectsinthecharacterandcameramovementsasthesceneplaysout.

RHYTHM

Anotherelementwithin thecontrolof thestoryboardartist is the rhythmof theshotsand thepacingofthecuts.Byrhythmwemeantodescribehowfastorslowlyascenedevelopsfrombeginning to end. In essence we are the first editorial pass of constructing the scene withimages.Scriptsareoftenvaguewhenitcomestorhythm,anditisuptothestoryartisttofirstinterpret thecorrectpacingfor theemotionalbeatof thestory.This isaverypowerful tool,especially when building tension towards a climax or strong emotionalmoment. Instead ofrevealingalloftheclimacticeventsatonce,thestoryartistcaninjectcutawaysandreactionshots fromsurroundingcharacters to increase the tension.Thesestorymomentsareoftennotwritteninthescriptbutarenecessaryforthestoryartist/filmmakertocreateandconstructanentertaininganddynamicscene.

CHOICE

Anaxiomofstorystructureisthattruecharacterisrevealedthroughthechoicestheymake.Theharderthechoices,themoredepthweseeinthecharacter.Thesecharacterchoicesneedtobestrong!Acharacterchoicebetweencoffeeorteaisnotwhatwe'retalkingabouthere.Aninsignificant choice has no emotional weight. Choices made under pressure reveal truecharacter.Truechoiceisdilemma.ThedecisionforMichaelCorleonetokillhisownbrotherintheGodfatherIIwaspowerful.MichaelCorleonechoosestoenforcehisstrictMafialawoverthelifeofhisownbrother.Thegiant inTheIronGiantchooses tosacrificehimself inorder to save the townspeople. These are decisions made under pressure that have greatsignificanceandemotionalweightinthestory.Byknowingtheimportanceofchoices,wecandiscussanotheraxiomofstorystructure:

Expectationshouldnotmeetresult.

Ifyousetitup…giveanoriginalpayoff.Anytypeofstoryscenarioisamatterofrevealinginformationtotheaudienceandcreatingananticipationfortheaudiencetowatchuntiltheend.Thisisessentiallythe“set-up”stage.Thepayoffisthepointwhereyourevealtheinformationandcreateamomentoftensionorchoiceforyourcharacterorprotagonist.Youwillhaveto“setup”thesituationorscenarioandgivea“payoff”ofyourset-up.Thekeyguidelinetokeepinmindisthatexpectationshouldnotmeetresult.Tokeepthingsinterestingyourcharactersand the events that happen should not be predictable. As your story progresses build theintensityintheeventsorscenariosasyourreachyourclimax.Useyourcharacters,oractivestory elements, to drive the tension by decisions and conflicts you introduce in the story.Conflictscanbeinternaltothecharacters,suchasinnerfeelingsofselfdoubt,orexterior,suchasamanbattlingatorrentialstormatsea.Theseconflictsandhowyourcharactersorobjectsreacttotheseconflictsarewhatkeeptheactioninteresting.Thelastthinganaudiencewantstoseeisastorywheretheypredictthefinaloutcomeoftheset-upandintheend,theirprediction

comestrue!It'soneofthegreatestlet-downsforanaudience.Ifyougointoastoryknowingwhattheendingwillbethereisnotension.Thereisnoreasontocontinuewatching.Thejobofthestorytelleristocreateacuriosityintheaudienceandgivethemanewandoriginalpay-offastheirrewardforwatchingallthewayuntiltheend.

NOTES1Storystructureisadeepandcomplextopic.Inthisbook,onlyageneraloverviewofstorystructureistouchedon,andhowitapplies tocreatingstoryboardimages.Westronglyencourageanyprospectivestoryartist tocontinuetostudystorytheory,storystructure,andwriting,asasupplementtothisbook.

2Interestingtopicsofstudyforthebasisofhumanstoriesarebothpsychologyandpraxiology.Psychologyattemptstodiscoverthereasonsbehindhumanchoiceandtheirresultingactions.Praxiologyisthestudyofhumanactionassuchandthechoiceofmanusingmeans to achieveends.For adiscussiononpraxiology, seeLudwigVonMises (1998),HumanAction, TheScholarsEdition,Auburn,Alabama:LudwigVonMisesInstitute.

3Therearemanydifferentformsofstorystructure.Thetraditionalthree-actstructureisthemostcommonfoundintraditionalWesternvisualstorytellingandis, therefore, thesubjectofouranalysishere.Foradeeperunderstandingofstorystructureanditsvariations,seetheResourcessectioninthebackofthebook.

4ThisreferstoshotchoiceasdiscussedinChapter4.

5Forbeatboards,seeChapter8onStoryboarding.6RobertMcKee(1997),Story,NewYork:Harper-Collins,pp.1181–207.

FIGURE6.1

Bynowyou'veheardus talkabout emotionand refer to theemotionalbeat as someelusiveelementtoachieveinyourstories.Emotionalimportanceisthefoundationforallactioninthestory.Figureout“why”thingshappenand“how”theyhappenwillbeeasy.Theendgoalofallaction should be motivated by a strong driving force in the characters or environment,groundedinemotionalfeeling.Theimportanceofemotioncannotbeoverstated.Audiencesarepaying to experience emotions. They pay to suffer emotions that they would normally doanything toavoid in life.Anaudiencebelieves in the storyas longaswedon'tgive themareasontodoubt.Meaningandsubstanceproduceemotion.Thismeaningneeds tobebuiltupwithintheprotagonistthroughoutthestorysothatwhentheirobjectofdesireisneartherewillbemore emotionalweightwith the audience.This creates that heart-beat-skipping, edge-of-the-seat feelingwith the viewers.Even themost glamorous and spectacularmedieval battlebecomesboringifthereisnomeaningattachedtotheresultsoftheoutcome.Remembertogivetheaudiencewhattheywant,butnotinthewaytheyexpect.

Emotion always trumps logic.Whenwe talk about screen direction and technical issues offilmmakingkeepinmindthatemotionistheimportantgoalinthescene.Theaudiencewantsto

suspend their disbelief and be scared, sad, frightened, etc. So if you come across technicalissueswithcharacterplacementandscreendirectiondon'tget toocaughtupin technicalitiesandforgetaboutresolvingtheunderlyingemotionalbeat.Ifyoudisregardlogicinawaythatdoesn'ttalkdowntotheaudience,youcangetawaywithhavingsomeholes.Asastoryboardartistyourpowerofvisualmanipulationwithoutcallingattentiontoitmakesahugedifferencein theoutcomeof the story.Make the audience feel an emotionwithout them sensing thatthey are beingmanipulated. Keep inmind that when an emotional experience repeats, thepowerofthesecondeventiscutinhalf.

Makethemental,physical.Createvisualstorytelling.Theoldadageof“shownottell”alwaysapplies.What is thecharacter thinkingandwhy?Iswhat thecharacter issaying thesameaswhat theyare thinking?Digforsubtext1andadeepermeaningwithin thecharacter.Thinkofhowtomaketheseemotions,visualfortheaudience.Usethetoolsofvisualdesignandstorystructure,andshowelementsthatwillreflectthecharacter'semotion.Thedefaultistoshowanexpression.But,becreativeandinventwaystoshowacharacter'sangerinthepose.Maybetheyshifttheirtieorharshlybeatsomeeggsforbreakfast.Turntheemotionsintovisualcuesthatwillrelatewiththeaudience.

JUXTAPOSITIONOFSHOTS

Isitreallythatdifficulttosolicitemotionsfromyouraudience?Ifyouholdonanimagelongenough,thiswillevokeanemotionalresponsewithanyone.Rememberthattheaudiencewanttoexperienceemotions.Ifyouholdonanimageofaflagwavinginthewind,theaudiencewillconjure feelings of patriotism, nationalism, or nostalgia depending on their personalexperience.Ifyouimmediatelycuttoashotofsomeone'sface,theaudiencewillprojectthosefeelingstheyhaveintheirmindontothecharacterintheshot.Thisisessentiallyanotheraxiomof filmmaking discovered by earlyRussian filmmakersLevKuleshov andSergeiEisensteinand their theories ofmontage and editing.2 TheKuleshovEffect is a film editing (montage)effectdemonstratedbyKuleshovinthe1910sand1920s.Kuleshoveditedtogetherashortfilminwhicha shotof the expressionless faceofRussianactor IvanMosjoukinewasalternatedwithvariousothershots—aplateofsoup,agirl,alittlegirl'scoffin.Thefilmwasshowntoanaudiencewhobelieved that the expressiononMosjoukine's facewasdifferent each timeheappeared,dependingonwhetherhisfacewasjuxtaposedwiththeplateofsoup,thegirl,orthecoffin,showinganexpressionofhunger,desire,orgrief,respectively.ActuallythefootageofMosjoukinewasthesameshotrepeatedoverandoveragain:

[The audience] raved about the acting… the heavy pensiveness of hismood over theforgottensoup,weretouchedandmovedbythedeepsorrowwithwhichhelookedonthedeadchild,andnotedthelustwithwhichheobservedthewoman.Butweknewthatinallthreecasesthefacewasexactlythesame.3

EisensteinjustasKuleshovfeltthe“collision”ofshotscouldbeusedtocontrolthefeelingsoftheaudienceandcreatemoviemetaphors.Thisconceptoftellingthestory“inthecut”canhelpbringtheall-importantemotionalelementtoyouraudience.Viewersbringtheirownemotionalreactionstoasequenceofimages,andthenwillattributethosereactionstotheactor,creating

theimportantemotionalresponsebringingmeaningtoascene.Manipulatingtheshotstoevokeanemotionalresponsewiththeviewerisawonderfultoolinthehandsofastoryboardartist.

An easy solution to show someone sad is to see themcry.Amore sophisticated solution toshow sadness would be to juxtapose a man's burning house with a shot of his expressionlooking at the house.No dialogue is necessary or even acting.The audiencewill apply theemotionstheyfeelinthemomenttothecharactertheyseeonscreen.Inthisway,emotioncanbespelledoutvisually,and this is thepower thatastoryboardartisthas inmanipulating thescript.Theremaybenodialogue todescribehowa character is feeling,butby juxtaposingcertainimagesrelatingtothecharacteryoucancreatedeepmeaningandemotioninthescene.This is thegreatestweaponastoryboardartisthas indevelopingascene.Evenwithpoorlywrittendialogue,astoryboardartistcanemphasizeemotionwiththeshotsandturnthesceneintoasophisticatedandrichvisualexperience.

NOTES1SeeSubtextinChapter9.2SergeiEisenstein(1949),FilmForm:EssaysinFilmTheory,NewYork:Harcourt,Trans.JayLeyda.

3 V. I. Pudovkin (1974), “Naturshchik vmesto aktera,” inSobranie sochinenii, volume I,Moscow: I.B. Tauris PublishersLondon/NewYork,p.184.

Oneofthedownfallsofmostyoungstoryboardartistsisaweakuseofstaging.Stagingreferstothearrangementofcharactersorobjectswithinyoursceneandthecorrespondingcharacterandcameramovements.Choreographingyourshotsandcharactersinanexcitingwaycreatesefficiencywiththesceneandwillbringeventhedullestscripttolife.Interestingstagingcancoverupbaddialogueandgiveneededvisualinteresttounappealingcharacters.Arguablyoneofthemostimportantskillsforastoryboardartisttomasterisstaging.

First, let's talk about staging in a single shot.Depending on how close an object is to yourcamera,orhow it is framedby theotherobjects,willaffect theemotional responseofyouraudience.Onebasicruleofcompositionistoneverhavetwoobjectswithequalimportanceinthe frame.Two thingswithequal importancedivide the interestof theviewer andmake thepicture look flat. Give one object more visual weight by making it bigger. Use thiscompositionalstagingtosupporttheemotionalbeatofthescene.(Figures7.1and7.2)

If the idea is to show theaudiencehowacharacter feelsafterbeing rejected,pick the rightcamera angle and arrangement of objects to emphasize that point. To better show thecharacter's isolation and sadness, use a high angle and distance her from her friends.Sometimesthebestwaytosellacharacter'sexpressionorattitudeistonotshowtheirfaceatall.Yetpeoplealwaysthinkofthefacewhentheythink“expression.”Expressionisconveyedby the staging, the environment, and the character's whole body language. You can't say“loneliness”or“isolation”betterthanputtingthecharactersmallandaloneinthemiddleoftheframewithlotsofemptyspacearoundthem.(Figures7.3and7.4)

Stagingasitrelatestothescenehasthesameeffectbyenhancingthedramaandcreatingvisualinterest.Adefaultset-upforadialoguescenewouldbetosimplycutbetweenalternatingshotsof each character speaking. The resulting effect is essentially shotswith “talking heads” ineach framewith no corresponding character or cameramovement. This is a dull and basicsolution towhat can otherwise be an exciting visual opportunity.Even in a scenewith two

characters talking to each other, you can have one character sitting down versus the otherstandingtocreatevarietyinthestaging.Somethingassimpleashavingonecharacterturntheirback to the other as they speak can also create visual varietywith the shots. These actionscombinedwiththecharactermovementandthecorrespondingcameramovementacrossthesetwill add visual richness to the scene. In addition,moving the characters around the set cancreate the opportunity for efficient scenes by combining lines of dialogue in the same shot,whichwouldotherwisebe filmedasan individual shot. It is this stagingmovement thatcanalso highlight the important emotional moments in the dialogue. For example, a witnesscharactermightgetupoutofhischairandwalkacrosstheroomastheinterrogatorrevealstheoutcomethecrime.

FIGURE7.1Flatandevenstaging.Bothcharacterscompeteinthecompositionforvisualimportance.

FIGURE7.2Abetteralternative.Onecharacterisbiggerandmoreimportantintheframe.

FIGURE7.3Tryingtoshowsadness?Thisstagingisabitweak.

FIGURE7.4Thisstagingisbetter.Thecharacterisisolatedandalone,emphasizingtheemotionalbeat.

Becreativeandoriginalwithyourstaging,anddoyourresearch.Watchmoviesforinspiration,andhowfilmmakersmighthandledifficultstagedscenes.Knowyoursubjectmatter.Imagineascene inanautobodyshop.Youwouldneed toknowaboutcar repair,andhowamechanicwould act and talk.Youwould also arrange themachines and tools in the garage to createvisualinterestandopportunitiesforcameramovement.Duringaconversationwithaclient,amechanicmightslideoutfromunderacar,getupandreachforsometoolsinthebackofthescene. Imagineallof thewonderful foregroundelementsyoucanaddpassing in frontof thecameraasamechanicwalksthroughhisgarage.Alloftheseelementscanbeusedforvisualandemotionaladvantagebythestoryboardartist.

SECONDARYACTION

A character can be engaged in an action that supports the story point, or contrasts theiremotionsordialogue.Thiscanbeassimpleassomeonemovingtothebackoftheroom.Thepointistocreateamotionoractionofthecharacter,givingtheopportunityforuniquecameraset-ups. Try a scene with two fast food workers talking about weight loss while servingunhealthyfood.Theset-upinafastfoodrestaurantcontrasts thepointof thestorycreatingavisualirony.Thecharacterscouldbeanywheretalkingaboutweightloss,butthe“secondaryaction” of serving fast food creates the opportunity for unique camera set-ups. In addition,having the characters serve greasy French fries, while talking about cutting calories, mayvisuallyenhancethefutilityoftheirweight-lossgoals.Theopportunitiesforcameramovementaremuchgreater in thekitchenofa fast foodrestaurant than theywouldbe if thecharactersweresittingonaparkbench.ThecameracouldtrackwiththecharactersastheymovefromtheregistertotheFrenchfryer,tothegrill.

Whataboutascenebetweentwopoliticiansastheyrevealinsiderinformation?Youcouldputthe characters in a closed boardroom as they debate the issues. But how about placing thepoliticians competing in a game of golf while debating the congressional bill? Having thecharactersplaygolfgivesthemsomesecondaryactionduringthescene,butitistheway theyplaytheirgolfgamethatmightenhancethestory.Onecharactermightpsychout theotherbystandingclosebehindhimashechooseshisclub.Whenyouconstructascene, thinkofhowyoucanapproachthestorypointwiththemostinterestinguseofstagingandsecondaryaction

to enhance the story. Give yourself some action to visually stage out. Don't go overboardthough;makeitappropriateforthesceneinquestion.

USEDEPTHTOSUPPORTYOURSTAGING

Ageneralruleofthumbistousedeepspacefordrama,andflatspaceforcomedy.Whenyou'restagingadramaticscene,anactionscene,amysteriousscene,asceneoftension,anemotionalacting type scene, etc. itwillworkbetter if you create depthwithinyour staging.Place thecamerainsuchawayastoavoidsymmetryandtocreatediagonalswithintheframe,avoidingstraight lineswithin thecompositioncompletely.Wheneverpossible,useadarkerandmorelimitedpalettewithoutalotofbrightcolors.Foracomedicscene,flatstagingtendstoworkbest. Think of a one panel comic strip or an on stage comedian. There is usually a limitedamount of depth behind the character, which would otherwise distract from the funnyperformance.Withthesecharacters,theirmovementiseitherdirectlyinfrontofthecameraormovingparalleltowherethecameraisplaced.Creatingasenseofflattenedspacecuesusthatsomethingisfunnyandenhancesthefeelingwheneveryou'retryingtopresentacomedicidea.Brightcolorsseemtocueusthatsomethingisfunnywhilemutedanddarkerhuesseemtotellusthatsomethingisseriousanddramatic.Whenyouboardanactionscene(oranyothertypeofdramaticscene)andmakethemistakeofdrawingflatstaging,italwaysendsupdetractingfromthefeelingthatyouareworkinghardtoconvey.Distancecanalsoplayanimportantpartinbothofthesetypesofsequences.Whenyouputthecamerafarbackenough,eventhemostextremeactioncanbecomehumorous.Ontheotherhand,puttingthecamerafarbackfromtheactionwhenasceneissupposedtobedramaticcanreallyhurtthetoneofthescene.Beingfarback from the actionhas the effect ofmakingyou look at it in anuninvolved, dispassionateway.

By combining depth choices, and camera and charactermovement that reflect the emotionalbeatwithinyourscene,yourstagingwillbevisuallyexcitingtotheaudience.Youmayevenbeable to create an efficient seriesof shots thatonly require twoor three camerapositions todeliver multiple pages of dialogue. With proper staging you only need to cut when it'sabsolutelynecessary.Eachshotinturnwillhavemoremeaning,sinceeachshotbecomesnewinformationrevealedtotheaudienceinsteadofcuttingforcuttingsake.

Therearefewmaintypesofstoryboardswithdifferenttechniquesrequiredforeachone.Ifyouunderstand the fundamentals of visual storytelling you can apply these skills to any type ofstoryboarding challenge. The main differences will be the technical requirements of eachstoryboard type. Each type of storyboardwill require strong drawing skills and a thoroughunderstandingofthecinemalanguage.

BEATBOARDS

At the early stages of a film, or on certain kinds of jobs (such as agency boards forcommercials) you may be asked to draw storyboards as beat boards. Beat boards don'tnecessarily reflecthowaprojectmight actuallybe shot, but theydoconvey themajor storypointsoftheprojectsothestorycanberoughlyimaginedinavisualway.Often,storyboardartistswill flesh out storyboards based on a set of beat boards and fill in the gaps.A keycharacteristicofbeatboardsistocreatesinglepanelstorytellingimagesthatconveymeaningand emotion. These are usually themost climacticmoments of the story represented in oneillustration.Thelevelofdetailmayvarydependingontheprojectneedsbutforthemostpart,artistsusuallyhavemoretimetoadddetailsforaparticularbeatboard.TheclassicAmericanillustratorssuchasNormanRockwellandDeanCornwellweremastersofcapturingawholestoryinoneimage.Ofcourse,asstoryboardartistswedonothavetimetotakephotoreferenceorlaborforweeksoveroneimage,butthinkingintermsofstorytellingillustrationmayhelpcreatewinningbeatboards.(Figures8.1–8.3)

FIGURE8.1

FIGURE8.2

FIGURE8.3

CONTINUITYBOARDS/SHOOTINGBOARDS

Continuitystoryboardsorshootingboardsarestoryboardsthatdescribeeveryshotandeverybeatwithintheshot.Withthesestoryboardimagesyouhaveacompleteflowofeachcameraanglethatissuitabletohandofftothecinematographertouseasreferencetoshootthemovie.Aneditedvideoreelwithtemporarydialogueandmusic,calledananimatic,canbecreatedusing continuity boards. TV and feature animation productionswill also produce continuity

boardsforusewithananimaticorastheblueprintfortheanimation.Tomakeforbetterhook-ups,fewerarrowsareusedandinsteadmoreposesareaddedtodescribetheaction.(Figures8.4–8.7)

FIGURE8.4Anexampleofcontinuityboards.ImagescourtesyofMetanoiaFilmsLittleBoy

FIGURE8.5

FIGURE8.6

FIGURE8.7ImagescourtesyofMetanoiaFilmsLittleBoy

LIVEACTIONBOARDS

A live action movie production will use storyboards as a reference for planning the

compositionsandschedulingnecessarysetpiecesandequipment.Moreactionheavymovieswillusestoryboards to theirfulladvantageandplaneverycameraangleandaction.Inmostsituationsthough,liveactionstoryboardsareonlyusedasreferencesincemanyofthecameraangleswill be finally decideduponby thedirector and cinematographer on the set. Stagingindicationsmayalsochangewhen theactorsperformon the set.Becauseof this liveactionboardsaremostcommonlyusedasinspiration,andnotthoughtofasthefinalcompositionorstagingforthemovie.Thispushesthestoryboardimagestobemoreconceptualandrendered.Live actionboardsmay look like finished illustrations requiringmore time anddetail to beaddedtothedrawings.

Thestoryartistwillusuallyworkfromacompleteddraftofthescriptorworkdirectlyunderthenotesof thedirector.The job requirement for the storyartist isusuallyoneofexecutiononlysincethereislittleopportunitytodeviatefromthescriptordirector'snotes.Thelevelofdetail necessary will vary with each production since every director will have their ownrequirements. Itmightbenecessary to create continuityboards for a live actionproject, butmore often shortcuts are used to create fewer drawings. Live action boards usually havearrowsforcameraandstagedirectioninsteadofmultipleposesshowingeachbeat.

Almostall liveactionworkisdonefreelance.Liveactionfeaturefilmstoryboardsareoftenthemostcovetedkindofstoryboardworkamongfreelancers,becausethejobsgenerallytendtobelongertermwork.Jobscanlastfromafewweekstoseveralmonths,especiallyonbigbudget effects films. That means less time devoted to searching for work and more timedrawing.However, thesegigs aremostlyunion jobs, and findingwork if you'renot aunionmembercanbefrustrating,ifnotnearimpossible.(Figures8.8–8.10)

FIGURE8.8

FIGURE8.9

FIGURE8.10ImagescourtesyofMetanoiaFilmsLittleBoy.

FEATUREANIMATIONBOARDS

Featureanimationboardsareuniqueinthatthedrawingsareusedextensivelyasthetoolformoldinganddesigningthestory.Thestorydepartmentinfeatureanimationisoneofthemostimportant since decisions made in the story department will affect the whole production.Storyboardsmaybeproducedallthroughouttheproductionwithstoryadjustmentsbeingmadeeven near the last fewmonths. The real emphasis with these drawings is story design andconstruction. Theremay be a finished script, but the story artist hasmore freedom tomakedialoguesuggestionsandchangestorydetailstoenhancethestory.Thereisaneffortinfeatureanimationtoworkasateamtoproducethebeststorypossibleunderthecloseguidanceofthedirector.Drawingsareproducedwiththeintentionofcreatingananimaticreel.Thousandsofimages will be produced over the course of the production as scenes will be worked andreworked until they feel right. The level of detail may vary greatly since even last minutethumbnails may make it in the animatic reel. The true valve of the drawings is not theirbeautiful execution, but the communication of the story point. Nevertheless, a feature storyartist position is incredibly demanding requiring both top notch drawing skills and storyknowledge.Arrowsare rarelyused todescribe theactionaseachbeatandcameramove isdocumentedwithmultiple poses. It is not a priority to create drawings that are “onmodel”since the animators will create the final look of the characters. Story beats and acting areimportantthoughsincethedrawingsserveastheemotionfoundationfortheanimators.

FIGURE8.11

ADVERTISINGSTORYBOARDS/PITCHBOARDS

Thetraditionalapproachtoadvertisingboardsiscreatinghighlyrenderedimagestobeabletopitchorselltheideatotheclient.Storyboardpanelsmaylooklikefinishedillustrationswithfull colorsor tightly rendered shading.Arrowscanbeused todescribe the action since theemphasishereisonslickandclassypresentation.Storydesignmayalsobelessofaprioritythan the image presentation.With advertising boards youmaywork from a rough script oroutlinedescribingtheimagesnecessarytoproduce.

FIGURE8.12ExampleofadvertisingboardsforaTVcommercial.

TVANIMATIONBOARDS

TVanimationboardsaresimilar tocontinuityboardsbutwiththeaddedelementofdrawing“onmodel” characters and environments.A story artist forTVanimation establishes a tightblueprint for the rest of the production to follow. Since much of the animation work isproduced overseas, it's necessary to draw accurate and exciting poses for the animators tofollow.Incertaincases,overseasstudioswillsimplyenlargethestoryboardimagesandusetheseimagesasthekeyposesforanimationandlayout.Inaddition,thecameraworkandlayoutelements need to be indicated in the panels. Deadlines are usually tight and there is littleopportunitytodeviatefromthescript.CertainshortcutscanbeusedinTVanimation,butwithdigitalstoryboardstheworkisgettingmorecomplexalmostresemblingfeatureboards.

VIDEOGAMESTORYBOARDS

Videogamescanbeverycomplexrequiringstoryboardsforbothingameactionandcinematiccutscenes.ThelevelofdetailwillvarydependingontheproductionbuttheboardsareoftenacrossbetweencontinuityboardsandTVanimationboards.Thecinematiccutscenesareminimoviesthatcanrequirethesamecareandattentionasfeatureboards.

Staffpositionsinthegamingindustryexclusivelyasastoryboardartistarerare.Morelikely,storyboardswouldbeoneofmanydifferentarttasksyouwouldbeaskedtocarryoutasanin-housestaffillustratorordesigner.Inthegamesindustrysuchapersonwouldhavetobeabletoexcelatpainting,designingcharacters,environments,andprops,andbeexpectedtoeffectivelyadapttoavarietyofstyles.Thegamingindustryisnon-union,andmostlyworkswithin-housestaff. Sometimes storyboards are outsourced to freelancers, or the cinematic sequences areoutsourced to a digital effects company (whomight in turn outsource to freelancers for thestoryboards).(Figures8.13–8.16)

FIGURE8.13

FIGURE8.14

FIGURE8.15

FIGURE8.16

PREVIS

Previs isshortfor“previsualization”andisamethodforusingrough3Danimationtoblockout the scenes in a script. 3D artists with story training will take script pages and createanimatedmoviefilesrepresentingtheshotsofthefilm.Thefinishedresultcanvaryfromhighlycomplexanimationswith lighting indicationsandeffects to roughandsimplecameras flyingthroughthedigitalset.Theadvantagetoprevisisthecleartimingandscaleoftheshotswithaccurate camera lenses.More large scale productions are using previs to conceptualize thescenes insteadofdrawnstoryboards.Currently, there isstillahighcostandtimeinvestmentwithprevissinceeveryelementinthecompositionneedstobemodeledandriggedin3Din

additiontothecameraandcharacteranimation.Becauseofthisprevisisnormallyreservedforthemostcomplexactionsequencesofthestory.

Creating a previs sequence usually requires the help ofmultiple 3D artists and is normallyexecutedby small tomidsizedpre-production studios.Previs teamsmayalsowork togetherwith traditional storyboard artists to create drawings first before committing resources toexpensive3Dassets.Sincetheadventofprevis,thereisanongoingdebatewithprevisartistsandtraditionalstoryboardartistsastowhichmethodismoreeffective.Hollywooddirectorsseemtoloveprevissincetheygetanimmediaterepresentationofthefinishedscene.The3Danimations can be cut together in an animatic like the final live action footage. The debatebeginsfromtheveteranstoryartistswhounderstand thatanyscenecanalsobecreatedwithdrawings no matter how complex. The reality is that previs is another tool for visualstorytellingandtheresultshouldalwaysbethesame: tell thebeststorypossible.Thestoryprincipleswehavebeentalkingaboutallapply.Noamountoffancy3Danimationcansaveapoorlyconceptualizedscene.Astoryartistshouldunderstandthatprevisisausefultoolandisnowapartofthevisualstorytellingindustry.It'snotthefocusofourdiscussiontocoverthedetailsrequiredtobecomingaprevisartist.Understandingthetechniquesofvisualstorytellingwillgiveyouasolid foundation forbecomingaprevisartist shouldyouchoose toenter thediscipline.

At thispoint,youunderstand the levelofcomplexity increatinga storyboard image.Beforeyoudecidetogiveupandneverpursueastorycareer,knowthis:There isnogreater thrillthancreatingyourownstoriesandshowingthemtoanaudience.Onceyougetthestorybugyou can never go back to other art disciplines. Storyboarding is essentially filmmaking andfilmmaking is visual storytelling. The passion grows in you like a crazed obsessive–compulsivejunkie.Atleaststorytellingisamorehealthyaddictionthancrackoralcohol.Don'tbelieveme?Idareyoutomakesomeonelaughwithyourstoryboards.Youwillneverwanttodoanyothertypesofdrawings.Asastoryartistnotonlydoyouuseyourcraftsmanship,butyouinvolveathinkingprocessdesignedtoemotionallymoveyouraudience.Youhavetothinkabout all aspects of your project including how your images and scenes fit into the biggerpictureofthestory.Youareaminidirectorinthesensethatyoutakecontrolandownershipofyourscenesandyouneedtoconstructtheminthemostexcitingvisualwaypossible.

Thismaybeoneof themost challenging things you ever do.As a newcomer the amount ofinformation you need to learn is daunting. The reality is, through practice, much of theinformation you need to know is naturally absorbed in theworking process. Just asRobertHenrybrilliantlystates,“Noknowledgeissoeasilyfoundaswhenitisneeded.”1

Ifyou'rereadingthis,it'sassumedthatyoualreadyliketodrawandtellvisualstories.Therestof theprocess isnothardwork ifyoureallyenjoy it. It'sa long journey tomasterallof thetechniquesasastoryboardartist,butit'sthisjourneythatwillmakeyourprofessionalcareerajoy. Begin by mastering the drawing and compositional aspects of creating an interestingimage. This task alone will take many years to master. (Yes, I said years, but don't getdiscouraged—it'sfun!)Inthemeantime,youcanthinkaboutcreativesolutionstovisualscenesyou want to tell the world. Most young storyboard artists are already oversaturated withmovies,stories,andimages.Youmayalreadyhaveanaturalsenseofwhatmakesauniqueandinterestingstory.Itonlytakesputtingtheselifeinfluencestogetherwiththetechniquesweare

talkingabouttocreaterichvisualstoryboards.Learnyourfilmhistory.Watchthegreatmoviesofthepastandcontinuetoenjoynewreleasesandstoriesastheycomeout.Thisisthefunandexcitingpartabouthavingacareerasastoryboardartist.Itisyourjobtobeontopofthelateststorytelling and filmmaking techniques. Don't limit yourself tomovies either. Comic books,paintings, and other forms of visual storytelling can be an influence and inspiration in yourwork.Lookatacareerasastoryboardartistasajourneythatwillchallengeyoufortherestofyourlife.

Is your passion strong yet?Use the force, Luke… ahem, in other words, train like a Jedi.ImagineYodaonyourbackasyoubuildyourstorymuscle.Eventuallyyoumightbeabletoliftan X-wing out of a swamp… or at least lift a dull script to new heights.Now that yourpassionisstrong,let'sdiscussamethodandprocesstocreatingstoryboardsthatyoucanuseasthefoundationonyourJedijourney.Asyouprogressasanartist,discoveryourownvoiceand methods for solving problems. This is what will distinguish you from others in thestoryboardingdisciplineandwillmakeyouavaluableassettoanyproduction.

THESTORYBOARDPROCESS

For the purposes of this method we will assume you understand all of the fundamentalscoveredaboveasfarasdrawing,composition,shotchoice,etc.(Youdo,right?Ifnot,gobackandpractice!)Firstyoushouldfindoutall thetechnicaldetailsoftheproject.Findoutwhataspectratioyourprojectwillbeinandcollectanyrelevantcharacterdesignsorbackgrounddesignsnecessaryforyoutocompleteyourjob.Thesereferencematerialsshouldbeprovidedbytheproducerorheadoftheproject.Iftherearenoreferencematerials,findsomeofyourownthroughresearchontheInternetoryourownreferencelibrary.Youshouldalsofindoutthefinalimagedeliveryformatfortheproject,whethertheyarescannedimagesonpaperordigital JPEG files. Most projects will have an outline or a script, which is the basis forcreatingimagesontheproject.If thereisnoscript,directionwillmostlikelycomeverballythroughthedirectororproducer.Takegoodnotes,andaskanyquestionsaboutthingsyoudonot understand before you begin any drawing.Below is a typical process for tackling yourstoryboards.

ScriptAnalysisEveryproductionisdifferentastothelevelofinputastoryartisthasinregardstothescript.Story departments on animated feature productions use story artists almost as ideacreators/writers.These specialized storyartistswrite the story through imagesandcomeupwithideasandgagsvisually.Thescriptontheseproductionscansometimesbeonlyalooseoutline,anditisthejobofthestoryartiststoconstructanentertainingscenethatmakessense.Outside of animated feature productions, for themost part the storyboard artistmust simplyexecutethescriptanddoesn'thavefreedomtochangethecontent.Althoughthismayseemlikearestriction,astoryboardartisthasgreatpowertomanipulatethescenevisuallyandarrangethedialogueandbeatsinthemostentertainingway.

Thefirstthingyoushoulddoisreadtheentirescript.Youshouldunderstandthesectionofthe

scriptyouareworkingonandhowitrelatestotherestofthestory.Readandre-readthescriptuntilyougettoapointwhereyouunderstandeverythingthathappenswithouthavingtorefertothepage.You shouldknow the sequenceof events thathappen inyour sceneaswell as thewho,what,where,when,andwhy.Moreimportantly,youshouldknowhowallthecharactersare feeling internallyaboutwhat'shappening,andhow theyareoutwardlyactingupon thoseevents.2Youshouldunderstand theoverall themes that the screenplay is trying toget acrossandhowthisrelatestotheparticularscene.

BREAKTHESCRIPTDOWNINTOBEATS/TAKEINVENTORY/GATHERREFERENCES

Withagood senseof thebigpicture, you shouldbe able tobreak the story intobeats.Thishelpsyouprioritizewhatisimportanttoshowinasceneandwhattoleaveout.Atthispoint,it'salsoagoodideatovisuallyscanthescriptandtakeinventoryofallthepeople,places,andpropsthatneedtoappearoverthescenesyouaredrawing.Doyouknowhowtodrawallthethingsthatappearorhaveadequatereferencematerialstohelpyou?Makesuretodoallthesethingsbeforedrawingasinglepanel.Isthereasceneyouknowofsimilartotheoneyouneedtoboard?Ifsolookatitasreferenceandinspiration,butnottocopy.Makeyoursunique.

SCRIPTNOTES/PLANVIEWS

Withallthisinformationgatheredtogether,youcannoworganizeandplanhowyouaregoingtoexpressthestoryinfilmterms.Tothisend,itmaybehelpfultomarkupthescriptwithnotesandthumbnailsketches.Youcanfigureoutjusthowyouaregoingtodescribetheinformationinthestoryandwhen.Youcanfigureoutwhatshotsworkbestforasceneatagivenmoment.Woulda closeupworkwellhere,or awider shot?Ahighangleor a lowangle?Shouldareaction shot be inserted here?Dowe need another establishing shot to show the audiencewhere everybody is? Marking up the script and drawing little thumbnail sketches in themarginscanhelpyougetaclearerpictureofwhereyouaregoing.It'salsohelpfultodrawaplan or architectural view of the scene to help you figure out the staging of things beforemoving on to actually drawing the boards. In this flat architectural view, you can arrangefurnitureandplotouttheentranceandexitsofyourcharactersfromthesceneinrelationtothecamera.Youcanalsoshowthisplanviewtoyourdirectortomakesuretheyareonboardwithyourcamerachoices.

FIGURE9.1Anexampleofanoverheadplanview

INTERPRETINGTHESCRIPT

Asyoureadthescript,calloutkeywordsinthedescriptionanddialoguethatrepresentactionsthatyouneedtodraw.Takethefollowingdescriptionandlineofdialogue,forexample:EXT.RONDAPLAZA—EVENING

TheGeneral,Javier,andthelocalclergyareminglinginthetownsquare.The

townspeople look on from street level and others from the Plaza windows. The

Generaladdressesthecrowd.

GENERALROBLES

I welcome you here to our civil meeting. The Republic thanks

Father Michele and our great El Javi de Ronda for joining in

supportwithustoday.

Thefirstlineintheaboveexample,callsoutthelocationandtimeofdayofthescene.Whetherthe location is an interior or exterior is denoted by the abbreviationsEXT. or INT. This isfollowedbythetimeofday,inthiscase,eveningtime.Theparagraphthatfollowsdescribesthecharactersinvolvedinthesceneandtheset-upoftheactiontobeshot.Dialogueiswritteninblockformat,beginningwiththecharacter'snameandfollowedbythelinesofspeech.

Actioncuesastheyrelatetodrawingstoryboardimagescanbefoundbothinthedescriptiveparagraphandinthelinesofdialoguesopaycloseattentiontoeverywordinthescript.Weknowfromtheabovescriptexample that thescenebeginsoutside inaPlazaareaduring theevening.Naturally,wewillhavetoestablishthelocationandtimeofdayvisuallybyatleastshowinganestablishingshotofthecrowdgatheredaroundGeneralRobles.Visuallyshowing

itiseveningtimeiseasilyaccomplishedbyshowinglitstreetlightsoradarknightskyinthesecompositions.Depending on the needs of the scene, it may require more than one establishing shot fromdifferentanglestoshowallofthecharactersandthecrowdinvolved.Alsonotethatthescriptspecifically calls out “townspeople” observing from the street level and from the PlazaWindows.Thesephrasesmeanthestoryboardartistneedstodrawatleastoneshotfromstreetlevel of the townspeople looking on, and another shot of those observing from apartmentwindowslookingdownatthePlaza.Thereisnospecificnumberoftownspeoplecalledoutinthe script above. In thiscase, thisdetailneeds tobeconfirmed from thedirectorhowmanyextrasareinthescene,orthedecisioncanbeleftforthestoryboardartiststodecide.Thisset-upshouldconjurealltypesofmemoriesofcivicspeecheswe'veseenonTVorwitnessedinperson.Ifnecessarywecanevenlookforvideoreferenceofthesetypesoftowngatherings.Atypicalset-upforthiswouldbeaspeakerbehindapodiumusingamicrophonesystemtospeaktoacrowd.Rightaway,wecanvisualizewherethecharacterswillbearrangedinrelationtothe speaker. This also brings up the question, what does the Plaza look like? If there areconcept designs and imagesof thePlaza it's necessary for the storyboard artist to referencethesewhendrawingtheboards.Ifnot,it'suptothestoryboardartisttousetheirbestjudgmentandresearchskillstofindorcreateabelievablecivicPlazaforthisparticularset-up.

AsGeneralRoblesspeaks,hespecificallycallsoutFatherMicheleandJavier.Thisagainisanother script cue for the storyboard artist to include a possible reaction shot of FatherMicheleandJavier.Alsoinsinuatedin thedescriptionabovearenecessaryreactionshotsoftheonlookingcrowd.Thenumberofreactionshots,aswellasthevariousshotchoicesforthisscene,willdependontheemotionalbeatneeded.Whenbreakingdownthescriptinthiswaycall out important details and visual landmarks to help guide you. Look for places to addsecondaryactionthatsupportthestory.Remembertofulfillthestorypoint.Beabletoidentifyachangeinstoryorcharacterfromthebeginningofascenetotheend.

Itisoftensaidthatapictureisworthathousandwords.Forthestoryboardartist,sometimesafew words in a script add up to a thousand pictures. Scripts are written without cameraindicationsorstagingdetails.Itisassumedthattheseelementswillbehandledbythedirectorand cinematographer, or in our case by the storyboard artist. This being the case, a scriptwritermightincludeabriefparagraphthatgoes:

EXT.FARM—DAY

TheRiderscomeoverthehillsideasthearmybattleensues.

What! That's it? With only one sentence, this one line can trigger hundreds of storyboardimagesrequiredtofilltheneedsofthescene.Whatwouldmakecoolactionforthebattle?Aretherehorsesinvolved?Archers?Itisthejobofthestoryboardartisttoestablishthesceneanddrawoutthenecessaryactionasdescribed.Thismightbeoneofthemostcrucialbattlesinthewholestoryinwhichcasealotoftimeanddetailneedtobespentinarrangingthestagingandchoreographyoftheopposingsides.Thestoryboardartistessentiallyfillsintheblanksofthescriptandcreatesthedynamicactionthatwilleventuallybeshotandcapturedonfilm.

FULFILLINGTHESTORYPOINT

Themost important thingwhen drawing your storyboards is to identify and fulfill the storypointofthescene.Aswementionedbefore,everysceneandeveryimagehasaspecificreasonfor being incorporated into the story. This “story point” needs to be crystal clear to theaudienceinthestoryboardimages.Mostofthetime,youcanreadthescriptandinterpretthedesiredstorypoint.Ifyoudon'tunderstandthemeaningofthesceneconsultwithyourdirectorabouttheproposedstorypoint.Makesureyouunderstandbeforehandwhatthestorypointofthesceneisbeforecreatinganyimagesasthiswillaffectthecontentofyourscene.Youwillsaveyourselfalotofrevisions,ifthestorypointisclearinyourhead.Thestorypointcanbeassimpleas“Bobgrabshislunchfromthekitchencounter.”Thefactthatthecharacter,Bob,needstograbhislunchmightbeimportanttothestoryasawholeandisnecessarytoestablishinyourparticularscene.Ifyouknowthat it's importanttoshowBobgrabbinghislunch,youwouldavoidunnecessarycameraset-upsandstaging.Youwouldcreateascenethatisthemostefficient and unique visual solution to showing Bob grabbing his lunch from the kitchencounter.Anythingelse thatdistracts from the storypoint shouldbecut, and isnotworthyofyourtimeanddraftsmanship.Everyimageyoudrawasastoryboardartistneedstobeweighedagainstthestorypointassomethingthatsupportsthestorypointandneverdetracts.

SUBTEXT

Subtextisthemeaningbehindthedialoguebeingspokenbythecharacters.Liveactionactorswill always look for subtext in the dialogue in order to add emotion and meaning to theperformance.Likewise,forthestoryboardartist,itisnecessarytoreadintothedialogueandidentify the subtext. Even if there is no apparent doublemeaning behind the dialogue beingspoken,thinkhardaboutwhyacharacterwouldsaythelinesofdialoguewritteninthescript.Withcarefulthought,youcanusuallyfindameaningbehindthedialogue.Identifythesubtextinthedialogueandwhois thefocusorsympatheticcharacter.This informationwillhelpwhenstagingouttheshot.Integrateyourstagingtoreflecttheactinginthedialogue.Addingsubtextto thescenecancreateapowerfulvisualstatementwithoutaddingorchanging thedialogue.Thesubtextisamethodofaddinglayersofdepthtothesceneinasubtleway.Thecharactermaynot sayoutrightwhat theyare feeling,butyoucanshow the feelingsvisuallywhenyoudrawyourstoryboards.Taketheselinesofdialogue,forexample:

ALICE

It'ssogoodtoseeyou.You'reallgrownupanddashing.

JIMMY

ThanksMa’.

Atfirstglanceyoumightthinkthisisahappyreunionofamotherandson.Youmightstagethisin theentrywayof thehouseas the twocharactershug. Ifon theotherhand,youunderstoodfromthestorythatAliceisawidowandrecoveringdrunk, theselinesofdialoguetakeonawhole different meaning, where the subtext is important. Let's assume that the relationshipbetweenJimmyandAliceisatumultuousone.AsAlicesaysherlines,whatshemightreallybethinkingis,“It'ssopainfultoseeyoubecauseyouremindmeofmydeadhusband.”Herethe

meaningandthestagingofthescenewillchangecompletely.YoumightstagethescenesothatAlicehasherbackturnedtoJimmyandshesaysherlineswhileglancingatapictureofherlatehusband.Jimmytoomighthavesubtextinhislineaddingalayerofsadnessorsarcasmtohisdelivery.ThisneedstobeshownvisuallywithJimmy'sposeorbodylanguage.Again,allofthisneedstorelatetotheunderlyingstorypointofthescene.

THUMBNAILS

Let's assumeyouhave identified the storypoint, subtext, and elementsneeded todrawyourscene.Thenextstepinthestoryboardprocessistocreateathumbnailfirstpassofthescene.Athumbnailversionofastoryboardisafastroughdraftsketchtoseehowyourshotchoicesandyour compositions are working before you begin adding detail. These are normally tinydrawings,nobiggerthan1or2inches,withmanydrawingsfillingupasinglesheetofpaper.You can use these drawings to quickly lay out yourwhole scene, aswell as to show yourdirectorforinitialapproval.Thereisnoneedtopolishyourdrawingsinathumbnail.Infact,fancydrawingdistractsfromwhatisimportant–thestorypointandtheshotflow.Inthumbnailsallyouneedarequickand simpledrawings that convey thebasic informationabout cameraangles,composition,andstaging.Noamountofshadingwillsellashotormakeupforyourstoryflaws.Anygoodclientordirectorwillseerightthroughit.Forgetaboutthedrawingandstartcommunicating!

FIGURE9.2Thumbnailsdrawnbyhandonan8.5×11sheetofpaper.Thesearesimplelinedrawingswithlittleshadingortone.

Whythumbnail?Ifyoudon'tthumbnailthenyouarejustsettlingforthefirstideaoffthetopof

yourhead.Thisworksoccasionally,butmostofthetimeyouwanttodigdeeperthanyourfirstidea. Up front planning will save you a lot of pain in the end. Be organized and think!Thumbnailing is about discovering the emotional beats, through shots and staging. You aremaking choices that affect emotions, and trying to find the most efficient way to get there.Explore every possibility until you discover the best way to sell that particular idea oremotion. Forget about the details of drawing and lose yourself in thinking about how to beoriginaland fresh.This isaprocess inwhichyoumightdraw,crossout, and redraw ideas.Eachdrawingshouldonlytakeaminuteorsotodraw.Theideaistoorganizeyourthoughtsonpaperbeforeyoubeginyourfinishedstoryboards.Inastoryboardassignment thatmight takeyou aweek, youmay spend up to three days simply scratching out thumbnail drawings andorganizingyourideas.Oncetheseideasareclearandorganized,creatingfinishedstoryboardpanelsisasmootherandquickerprocess.

FIGURE9.3

Keep thedrawings simple.Usepencil andpaperonly.Use arrows to show thedirectionofmovements(arrowscanbeusedhereasashortcutevenifthefinisheddrawingsarecontinuityboards).Avoid coloror shading.Thedrawings shouldonly take a few seconds toproduce.Mostofthetimeshouldbespentthinkingaboutwhatisimportantinyourstory.Hereareafewelementsimportanttogetacrossinyourthumbnails:

InterestingcompositionUniquecameraanglesandavarietyinyourshotchoiceInterestingstagingResolvethescreendirectionCommunicatethestorypoint

StartingYourRoughIfyouget stuckstartingyour rough,onegoodway toget theengine running isbydrawingavanishingpoint(Figure9.4).Itcanbeinsidetheimageareaoroutsideofit.Thendrawsomeradiating lines from the vanishing point into the image area. Notice that even at this level,compositions have certain psychological effects. Some seem dynamic, others more serene,othersmayfeelerratic,andstillothersmayfeelformal.Usethistoyouradvantageasyoustartdesigningyourshot.

Your roughs should be quick, simple, and unlabored.This is not to be confusedwith doingrushed,sloppy,carelessroughs.Thedistinctionbetweensimpleroughsandsloppyroughs isvery clear. Often, beginners will rush through their roughs working extremely loosely andsloppily,expectingthattheirfinisheddrawingswillfirmupandtightenanysloppinessintheirrough.Thisistheoppositeofwhatyoushouldbedoing.Ifyoutakethetimetonailtheroughs,andmakethemasclearandaccurateaspossible,youwillbuildastrongfoundationonwhichitwillbeeasiertogetawaywithdoingloose,quickfinishes.

FIGURE9.4

DoubleCheckYourWorkOnceyouhaveroughedoutafullsceneinthumbnails,readoveryourboardsafewtimestobesureyou'vegottenalltheimportantinformationontotheboardsclearlyandthatyou'regettingthemaximumpunchoutofthescene.Makesuretheentiresceneflowstogetherwell.Ifyouhadneverreadthescriptbeforeandwereviewingtheseboardsforthefirsttimewouldyougetagoodsenseofthestoryandthefeelofthefinishedmovie?Doublecheckyourcompositionstoseeifyoucanfixanyproblems.Atthispoint,youcanlookovertheboardswiththedirector.Youmightgetafewnotesbackfromthedirectorbutaftermakingthumbnailsit'stimetomoveontofinishedboards.

FINISHEDSTORYBOARDS

Sinceyou'venowworkedoutallthemajorstoryproblems,thisisaneasierstepsinceyouonlyneed to focus on drawing and execution. Even though this is the opportunity to make thedrawing as beautiful as possible, don't lose sight of clarity and simplicity. A finishedstoryboardpanelshouldbeclearandunderstandable.Again,themainpurposeistodescribethestorypointandemotionalbeatofthestory,nottobeafinishedworkofart.Eachstoryboardtyperequiresadifferentfinishbutherearesomegeneralguidelines:

Givethefiguressolidposeswithaclearsilhouette.Youcanaddsimpletones,2–3greytonesisplenty.Limittheuseofcolor.Saveyourselftimebyonlyusingcolorwhennecessary.Limittheuseofarrows.Addingmorepanelswithmorecharacterposeswillhelptheactionflow.

Useclean“on-model”drawingsfortraditionalTVboards.Addaperspectivegridformaximumclaritytoeachpanel.

(Figures9.5–9.7)

FIGURE9.5

FIGURE9.6

FIGURE9.7

DigitalStoryboardsIn discussing finished boardswe have to talk about the digital revolution in production art.Before, storyboards were drawn on paper and scanned in to the computer to create ananimatic.Peoplestilldrawonpapertoproducestoryboards,butforprofessionalproductionwork it'snow rare.Theprocess fordrawingpanelsonpaperwouldbe tousea storyboardtemplatewith theaspect ratioof theprojectandcreatedrawingswithpensormarkers.Youmightstartwithanon-photobluepencilthenfillinthedetailswithadarkpencilorinkpen.Someartistswouldcreatethelineworkinpencilthenscanintheimagestoaddtones.Thereare also tricks to creating pans and complex camera moves on paper by making a largerbackgroundimageanddrawingthecharactersonaseparatelayerastheywalkacrosstheshot.Asanydigitalartistcantellyou,creatingdigitalstoryboardsisinfinitelyfasterthandrawingonpaper.Asastubborntraditionalistmyself,I thoughtIwouldneverstopdrawingonpaperuntilthedayIwasforcedtodrawdigitallyatPixar.AssoonasIsawthespeedandincredibleamountofdrawingsIwasabletoproduceIknewtherewasnogoingbacktothedaysofpaperandthephotocopymachine.Digitalstoryboardsareheretostayandanyoneenteringthefieldmustlearntocreatestoryboardsonthecomputer.

Makingthumbnailsdoesn'tnecessarilyrequireusingacomputer.Sometimesdoingthumbnailsonpapercanbeawelcomechange from thedigitalwork to follow.Finishedboards thoughshould be created digitally to take advantage ofmodern tools and create complex andwelldrawn images.Themost commonwayof creating digital boards is using a tablet or digitalmonitormadefordrawing.CintiqmonitorsmadebyWacomhavebecometheindustrystandardfordigitalartandespeciallystoryboards.Themonitorhasadigitizerpenthatyoucanusetodrawdirectlyon themonitoras if itwerea sheetofpaper. Inconjunctionwithdifferentartsoftware you can create complex storyboards thatwould be extremely difficult to create onpaper.To a lesser extent you can also use a digitizer tabletwith a pen to create the digitaldrawingsbut this is less intuitivesinceyouare lookingat themonitorwhiledrawingon thetablet.TheCintiqmonitorsareexpensive,rangingfrom$1000–2500dependingonthesize,buttheyneedtobethoughtofasanecessarypieceofequipmentthatwillpayforthemselveswith

thegreaterproductivity.CheapertabletPCsandsecondhandequipmentcanalsobeusedwithequallygoodresults.Knowing how to use a computer, both Mac and Windows based, is a necessity. Anotherprerequisitetodigitalboardsislearningtousetheindustrystandardprogram,Photoshop.Wewillnotgointothedetailsofthesoftwarehere,butanymethodofcreatingdigitalboardswillusetoolsbasedonaPhotoshopworkflow.Therearemanygreatsoftwarepackagesthatwillalsocreateawesomeimages,butalayerbaseddrawingprogramisnecessary.

In terms of finished digital storyboards, it is important to work in layers for maximumflexibility and changes. A typical image would have a background layer, perspective gridlayer,characterlayer,andforegroundlayeramongothers.Tonescanalsobeonseparatelayersto allow for changes and adjustments. We will discuss creating complex digital boards inChapter10.

CHECKLISTFORIDENTIFYINGCOMMONMISTAKES

Oneof themost importantskills forastoryboardartist is selfediting.Theability to lookatyoursceneanddeterminewhether it'sworkingornotandwhy isakeypartof trainingyourstoryboardskills.Withthisgoalinmind,herearesomekeyquestionstoaskyourselfasyoustageanddrawyourstoryboards:

Doestheshotfulfillthestorypoint?

IsthistheBESTcameraangleformystorypoint?

Does the shot have depth? Is there a foreground, middle ground, andbackground?

AmIusingaprofileshot?Ismycompositiontooflat?

Istheregoodsilhouette?

Aretheretoomanyhorizontalandverticallinesinmyshot?Avoidsymmetry!

Aresubjectscomingatthecameraorgoingawayfromcamera?Maximizetheillusionofdepth.

DoIcutfromalowangletohighangle?Usevarietyinyourshotchoice.

Aretheshapesinmycompositioninteresting?

Am I reusing this composition? Avoid reusing shots. Keep the audience

interestedbycreativeshotchoice.Hereareafewquestionsyoucanaskyourselfwhilegoingoverascript.Theanswerstothesequestions, combinedwith someof the information in the shot selection section, can aid youmakingdecisionsaboutyourboards:

Aboutscenes:–Howmanyareinthescene?–Whatisthesituationatthebeginningofthesceneandhowisitdifferentattheend?–Whoisaffectedbythischange?–Howdoesthispersonfeelaboutit?–Howdoesthissceneaffectthesceneafterit?–Howdoesitaffecttheonebeforeit?–Howhasthisscenebeenaffectedbytheonebeforeit?

Withinascene,thesequestionsmighthelpyoufindyourshots:–Whoorwhatarewemostinterestedinatthismoment?What'sthemainfocus?–Whoisincontrolofthesituation?–Wherearewe?Havethecharactersmoved?Ifso,where?–What'sthesubtext?Whatisbeingsaidordoneandwhatdoesitreallymean?–Whatnonverbalcuesmightillustratewhat'sreallygoingon?–Whoisbeingaffectedbywhatisbeingsaid,done,orimpliedatthismoment?Inwhatway?

–Whataresomeoftheconsequencesoftheactiontakingplaceinthemoment?–Whatdoyouwanttheaudiencetofeel?Speed?Calmness?Chaos?–What'stheoverallmood?

NOTES1RobertHenri(1923),TheArtSpirit,NewYork:Harper&Row,p.80.2SeeChapter5onStoryStructure,andSubtextinthischapter.

The real funbeginswhenyoucan takea regular sequenceandamplify the storyboardswithsomeadvanced techniques creating efficient and exciting scenes.The techniques that followcanhelpturnaflatboringsceneintoathrillingvisualexperience.

CREATINGEFFICIENCY

Usefewercuts.Planyourstagingso thatyouget themostefficientset-upsandcancombinestorypointsintosingleshots.Thisisthereasonstagingissoimportantandoftenoverlookedbyyoungstoryartists.Ofcourse,thisiseasiersaidthandone,butlookingforopportunitiestomaketheactionsandcutsflowwithstagingwillmakebettervisualstories.Keepthestagingalive.Makethecharactersmoveintheirworldtoaddtothevisualappeal.

Imagine a scenewith three characters as shownbelowandyouwant touse a tracking shot.(Figure10.1)

FIGURE10.1Thecameratracksright.(Figure10.2)

FIGURE10.2Thisiswhatitlookslikewithacameraguide.(Figure10.3)

FIGURE10.3Thefollowingimagesshowwhatthetrackwouldlooklikeasyouseparatethecameramoveintobeatsforananimatic.(Figure10.7)

FIGURE10.4

FIGURE10.5

FIGURE10.6

FIGURE10.7

ComplexCameraMovesStart on one subject, end on another. Move the camera through the scene to reveal new

information. Ifyoustartonawideshot, try tomove thecameraandendonacloseup.Youshould always chasemore depth and create a dynamic spacewhen the scene demands it.Ahandoffshotisatechniquewhereyoutrackwithonesubjectthenmovetoanothersubjectastheypassinfrontofcamera.Thecamera“handsoff”thefocalpointtoanewfocalpointandcreates visual interest in the process. This can be used as a visual transition or as amoodsettingopeningshot.Start on one subject and end on another to create a complex camera move. (Figures10.8–10.18)

FIGURE10.8

FIGURE10.9

FIGURE10.10

FIGURE10.11

FIGURE10.12

FIGURE10.13

FIGURE10.14

FIGURE10.15

FIGURE10.16

FIGURE10.17

FIGURE10.18

Theaboveimagesshowhowyouwouldboardoutthecameramove.(Figure10.18)

Inopeningshotsthespeedofthecameramoveandcameraheightcanbeusedtogreateffectto

showthemoodofthescene.Shownottellwiththecamera.Thiswillalsolimittheneedforunnecessarydialogue.Conceptualizingamoving steadycamshot cancreateadynamic scenewherecharactersmoveandinteractwiththesettherebypullingtheaudienceintothestory.

TRANSITIONS

Transitionsarethebreadandbutterofthestoryartist.Howyoucarrytheactionfromonescenetoanotherinasmoothanduniquewayistheartoftransitions.Someprojectsallowformoreexaggeratedtransitions,buteachtransitionshouldcarrytheaudiencesmoothlyfromonestorypointtothenext.Utilizingthistoolwillcreateefficientsequencesandcanmakethedifferencebetweenamediocreprojectandavisuallyexcitingthrillride.

VisualTransitionsInavisualtransitionyouusethecameratoleadtheaudiencefromonesubjecttoanother.Youcould simply pan from the end of one conversation to an open window where anotherconversation takes place. Another technique is to cut to a similar composition or end on asimilarshapeastheprecedingshot.Theshapesinthecompositioncanbesimilarfromscenetoscenecreatingasmoothvisualeffect.Forexample,youcanendonasettingsunastheroundsunshapecrossdissolvestoagrandfatherclock.Usingahandoffshotorothercomplexcameramoves can also do the trick.Be creative using visual transitions.There aremany examplesthroughoutfilmhistoryofgoodvisualtransitions.Watchmovies,takenoteofhowfilmmakers,visuallytransitionfromonescenetoanother.

StoryPointTransitionsAstorypointtransitionhappenswhencuttingtoasimilarsubjectmatterinthenextscene.Mostoftenyouwouldcut totheactionmentionedinthelast lineofdialogue.Agroupofwarriorscanbetalkingabouttheupcomingbattleaswesimplycuttothebattleinthenextscene.Thiscanbeassubtleorasshockingaswewantittobebutthepointisthatwesetuptheaudienceforanexpectationoftheupcomingscene.

AudioTransitionsCarry the music from one scene to another. As storyboard artists, we don't often get toinfluencetheaudioormusic,butinthiscasewecanmakenotesandwrittensuggestions,alongwith the panels to indicate an audio transition. Sometimes this can overlap with a visualtransitionaswell.Wecancuttoaradioplayingthesamesongintwodifferentscenes.Oracharactercansingasongthatbecomespartofthebackgroundscoreinthenextscene.

EffectsTransitionsFades,wipes,dissolves,andspecialeffectsareusedtoblendfromonescenetothenext.Thisis almost like a visual transition only in a more exaggerated way.Montage sequences andmusical numbers can use effects transitionswhere objectswithin the composition transform

intoobjectsinthenextscene.Iftheprojectallowsforit,effectstransitionscanbeascreativeasyouwantthemtobe.

CUTTINGSTYLES

Varyingyourcuttingstylethroughouttheprojectwillalsogiveyourstorymorevisualappeal.Youcanplaymorewithlongshots,orquickcuts.Whicheverstyleyouchooseshouldreflectthecontentofthestory.Wheneverpossibletrytomakeseamlesscutsbycuttingonactionandcreating solid hook-ups. Have one action continue through to the next shot. Lead the eyethrough to thenext shot, bywayof charactermovementor cameramovement. If a characterexitsthescenefromlefttoright,trycuttingtoanobjectinthenextscenealsotravelingfromlefttoright.

CREATIVEDIALOGUE

Properlystagingdialogueisadifficulttask.Becreativewhenrevealingcharacters’dialoguethrough shots.Tryusing longer shots, in conjunctionwith interesting staging, to take careofblocksofdialogue.Lesscuttinghelpsgivebetterflowfordialogueandgivesopportunityformore character interaction.How about using less dialogue?Tell the story visually, and youmightbeabletocutlinesofdialogue.

Designyourdialogsoyoumakeeverywordcount.Thewordsspokenandtheactionsof thecharacterscanrevealstoryinformationthatmightbeusedinfuturescenes.Youmightbeabletotiedialoguethroughoutyourstory.Youcansetupalineofdialogueinonesceneandpayofftheresultof thedialogueinanotherscene.Acharactermightsaythewildestpredictionasajoke,butinlaterscenesthepredictioncomestrue.Thinkhardaboutsecondaryactionandwhatacharactermightbedoingastheysaytheirlines.Thesecondaryactionduringthescenecanaddneededcharacterbeatsthatemphasizethedialogueandcreatemovement.Aveterinarianinhisofficemayneedtogofrompaperwork,tolookingatanimals,andthenwashinghishands.Thisbusinesscanbestagedandshotashedelivershislinescreatingcameramovement,fewercuts,andinterestingstaging.

CREATIVESCREENDIRECTION

As a storyboard artist, a lot is said about proper screendirection, and the 180° rule.Oftenthereisarigidformalityofscreendirectioninallofthescenes.Butyoucanalsousescreendirectiontoemphasizethestorypoint.Byfloppingthescreendirectionandcrossingthe180°line,youcancreateajarringeffecttomaketheaudienceuneasy.Youcandothisfromonecutto the next, or change screen direction by using a clean character exit, followed by a cleancharacterentryinthenextscene.Thismayconfusetheaudienceonpurposewhichcanbepartof your story design. Something as simple as the camera orbiting around a character as thecharacter reveals important story informationwill reestablish thescreendirectionandat thesame timevisually emphasize the storypoint bynowshowing the character on theoppositesideofthescreen.Showingthecameracrossthe180°lineinthesameshotislessjarringto

theaudienceandmayhaveasubtlestoryeffectthatemphasizesthedialoguebeingspoken.Inheavyactionscenes,thescreendirectioncanbearbitrarytogiveaclutteredanddisorientingfeeling to the scene.Aswith anyof these techniques, it's important tobe appropriate to thesceneandaddtothevisualappeal.Floppingthescreendirection,toemphasizeastorypointshouldbeaconsciouschoicebythestoryboardartistsandnotbeseenasanarbitrarymistake.

AWESOMEACTIONSCENES

Actionscenesrequireaparticularmethodtomakethemexciting.Rememberthoughthatactionispointlessifthereisnoemotionalweight.Let'sassumeforthepurposesofthissectionyouhave already worked out the significant emotional beats necessary for the action scene.Everybodylovesacoolcarchaseorexcitingkungfuduelespeciallystoryboardartists.Aboveall, it's important to remember to make the action scenes as a cinematic as possible. Dullstagingoruncreativecompositionscanruinanotherwisegoodactionscene.

Startoffbybuilding the anticipation for theupcoming fightor action sequence. Increase thespeedofthecuts.Movethecameraincloserwitheachcut.Increasethelevelsofdangerforgreaterintensity.It'sabsolutelykeytomakeobjectscomingandgoingawayfromthecameratomaximizedepth.Trytiltingandloweringthecamera.Keeptheactionmovingthroughthesceneaswell.Don'tstagethefightoractioninoneplace,haveittravelalongthesetandtrackthecamera with the action. Camera movement, along with the moving action adds a greaterdynamic effect. It's evenmore important during action sequences to have shot variety withstrongcompositions.

Whenposingforakungfufightorhandtohandcombatkeepinmindthesebasicposesforyourcharacters:

Guardpose(powercentering)—protectoneselfAnticipation(poweringup)—powerintheshouldersSet-upshot(powerconditioning)—glancingblowsThestrike(powerunload)—impact

The choreography should reflect the skills of each character. Do your research, and getinspiredwith“good”kungfumovies.Themoreauthenticyoucanmakeyourfightscenes,themorerealistic theywillseem.NavySEALshaveamuchdifferentfightingstylethananinja.Makeeachmovementasauthenticaspossible.Usecoolfluidmotionwithdynamicpowerfulposingusingstrikes,blocks,evasivemoves,andducking.

Usethesestagingguidelinesforawesomekungfuaction:

Establishingshot(eitheradownshotorupshot). Buildanticipationbycuttingcloserfromonefightertotheotherinmultipleshotsuntil thefightbegins.

Mediumshotoninitialexchangetoestablishskillsofbothfighters(usuallyupshots).Intensifywithaleadincloseshotononefighterinanticipationpose.OTSshot,ofsaidfighterstriking,ontheotherfighterparrying,blocking,orevading. Close up on a significant anticipation. Wide shot on amazing displays of acrobatics or

skillfulexchanges. Wide down shot on fighters to display danger in fighting near a ledge, platform, or anysettingthathaspotentialdangeroffallingtodeath,withoccasionalupshotsfordynamics.

Closeupsonimpacts.

Keepthecameramovingalongwiththeaction,butthecameraalwaysfollowstheaction,neverleadingit.Haveyouroccasionalactionswingingtowardsthecamera,andawayfordynamiceffect.

Whenpacingkungfuactionorafightscenetrytheserhythms:

Strike,strike,strike,blockBlock,block,strikeBlock,block,strike,strikeStrike,block,block,strike

Gettheidea?Varythebeats,andhaveagoodrhythm.Letthefightsbegin!1

WINNINGANIMATICS

The purpose of many storyboards nowadays is to create an animatic. While overall soliddrawingwill do the trick, there are some techniques thatmake storyboards for an animaticmuchmorefluid.Comic“swoosh”linesoractionlinesseemunnecessaryandridiculousinastillimage,butwhencuttogetherinananimaticmakeahugedifferenceinthewaytheactionflows.Don'tforgettoaddthe“swoosh”linesevenifyoufeelthey'reunnecessary.

FIGURE10.19Alwaysaddmotionor“swoosh”lines.(Figures10.19–10.23)

FIGURE10.20

FIGURE10.21

FIGURE10.22

FIGURE10.23

Storyboardimageswithgoodhook-upswillalsoaddtotheflowoftheanimatic.Lookatthesequenceofimagesbelowandnoticehowtheactioncontinuesfromoneshottothenextforagoodhook-up.

CreatingtheIllusionofParallaxWhen creating digital storyboards you should create compositional elements on differentlayers.Aforeground,middleground,andbackgroundlayerwillmoveatdifferentspeedswhenpanningor tracking through the shot.Theway to show this inyour storyboards is tohaveagreaterchangewiththeelementsthatareclosertothecamerathanthoseinthebackground.Thebackground layer will move relatively less than the foreground layer. Even in still panels,whencut together in ananimatic thechanging shapes in eachpanelwillgive the illusionofparallax. Itmayrequire5 to10panelsforonecameramove toaccomplish theeffect.Usingdigitaltoolscanmakethingsmucheasieralthoughproperplanningandsomeelbowgreasearealso necessary. A zoom is easily accomplished by successively scaling up the image indifferentpanels.Amorecomplexcameramovewill takemuchmoreplanningas the imagesbelowindicate.Thinkofcreatingacomplexcameramovethesamewayyouwouldcreatea

traditional2Danimationlayout.Youmightcreatealargerbackgroundimageoverwhichyouplace a camera guide to use as reference. The size of the camera guide can change but theaspectratiowillbethesame.Next,youcouldaddmorelayerssuchasforegroundlayersorcharacter layers as they move throughout the shot. Finally, you would digitally cut out thedifferentcamerapositionsintheshotandusethoseasthestoryboardframes.Thefinaleffectisaneffectiveandconvincingcameramovethroughthescene.Thesecaneitherbecompositedwithan imageeditingprogramsuchasAfterEffectsor the storyboardartist themselves cancreate the imagesof theshotsbyoverlappingtheforegroundandbackgroundelements in thestill images. If you areworkingwith an editorial department theywill sometimes take yourlargerbackgroundfilewiththevariouslayersandconstructthecameramoveinAfterEffects.These still images when cut together will create the effect of parallax in a richly detailedscene. Instead of using arrows, add more poses. More character poses create almost ananimation like effect when cut together in an animatic. Undoubtedly, you should have soliddrawingswith no sloppy perspective.Don't leave any shots up to interpretation because ofoverlyroughdrawings.Thecharacterplacement,cameraheight,andstagingshouldbeclear.Don't relyonanyotherdepartments toplusupyourwork. It isup toyou, thestoryartist, tomaketheimportantstagingandcompositionaldecisionsthattheprojectwillfollow.

FIGURE10.24Backgroundlayer.

FIGURE10.25Additionalforegroundlayer.

FIGURE10.26Addmoreforegroundelementsonseparatelayers.

FIGURE10.27Afinalcameraguidehelpskeepthingsorganized.Inthefinalanimaticeachcamerapositionwillbecutoutasaseparatepanelandtheresultinglookisacameramovewithparallaxaswepantotheright.

FIGURE10.28Anotherexampleofacomplexcameramove.

NOTE1ManyofthesetechniqueswerereferencedfrommasterstoryartistandanimationdirectorStewardLee.

Afterthedifficulttraining,youstillneedtoputtheseskillstoworkforyou.Thegoal,afterall,shouldbetohaveacareerandgetpaidfordoingthejobyoulove.Soit's timeforarealitycheck—Doyouhavetheskills?Youneedtomasterthebasicstoryboardprinciplesinordertomarketyourselfasacapableproductionartist.Beconfidentinyourtoolsandyourcraftsothatyoucanwalkintoanyjobandunderstandwhatisrequiredofyou.Remember,theonlywaytoachievingthesegoalsistopractice,practice,practice!

Firstofall,youneedtoknowwhatyouwant.Areyoulookingforajobinvideogames?Orisyourdreamtoworkinfeaturefilms?Doyouwanttobeadirectorsomedayandstoryboardingisjustasteppingstonealongthatpath?Figureitout.Don'twasteanothersecondofyourlifewithoutaplanofwhatyouwant.Beforeyouknowityouhavewasteddecadesonmeaninglessjobsandassignmentsthatgetyounowhereinyourcareer.

Inordertofindworkyouwillneedaprofessionalportfolioandawaytopromoteyourselfinthe industry. First, you need to find out what jobs are available and what companies arelooking for.Do your research.Not every storyboard job is the same.Each assignmentwillhavedifferentrequirementsandmayevenrequireadifferentportfoliotoshowtoeachclientorstudio.It'snoweasierthaneverwiththeInternettofindoutwhichcompaniesarehiringandwhatexactlytheyarelookingfor.Mostmajorstudioswillpublishtheirportfoliorequirementsandjobopeningsontheirwebsites.Otheranimationandjobboardsalsooffergoodresourcestofindingoutwhatcompaniesarelookingfor.

PORTFOLIODESIGN

When dealing with portfolio design be professional as presentation is crucial. Everystoryboard typemay requireadifferentportfolio.Whatwewilldescribehere is a standardstoryboard portfolio that you can use for many different jobs and storyboard types. Mostcompaniesandstudiosstillwanttoseeaprintedhardcopybook.Thiscanbeaninexpensive

art portfolio with plastic sleeves where you slip in printouts of your artwork. For mostcompaniesan8.5×11inchsizebookisfine.Makesureyourprintoutsareinfullcolororareotherwisehighqualityprints.Keep inmind thatyouwillphysicallymail theseportfolios tocompanies as samples so do not expect them to be returned. Never send originals. Anycompany or studio asking for original artwork should be passed on.Losing originals is tooriskyandahighqualityprintisjustasgood.Atypicalartportfoliocanbepurchasedatanartstoreoronlinethroughartretailers.Keep5to10copiesofyourportfolioonhandasyouneverknow when the job will come up and you need to mail them asap. Along with a printedportfolioyouwillalsoneedtocreateaPDFversionforsendingbyemail.

Themajorityofyourportfoliobookshouldrelatetothejobfocus,inthiscasestoryboarding.Don't put examples of your graphic design, fashion illustration, sculpture, or anything elseunrelated to storyboards. Character designs and sequential art, however, can be included,although this should be placed in the back as a supplementalmaterial.Remember, this is astoryboardportfoliosoyouwillneedlotsofstoryboards!Here'swhatyoucaninclude:

Arésumé.Around10–15totalpagesofyourabsolutebestwork.8–10pagesofstoryboardswithavarietyofsamples:–Dramaticscene–Comedicscene–Cartoony–TV/featureboards–Realisticboards

3–5pagesofrelevantsupplementalmaterials:–Thumbnailpages–Storytellingsinglepanelimages–Characterdesigns–Illustrations–Comicwork–Layouts

Play to your strengths in your portfolio. If you are better at comedic scenes show morecomedicstoryboards.Ifyourspecialtyisactionandstrongdramaticcompositions,showthatoff instead.Themainpoint is thatwhoeveropensyourbookshouldunderstandexactlyhowyourworkcanapplytothejobtheyneed.Thefirstfewpagesshouldbeyourstrongestwork.Youcanopenwithawinningstoryboardsequence,orevenstrongcompositionsthattellastoryaboutthecharacterorthesituation.Whenshowingyourstoryboards,limitthenumberofpanelsonthepageto4to6perpage.Anymorepanelsonasinglepagewillgettoosmallandarehardtoread.Includeanynecessarydescriptionordialogue,butdon'tgooverboardwithtext.It'stheimagesthecompanywantstoseenotyourwrittendialogue.

WhattoAvoidDon't fall into the pitfalls of bad portfolio design. Here are a couple things to avoid in a

portfolio:

Sloppypresentation.Mediocrework.Onlyyourabsolutebestevenifthatmakesforfewerpages. Figure drawings—that's for students. Show them storyboards not figure drawings. If youhave to add characters, make them relevant character designs that show story and goodposing.

Unrelatedart—graphicdesign,portraits,etc.It'sastoryboardportfolio,right?Animationsamples.Relevantstuffonly.

RÉSUMÉBASICS

Itseemsoddtotalkaboutrésuméshere,butsomanyyoungartistsmakeclutteredandunhelpfulrésumés.For themostpart it's theexperienceacompanywants to see inyour résumé.Startwithanobjectiveline.Tellthecompanyimmediatelywhatpositionyouareapplyingfor.Keepyourrésuméto1pageonly.Twopageswilldo,butonlyifyou'rearockstarartist, inwhichcaseyouprobablywouldn'tneedouradviceanyway.Mostguysfeelliketheyneedtofilluptheir résuméwith tidbits about theirBoyScout service andmagazines subscriptions. If youdon'thaveenoughexperience that's fine,butdon'tdoublespaceyour résuméandfillup twopagesunnecessarily if there'snojuicyinformationthere.Aboveall,makeyourrésumécleanandeasytoread.Followsomeoftheseguidelines:

Nopictureorage.IntheUS,noonecaresaboutthatstuff.Nopersonalunrelatednonsense.Addacoverletterifyouaresendingtheportfoliobymail.Highlightexperience.Statethejobobjective.

FIGURE12.1

Nowthatyouhaveanawesomeportfolioandrésumé,youcanventureouttofindwork.Thisactually might be one of the hardest parts of being a storyboard artist. Finding work is adifficultjobinitselfnottomentionallthepreparationittakestobecomeastoryboardartist.Do not fear competition. Just as writers are unique in their style and approach, so too arestoryboard artists. Every artist has a unique approach to solving a visual problem. This ispreciselywhatmakes themvaluable.Themorewell-trainedstoryartists thereare thebetterourliveswillbefromtherichstoriestheycreate.Learnfromeachotherandbeinspirednotbyyour“competition,”butbyyour fellowbrother in thisartistic journeyyou'vechosen to take.Youmay compete for the same jobswith other artists, but that's no reason to be jealous orbitter.Thegoalofa“true”artistisgrowth.Ajobmayofferthis,butit'suptousasindividualstocontinueourlearning.Ajobmaysatisfyyourbankaccount,butIhaveneverhadajobthatsatisfiesmyartistic soul.This is the reasonwhy thebrotherhoodofartists shouldbeoneofsupportandnurturing.Thereisplentyofopportunityforusallifwecontinuetomakethebest

storiespossible.

ONLINEPRESENCE

There are a fewpreparatory thingsyou candobeforeyoubeginyour search for jobs.Youronlinepresence isas importantasyouroff-linepresence.Makesureyoursocialnetworkingaccountsarecleanandclearofanyrandomdetailsthatwoulddiscourageapotentialemployer.Employersdolookandsearchforyouonline.Keepyouronlinepresenceasprofessionalandpristineaspossible.Cleanup thosedrunkenpicturesofyourselfonFacebookanderaseanyflamewarsyouhadonblogsandforums.

Onethingyouneedtodo,ifyouhaven'tdonesoalready,istocreateawebsite.Thisshouldbeanonlineversionofyourportfolio,withperhapssomeexpandedpagesofotherartworkyouwouldn't necessarily put in a storyboard portfolio. There are many low-cost and freealternativestocreatinganartportfoliosite.Inthisdayandage,nostoryboardartistshouldbewithoutawebsite.InadditiontoyourwebsiteyoucancreateaFacebookpageandaLinkedInprofile to make connections. Having a website will be the basis of making connections tocompanieswhereyoucaneasilyemailyourwebsiteURLtopotentialemployers.Besure toprint your email and website URL on your business cards as well. Here are some onlineresourcestocreateawebpage:

http://mosaicglobe.com—freeartistwebsites.www.foliolink.com—low-costartistwebsites.www.wordpress.org—freebloggingplatform.

STARTINGTHESEARCH

Beginyoursearchonline,andresearchanyanimationcompanyorfilmcompanyyoucanthinkofwhowouldusestoryboardartists.Craigslist.orgisastart,thendigdeeperwithanycontactsyou may have and start researching film and animation articles about upcoming projects.Researchthecompaniesandfindacontactoremailfortherecruiterorartdepartment.Onceyouhaveacontactstartbysendinganintroductoryemailandaskaboutupcomingjobopenings.Thenextstepwouldbetoprepareyourportfoliomaterialsandmailaphysicalpackagetothecompany.Checkoutsomeofthesewebsitesasgoodresourcesforstoryboardwork:

www.StoryboardArt.org—anonlinecommunitywithastoryboardandeducationalfocus.www.Conceptart.org—aconceptartwebsitewithadecentjobboard.www.Cghub.com—anonlinecommunityfordigitalartists.www.AWN.com—theAnimationWorldNetworkhasgreatarticlesandadecentjobboard.

NETWORKING

Thesinglemostimportantthingyoucandowhenlookingforstoryboardworkisnetworking.Themajorityofanyseasonedartist'sjobscomesfromword-of-mouthandpastclients.Evenifyou'rejuststartingoutit'scrucialtoreachoutandmeettheartistsandrecruitersintheindustry

andshowthemyourworkinperson.Startbysendingthemintroductoryemailsandinvitethemforacoffeeandachat.

Ifthatdoesn'twork,gototheindustryeventswhereyouknowartistsandotherprofessionalswillbearoundtoaskquestions.Youmaynotlivenearanyoftheindustryevents,butifworkisimportanttoyousaveyourtravelmoneyandplantobeatsomeofthemajoreventsthroughouttheyeartonetworkandmeetpeople.Findacontactontheinsideofthecompanywhereyouwanttoworkandkeepintouchwiththemthroughouttheyear.Awordofwarning—becool.Thereisafinelinebetweencontactingarecruiterandharassingtherecruiteroveraparticularjob.Make sure all of your contacts and emails are professional, and you come across as apersonwhowould be a pleasure to workwith and not amenace. Here are some commonindustryeventsintheUnitedStates:

Comiccon—JulyinSanDiego,CaliforniaWondercon—MarchinSanFrancisco,CaliforniaorAnaheim,CaliforniaAlternativePressExpo(APE)—OctoberinSanFrancisco,CaliforniaCreativeTalentExpo(CTN)—NovemberinBurbank,California

Alsocheckouttheseindustrygroupsfornetworkingandindustryevents:

ASIFA—theInternationalAnimatedFilmAssociationDirectorsGuildofAmerica(DGA)ProducersGuildofAmerica(PGA)VisualEffectsSociety

UNIONVSNON-UNION

Unionsstillexistintheanimationfilmindustryevenforstoryboardartists.Theusefulnessandneedforunions isdebatable,sincemoreoftenthannotunionsbecomeanexclusionaryforceanddriveupwageratesunnecessarilycausingindustryunemployment.TheperpetualCatch-22stillexists.Inordertoentertheunion,youmustfirstbeonaunionjob,andtobeonaunionjob, of course, you must first be in the union. The collective bargaining power of unionssometimesgiveswageandbenefitstothepreferredgroupwithintheunionsbutoftencomesata cost to those artists looking to break into the industry since they are excluded fromconsideration for the same work.1 There are benefits to union members in bargaining andemploymentconditions.Throughuniondues,theunioncanhavethepowertohirelawyersthatcangoheadtoheadwiththoseoftheemployers.Also,byvirtueofhavinglargememberships,unionscanofferhealthinsurancetotheirmembersatlowergrouprates.

TherearecurrentlytwounionsintheLosAngelesareathatservetheinterestsofstoryboardartists.BotharepartofIATSE,theInternationalAllianceofTheatricalStageEmployees.TheyareIATSELocal800andIATSELocal839.

IATSELocal800(www.adg.org)IATSELocal 800 is also knownas theArtDirectorsGuild.Local 800 currently serves the

interestsofartdirectors,scenictitleandgraphicartists,illustratorsandmatteartists,andsetdesignersandmodelmakers.Storyboardartistsandillustratorsusedtohavetheirownguild,knownasIATSELocal790until2008,whenLocal790wasabsorbedintotheArtDirectorsGuild.Local800currentlyhasabout2000members.Mostmajor liveactionfilmsandTVshowsproduced today in theUSareunionsignatories.Whenafilmbecomesaunionsignatoryitmeansthefilmproducershaveanagreementwiththeunion to follow certain standards in terms of wages, working conditions, etc. IATSE 800membersareallonwhatisknownastheIndustryExperienceRoster.Thisisa listofartistswhohaveaccumulatedwhattheunionconsiderstobeahighlevelofprofessionalexperience.Producers who are signatories to the local are encouraged to hire from this list beforeconsideringhiringanyoneelse.

Herearesomewaysofgettingworkonaliveactionproductionand/orgettingintoLocal800:

When all the storyboard artists of theLocal 800 areworking on a filmor are otherwiseunavailable, producers are free to hire outside of the union. So if you hear through thegrapevine that all the artists in theGuild are currentlyworking, it's a great time to startlookingforwork!Additionally,ifyoudogethiredandworkfor30daysormoreonafilm,youcangetthatexperienceontotherosterandjointheunion.

Sometimes,afilmstartsasanon-unionfilmandatsomepointsignsontobecomeaunionsignatory.Notallfilmsareunionsignatories.Often,thesearesmallbudgetindiefilms,butnotalways.Ifthishappens,andyouhavebeenworkingonthefilmforoveramonthwithina365dayperiodoftheshowgoingunion,youmayhavetheopportunitytobegrandfatheredintotheunion.

Anotherway of getting into the union is by accumulating experience in commercials andreporting it to theContract ServicesAdministrationTrust Fund.2 TheCSATF administersandmaintainstheTelevisionCommercialRosterandtheIndustryExperienceRoster.Togeton the Television Commercial Roster, you have to work at least 30 days in a jobclassificationcoveredbytheagreementwithina365dayperiodimmediatelyprecedingthedateofapplication.Onceyouhavedonethatyoumayqualifytoworkonunioncommercials.Havingdonethat,onceyouhaveaccruedanadditional60daysofcommercialwork,youareeligible to upgrade to the Industry Experience Roster. Once on the Industry ExperienceRoster,youwillbeon theproducers’ radarand theLocalwillsolicitamembershipfromyou.

Ifyouhavesomeskillsortalentthataresouniquethattheproductionwillonlyhireyouandnotsomeothermemberof theGuild,someoneontheproductioncouldvouchonyourbehalfandmakeacasetohaveyouhiredontotheshow.Itshouldalsobenotedthatunionfreelancerscanworkonbothunionandnonunionshows,butnon-unionartistscanonlyworkonnon-unionshows.Thisobviouslymakesithardforthenon-unionartist,sinceunionartistscancompetewithanynon-unionartistforajobbutnottheotherwayaround.

IATSE839akatheAnimationGuild,servestheinterestsofpeopleworkingintheanimationindustry.Sincemostanimationworkisstaff,ratherthanfreelance,gettingintotheAnimationGuildisgenerallysimplerthangettingintoIATSE800.Ifyouarehiredataunioncompanyand

workfor30days,youwillsimplybeaskedifyouwanttojointheunion.IATSE839offersa401Kplan,pensionandhealthplans,plusotherbenefits.3

WHAT'SYOURRATE?

Knowwhat you'reworth as an industry artist.You should understand themarket and adjustyourrateaccordingly.Don'tknowhowmuchyoushouldcharge?Herewewillgiveyousomeguidelines, but rateswill vary depending on your experience and geographic area.4 A goodbasisforindustryratesistolookuptheunionratespublishedattheunionwebsiteorthroughtheirpublications.

Adecentboardartistcanmakeanywherefrom$150–350/dayasamid-levelartist to$450–700/dayasahigh-levelartist.Weeklyratesgofrom$1000–1500to$2000–3000forahigh-level artist.On an hourly basis rates can range from$30–50 per hourmid-level to $60–85high-level.Anentry-levelsalaryonastaffpositioncanbe$40,000–50,000.Seniorartistsandsupervisorscanmakesix figuresalariesbut,ofcourse, their responsibilitiesandproductionquotaswillbegreater.Thetruthisyoucanmakeadecentlivingasastoryboardartist.Thelasttime Ichecked,a storyboardartistcanmakemoremoney than thosemoreconventional jobssuchasanarchitector insuranceagent.Withanyjob, ifyouhavenoexperienceyouhavetostartatthebottomandworkyourwayup.Ifyouareafreelancer,youshouldchargemoreforcontractwork.Ifsomeoneasksyouwhatyourrateis,youneedtohaveananswer.Youshouldtell them aweekly rate or an hourly rate that closelymatches your experience.You can bewillingtonegotiatetheratebasedonhowbadlyyouwantthejob,butbeconfidentyourskillsareintheratethatyoucancommand.

INTERVIEWS

Italmostgoeswithoutsayingthatyouneedtobeprofessionalandpresentableforaninterview.Asafilmmakerandananimationartist,youdonotneedtowearatie,butyoushouldlooklikeaprofessionalanddresslikeaprofessionalinaninterview.Abutton-downshirtwithsnazzyslacksandmatchingshoesshoulddo the trick.Behumbleandbecool,butbeyourself.Youneedtoshowpeopleinaninterviewthatyouareapersonwhotheywillenjoyworkingwith.

Alwaysbringacopyofyourprintedportfoliowithyou,evenifyouknowthecompanyhasoneof theirown.Before the interview learnasmuchabout thecompanyor jobaspossible.Doyourresearch.Undernocircumstances,evercriticizetheprojectyou'reinterviewingfor.Thepeopleworkingontheprojectarealwaysright.Evenifyoufeellikeaprojectisnotgoinginthedirectionyouwant,thepeopleworkingontheprojectarealwaysright.Checkyouregoatthedoorandbepleasantandsupportivetotheeffortsofyourfellowartists.Beforeyouleave,makesureyouget thecontact informationof thosewho interviewedyouandfollowupwiththemafterafewweeksifyouhavenotheardanything.

FREELANCEWORK

Wehavealreadymentionedmanyofthetrialsofafreelancestoryboardartist.Muchofwhatit

takes tomake it as a freelancer is a great deal of hustle andmaintaining good networkingrelationships.Keepinmindthatyouneedtoprovidegoodvalueforyourservices.Ifclientsfeelasiftheygetmoreinreturnthantheypayoutbyhiringyoutheywillhireyouagain,andtheywill referyou to their friends.Keep in contactwithyour clientswithmailersor emailupdateseveryquarter.Besuretobuildapersonalnetworkanduseit.Youmightevenhavetoadvertisethroughindustrypublicationsonwebsiteslikecraigslist.Again,apersonalwebsiteis indispensablewhen it comes toworking as a freelance artist. As a good friend ofminealwayssays,“qualityisthebestbusinessmodel.”

GOTTHEJOB—NOWWHAT?

Thefirstthingyou'llneedisacontractinwriting.Evenasignedquoteyouprovidetheclientcanserveasacontract.Bewaryof“spec”work.Jobson“spec”arenopaygigs that tradepresentworkforthepromiseofafuturepayout.Moreoftenthannot,youwillneverseeanymoneyfromthesetypesofjobs.Evenalittlebitofmoneyisbetterthanworkingforfreesinceyouknowtheclientisseriousbypayingsomethingout.Don'tbeginanyworkbasedonaphonecallorevenaface-to-facemeeting.GeteverydetailinwritingandasktheclienttosignandconfirmaprinteddocumentoraPDFdocumentbeforeyoubeginanywork.

Askforadepositorretainerupfront,whichcanbe30–50%ofthetotaljob.Donotbeginanyworkwithouthavingfirstreceivedthedeposit.Inyourwrittenquoteorcontract,bespecificabout the services you provide, including the number of drawings you will create or thenumberofhoursyoupromisetowork.Youcanchargemoreforweekendworkandovertimehours. Anything not specified in the quote or contract should be an overage charge, andauthorizedinwritingbybothpartiesbeforeanyworkbegins.Attheendofthejobimmediatelysendan invoice to theclient. It is standardpractice for clients topaywithin30daysof thefinished jobcallednet30.Keep this inmindandhavemoney reservesonhand,knowing itcouldtakeamonthbeforeyouseethepaymentarrive.Beprofessionalwithyourbillingandinvoicing as itwill reflect on yourwork and the overall customer experience you give theclient.

Ifyoudofindyourself inasituationwhere theclientowesyoumoneyoryousomehowfeelshortchanged,keepyouremotions incheck.This isbusinessandemotionsareuseless in thebusiness world. You gain nothing but damage to your reputation by getting into shoutingmatcheswithyourclientoremployer.Maintainyourcomposureatalltimesandsimplystateyourdesiresover thephoneorbyemailwithout theuseof threatsorharshwords.Contractdisputesarewhatlawyersarefor,andtheyarewellworththeirmoney.Iftheamountofthejobissignificantyoucanhirealawyerandhavethemcontactthecompany.Ifthecontractamountisnotsignificant,assumingyouhaveallthepaperworkandyoudideverythingright,youcanopen the claim in small claims court. Sometimes though, being burned along the way is alearningexperiencethatwillteachyoutodothingscorrectlythenexttimewithcontractsandlawyers.

For any job over $10,000 (including staff positions), I recommend you hire a lawyer whospecializesincontractsandentertainmentlawtolookoverthepaperworkforyou.Aqualified

lawyermaycost$300–400anhour,butcanusuallylookovercontractswithinafewhoursandspareyoumuchheartachedowntheroadshouldyouendupinadispute.Lawyersworkingonyoursidearewellworth themoneyand, in fact, theymightevenbeable tonegotiatehigherratesforaparticularjob.

NOTES1 For an enlightening talk about unions seeMurrayRothbard (2004),ManEconomy State, The Scholars Edition,Auburn,Alabama:LudwigVonMisesInstitute,pp.704–19.

2Formoreinformationvisitwww.csatf.org

3IATSELocal839(http://animationguild.org)4Thisisagoodbenchmarktousebasedonthedateofthispublication.Rateswillchangesodoyourresearchbeforeapplyingtojobs.

Enteringtheworldofstoryboards,unlocksacloseknitcommunityofartistsandprofessionals.Wealllearnfromthosewhocomebeforeusandthoseartistswhocontinuetoinnovate.Inthissense, thebrotherhoodofprofessional storyboard artist canbe thoughtof as a resource andinspiration.Eachartist's individual approach to story isunique to their experienceand skillset.Herewehighlightsomeworkingprofessionalswhoseworkandjourneycanserveasaninspirationtousall.

INTERVIEWWITHBENTONJEW

Giveusyourrésumé.Telluswhatyoudoandwhatthingsyou'vedoneinthepast.

Currently I'ma storyboard/concept artist inLosAngeles and Iwork freelancedoingmotionpictures.Istartedworkinginthefilmindustryasastoryboard/conceptartistatIndustrialLightandMagic(ILM)whileIwasstillinschoolandalsoworkedasavisualeffectsartdirectoroverthere.IworkedatILMfor13years,andthenImovedonandmovedtoLAandworkedfreelance. I do storyboards and I also do comics, illustration, and occasional video games,thingslikethat.

Canyoutelluswhatsomeofyourcreditsare?

Well I worked onTheMask as a visual effects art director while I was at ILM. I was astoryboard artist on The PhantomMenace. I did creature design on the first twoMummymovies,thefirsttwoMeninBlackmovies,Ghostbusters2,storyboardartistonTerminator3.IdidcostumeillustrationsonGIJoe,Thor,andalsodidstoryboardsonjustalotofdifferentthings.

Let'stalkabouthowyoubrokein.Youknow,goingtoschool,startingup.Howdidyougetfrombeingastudenttowhereyouarerightnow?

Well,asahighschoolandjuniorcollegestudent,Ihadalreadydonealittlebitoffreelancinghereandthereforsmallthings.IdidsomecomicbookswhileIwasincollege—goingtoartschool.IwouldalwaysshowmyartworktodifferentartistsandgettheiradviceandwhileIwasstudyingattheAcademyofArtUniversity,IshowedmyworktoStanFleming,whowasastoryboardartistonfilmslikethesecondIndianaJonesmovieandsomeotherfilms.AndhesharedmyinterestincomicstripsandcomicbooksandIshowedhimsomecomicbookworkthat Ididwhilehewasgivinga lectureatTheAcademyofArt.Sohe rememberedmeandrecommendedmeforajobthathecouldn'tdoordidn'thavetimetodowhileatILMandsoIwas atmy last semester atTheAcademyofArt.Theyhiredme toworkon a job. Itwas asimulatorridecalledBodyWarsasafreelancer.Sothat'showIgotmystartworkingatILMandthentheydecidedtobuildabiggerartdepartment,soIwasapartofthatartdepartmentfor13years.

Now,whenyoushowedthemyourportfolio,whatdidyoushowthem?

ThethingherememberedwaskindofacomicbookstylethingIdidfortheOaklandA's.Ihaddone two five-page comic book inserts inside anOaklandA'sMagazine and I showed himsomeoftheoriginalartworkandhelikedmystyle.Ijustgrabbedhimafterhegavehistalkanda lotofpeoplewereshowing theirportfolios tohimandherememberedmystuffbecause itwaskindofanoldstylecomicstripstyle.HewasabigfanofStanDrakeandIwasabigfanofStanDrakesoheapparentlyrememberedme.Afterthat,webecamefriendslater,andthat'showIgotthejob.

Now,you'retalkingaboutStanFleming.ButwhenyouwenttoILMwhatdidyoushow?DidtheyasktolookatyourworkorwasitpurelyStan'srecommendation?

Well,itwasmylastsemesterinartschool,soIhadbasicallyshownthemwhatIhaddoneinartschoolandafewofmyfreelancejobs.SomeofthecomicbookstylesamplesthatIdidandsome of my school work. Not a whole lot. We didn't really go through my portfolio thatheavily.TheycouldsensethatIcoulddrawanddothejob.

Sothiswasafreelancejob?Andhowlongdiditlast?

Itlastedacoupleofmonths.

Andtheyrequiredyoutoworkonsite?

IhadoneclassonFridaysattheArtAcademyandthenMondaythroughThursday,IworkedatILM.

Sotheywereaccommodatingyourschedule.

Yeah.

Soafterthattheywerehiringtofillouttheirartdepartment…?

Yeah,generally,theydidn'thaveacentralizedartdepartmentsotheydecidedtohaveoneandweresortoflookingaroundatthefreelancerstheyhadusedbeforeandbringingthemonstaff.Atthetimetherewasn'tawholelotofpeoplewhodidstoryboardsthatcanbeusedforvisualeffectsstylefilms,andsotheywerehavingahardtimefindingpeople.Alotofpeoplearein

L.A. and they actually pulled a lot of people from L.A. but they alsowanted to find localpeople.ButitwasalsohardtogetpeopletocomefromL.A.andcomeupandworkintheBayArea,Iguess,initially.

Soeventuallytheybuiltastaffofotherfreelanceartists.Howbigwasthestaff?

I was there at the beginning, so it started with Steve Beck, who was the head of the artdepartmentanditgrewfromaround10peopleandthenbythetimeIleft, itwascloseto50peopleintheartdepartment.

Sogoingin,thiswasaboutwhatyear?

Itwas1988.

Andyouleftwhen?

Ileftabout2000.

WhatchangedintheindustryatthetimeyouwereatILM?

Well, thewholedigital thingchangedeverything.WhenI first startedat ILM, thedigitalagehadn'treallystartedyet.Westillmadestuffwithmodels.TherewassomeCGstuffbutitwasallveryrudimentaryatthatpoint.AndIjustkindofstartedwhenthatwholedigitalthingwasjustintheveryearlystages.Sothatwasthemaindifference.Alsointermsofwhatwedo,intermsofstoryboards, therewasnoPhotoshopat that time.Everythingwashanddrawn,withpencilsandmarkersandstufflikethat.Soitwasalotofpencilingandxeroxing.Youcouldn'tcompthingstogetherinPhotoshoporanythinglikethat.Wejusthadtohanddrawit.

Sowhendigitalcamealong,notonlywastheworkalittlemoreoutthere,butintermsofwhat the artists themselves were doing they were also going digital, doing things inPhotoshop.Talkabouthowthatchangedforyou.Notjustfortheindustry,butforyou.HowdidPhotoshop,thedigitalaspectchange?

Itmadethingsaloteasier.IneverusedPhotoshopforstoryboardsinthebeginning.Mostlyitwasusedforconceptart.IntheearlydaysofPhotoshop,itwasalittlebitcruderbutitwasstillaprettygoodtooltodothingsthatwerequitedifficulttodo,unlessyoudiditasastraightillustration.Butitjustmadethingseasiertobeabletocutandpastethingstogetherandsmearthings or whatever it was in those early days of Photoshop. But as Photoshop got moresophisticated, the thingsyou coulddowith it becamemore sophisticated and it prettymuchopeneduptonearlimitlessthingsthatyoucoulddowithitintermsofcreatinganimage.

Andthingsstillcontinuechanging…

Yeah.Newtoolsarebeinginventedallthetime.

SoafteryoudidyourtimeatILMyouwentfreelance.Talkaboutwhatthatprocesswas;thatmusthavebeenascaryleap.

Yeah,IhadmetsomepeoplewhohadworkedinL.A.Iknewtherewasn'talotofworkintheBayArea,soIdecidedtomakethemovetoL.A.IhadknownsomepeoplefromL.A.whohadworked freelanceupat ILMso Ihookedwitha lotof thosepeopleandasked thema lotof

questionsandthingssoIcouldfindoutmoreaboutmoreaboutwhat it's liketoworkinLosAngeles. And eventually, I was able to work on Terminator 3 because some people hadrecommendedmeandlikedmyworkbuttheyhadseenwhatI'ddoneonPhantomMenaceandsomeotherstuffandsoIwasabletogetonTerminator3rightbeforeitwentunion.That'showIwasabletogetintotheunion.

Nowyouhaddoneafewjobsbeforeyouwereabletogetintotheunion,right?Youhaddonesomefreelancejobsbefore.

I did some ad agency stuff and I did some commercial stuff and some stuff for some toycompaniesandthingslikethatandvideogamestuffjusttokeepmyheadabovewater.IwasfortunateenoughtogetintotheunionfairlyquicklyaftermovingtoL.A.

Talk about the storyboard position in general. When you get on a job what are youcontributingtothejob?Whatvalueareyouadding?

Really, when I'm doing storyboards, I'm there at the director's disposal, so he's basicallywriting down notes, visual notes. I am creating a tool for him so he can communicatewithpeople on the crew, so he doesn't have to explain things over and over again and help himvisualize things and sort things together in his ownmind and have a better idea ofwhat hewantsthefilmtolooklike.Anditcanbeaslowprocess—alotofstuffyoudoandthenyoudoitover,untilyougetsomethingthatkindofresembleswhatheseesinhishead.Soit'salotoftryingtocommunicatewiththedirectorandpullingoutofhimwhathe'sseeinginhismind'seye.Alotoftimeshedoesn'tknowhowtoexplainitsoyou'reworkingwithhimuntilhegetswhathewants.Andifyou'redoingconceptart it'sasimilarprocess.You'reworkingwithaproductiondesigneroranartdirector.

Doyoufindyourselfcontributingintermsofstory?

Yeah. Mostly when I'm storyboarding something. The director sometimes wants a lot ofcreativeinputwithideassotheycanbouncethoseideasaroundandotherscanknowexactlywhat theywant.Other times theywill describe exactlywhat theywant you to draw. But itreallydepends.Sometimestheywantalotofcreativeinput,sometimesnot.Beingsuccessfulinthisindustrymeansyou'vegottobeflexibleinwhatyoudo,sosometimesyou'regoingtobemore creative, sometimes you're going to be less creative so you have to adapt to everysituation.

Whatskillsdoyouthinkareimportanttohavegoingintoworkingonfilms?

Ithinkyoushouldhaveagoodeyeforfilmandhowtotellastorydramatically.ButIthinkyouhavetohaveareallygoodear.Youhavetobeabletolistentowhatadirectorsaysandwhathemeansby it.Andwhatquestions toask todrawwhathewantsoutofhimandbeable totranslateitonpaper.Agoodgraspofdrawing—youshouldbeabletodrawanythinganddrawinperspective.Youshouldbeabletodrawclearlyandcleanly.Beabletoseethingsfromanyanglethattheymightaskyoutodoandhaveanideaofwhatthatactuallylookslikewithoutalot of trouble. It just means you have to know how to visualize things very quickly andconfidently.

Onceyougetthejob—onceyou'vebeenlookedatforthejob—whohiresyou?Whoareyoutalkingto—whoareyoutryingtoimpressbeforeyougetthejob?

Usually I'll get a call from somebody on the crew, be it the director's assistant or the P.A.(productionassistant)orwhatever.They'llinitiallycontactmeandaskforasample.OftenI'lljustemailasampleorthey'llaskmeforawebsiteorsomethinglikethat.Orsometimesthey'llwanttomeetmeinperson.IhaveaphysicalportfoliothatIbringtomeetingswhenImeettheminperson,becausesometimestheywanttomeetyouinpersonandfindoutwhatkindofpersonyou'relikeinadditiontowhetheryoucandraw,andtheywanttotalktoyouandseeifyou'rethinkingonthesamewavelengthasthedirector.AnywayIcangettheworkinfrontofthemIdoit.IthelpswhenIcanfindoutabouttheprojectI'mworkingon,soIcangearmyportfoliotothem.Ifit'samoviewithalotofwildlife,I'llshowthemboardsI'vedonebeforewithalotwildlife.Otherjobs,Imighthavetolookformyself,soit'sgoodtoknowwhatjobsaregoingon in town.What filmsare starting togearupandhavea senseofwhat's inproductionandwhat's going intoproduction.Sometimesyoucan find that outby reading the trades like theHollywood Reporter or whatever online, talking about the new films that are coming out.UsuallyIwillcheckIMDB,findoutwhomightbeworkingonthosefilmsandusuallyfromthatIcantalktopeoplewhohaveworkedwiththosepeoplewhoareonthecrewandfromthereIcan gather more information. Like if I know somebody on the crew, I usually contact thatpersonandseewhattheyknowaboutthefilm—ifthey'rehiringandthingslikethat.Sothat'soneway.Sothat'swhyit'sgoodtoknowalotofpeopleintheindustrybecausetheymightbeworkingona filmor theymightknowsomebodywho isworkingona filmorworkedwithsomebodybefore.Soit'sgoodtogatherasmuchinformationaboutwhatyouwanttoworkonorwhatyou'replanningonworkingonbeforeyou'reworkingonitaspossible.

It'sgoingtobehardforalotofpeoplejuststartingouttryingtogetintofilm.Alotoffilmsaregoingtobeunionanditsgoingtobehardforsomebodyjustcomingoutofschooltoget into theunion.Doyouhaveanyadvice if theyeventuallywant toget intodoingfilm?

First,theyshouldbeabletohonestlyevaluatetheirownworkandsay“Areyouasgoodasthepeoplewho are currently doing the job?”Have an idea aboutwhat's out there.Try tomeetsomestoryboardartistsorwhateverandlookattheirworkandlookatyourworkandhonestlybeabletosay“I'masgoodasthispersonorbetter”.Ifyoucan'tsaythat,thenthere'sreallynopoint in you looking for work until you can develop those skills and be good enough tocompetewiththem.Onceyou'vedonethat,thenit'samatterofworkingyourwayuptheladder.Itmightstartoutwithsmall jobs,commercials, thingslikethat.Sothatyoulearnaboutwhatyour role is in themakingofa filmoracommercialandwhereyou fit in.Andonceyou'vedonethatandproventhatandhavesortofabookofstuffthatyou'vedone,youcanbeabletomove into bigger things or biggermovies. But generally, you're not going to get on the bigpictures immediately, unless you're really, really, really good. But even then, there's noguarantee.But it starts by knowingwhat your job is, and probably having to start on smallthingsor things that areonly somewhat related.Youmight start ondoingmusicvideos, youmightstartoncommercialsorwhatever just tohaveasenseofwhat it's like toworkwithadirectorandwhattheyexpectfromyou.

Ifyou'regoingtobeworkingonfilmsdoyouneedtobeinL.A.?

It'sprobablythebestwaytogo.IknowotherpeoplewholiveoutsideofL.A.,butgenerallyyou kind of have to establish yourself in L.A. first.Unless you'reworking through a visualeffectsfirmlikeILMorsomethingandthey'vealreadygotasystemwherethey'regettingtheworkalready.Generally,mostof thefilmsaremade inL.A.Thereareothercities thathavesomefilmwork,butL.A.isoneofthefewplacesthat'sgoingtohavealotofityearround.Butotherplaces likeNorthCarolinahasa littlebitofa filmcommunityand likeVancouverandTorontoupinCanada,theyhavealittlebitofafilmcommunity,NewYorkhasalittlebitofafilmcommunity,butifit'sbigHollywoodmotionpictures,youhavetobeinHollywood.

Sountilthen,youshouldtrytolookforotherkindsofillustrationworkorstoryboardingwork.

Orsometimestheremightevenbeindiefilms.Smallindiefilms.There'salwaysafilmschoolorsomethinglikethat,theymightneedsomething.Ifyou'rejustbeginningtogetyourfeetwet,andyou'venever done anythingbefore, that's as good aplace to start as any.That, andyoumightwanttodovideogames,youmightdocommercials,comicbooksorwhateverjusttoatleasthaveanideaofhowtoworkwhenit'safilm.

Let'stalkaboutprocessabit.Onceyou'vegottenanassignmentandyoumeetupwiththedirector,whatusuallyhappens?

Usually,onceImeetthedirector,they'llgivemeascripttoreadandI'llreadthescript.Andusuallythedirectorwillshowmeallthematerialsthattheyhave—alltheartworkthat'sbeendone,ifany.Theymighthaveboardsthathavealreadybeendone.Theymighthavephotoscrapthat theproductiondesignerhaspulled that looks likesets thatyoumightbeworkingon.Orphotosofwhatthelookofthemovieissupposedtobe.Mostlythestoryboardsarejustgoingtobeworkingwiththescript.Sometimestheygiveyouascriptbreakdownofthescenestheywantyoutoworkon,butgenerallyitstartswithreadingthescriptandthenhavingameetingwiththedirector.Andusuallythedirectorwilltellyouwhathewantsyoutoboard,whathewantsit tolooklike.Sometimeshemightjustsay,“startwithpage1andgoforward”.Soitreallydependsonthedirector.

Inmostsituations,whatareyoudoing?Areyoudoingassignmentsasceneatatime?

Itreallydependsonthedirector.Sometimestheymightjustletyougo.Usuallywhathappensisthey say “go from page 5 to page 7” or something like that— they'll want a short chunk.Usually,thestoryboardswillbesomethingthatinvolvessometypeofactionorvisualeffect—lesstalkingheads.Butthey'llusuallyhavesomethingthat'shardtovisualize.Sometimesthey'llhelpyou thumbnail somethingout.Butusually, I'llhaveameetingwith thedirector, findoutwhathewants.I'lltakenotesandquickthumbnailsthatarejuststickfigures.I'llapprovethosewiththedirectorandI'llworktofinishthesequenceandthencomebackacoupleofdayslaterandthenrefineitaswekeepongoing.

Andareyouusuallyworkingathomeorareyouonthepremises?Arethereotherartiststhere?

Again,itreallydepends.Alotoftimes,I'llworkathomeandalotoftimes,Iworkinastudiosituation.Ikindofpreferworkinginastudiosituationbecauseusuallyyoucanworkwiththeotherstoryboardartistsandyoualsohaveallthematerialthereinfrontofyouandeasyaccesstothedirectorforquestionsorwhoeverelsemightbeonthestaffforquestions.Andyouhaveabettersenseofwherethemovieisgoinginfrontofyouwhenyouhavetherestofthecrewthere.

Whataresomeofthetypicalproblemsthatcomeupandhowhaveyoudealtwiththem?

Youjusthavetobeadaptableandclear.I'vebeeninsituationswherethescriptdoesn'tmakeanysenseorthedirectorisn'tsurewhathewants.Orthingsthattheywantarecontradictory.I'vebeeninsituationswhereI'dbeaskedtodosomethingwheretheguyisdriving,atthesametimehe'spunchingsomebodyandtalkingonacellphone—andyoucan'tdothatbecauseyoudon'thave threearms.Youhave topointout little logistical things thatdon'tmakeanysenseandworkyourwayaroundthem.Oftentimesyou'reputinasituationwheretheywantalotofworkinashortamountoftimeortheyhaven'tpreparedthematerialsforyou.Youdon'thaveenoughtimetogetstuffdoneinthetimethattheywant.

Whatdoyoufindisgenerallythenormforhowmuchworktheyexpect,howmuchtimeandhowdetailed?

Thatagainreallydependsonthedirector.Somewantreallydetailedboards.Othersjustwantthebarestofindications,justsotheygettheideaout.Soyou'vegottobepreparedtobeabletoworkbothways.

Howdoyoufindoutwhattheywant?

Youjustaskthemstraightup,“Doyouwantmoreboardswithlessdetailordoyouwantfewerboardswithmoredetail?”isgenerallyhowitworks.

What'sthetoughestpartofyourjob?

Each job is individual, a lotof times it's just the logisticsof things in the firstplace.Somethingsaredifficultlogistically,soyouhavetobeabletovisualizeallthatstuffinyourhead.Probablythemostdifficultpartismakingdeadlines.Youwanttogetasmuchdoneasquicklyasyoucan.You'realwaysupagainsttheclockandastheshowgoesonyoufatigueandjustthevolumeofworkinvolvedindoingstoryboards,itgetstoyouafterawhile.

Whatdoyouthinkisthemostimportantthingthatthey'relookingfor?

Theywantspeed,accuracy.Theywantasmuchstuffastheycanintheshortestamountoftimepossible.Thatonlymakessense.

What'stheonebestpieceofadviceyouwouldgivetostudentsjuststartingout?

Workatyourcraft.Beasgoodasyoucan,butbeasflexibleasyoucan.Enjoywhatyoudo.Learntodraw.Learntodrawreallywellandlearnhowtotellastory.

Tellingastory—wheredolearnthatkindofstuff?

Bywatchingmovies,readingbooksonfilmmaking,orjustbeinginterestedinfilmingeneral.

Lookatmovies…sometimesyoucanlookatcomicbooks—youknow,thereallygoodguyswhocouldreallytellastory.

Howaboutsomenames?Moviesorcomics.…

Well in terms of movies, obviously the classics like Citizen Kane. I can't think of oneparticularmovie.Youcanfindsomethinginalmostanymovie,butitdependsonwhatyou'relookingfor.Somefilmsaregoodforlookingatlighting,otherfilmsaregoodforlookingatachase,otherfilmsaregoodonhowtobuildtensionandsuspense.LookatthemonDVD.Lookatthemoverandoverandask“Whatisitthatthey'redoingthat'screatingthateffect?”Iwouldsay just lookat themovies thatyou likeandgo from that.There's somany, Icouldn't reallychoosejustone.”

I'm asking allmy interviewees to give two tips. First, one that'smore a techie tip—atechnicaltrickthatyou'velearnedthat'shelpful.

OneofthethingsthatIliketodothatmakesthingseasieristo—,ifI'massignedasequence,lightlythumbnail thewholesequenceoutfromstart tofinishasquicklyasyoucanandmakesurethatitworksright.Makesurethat'sdonebeforeyoustartanyofyourdrawings.Makesurethatit'sdesignedcorrectlyfirstasopposedtodoingitonestoryboardatatime.Becauseifyoujustinchalonglikethat,you'llnevergetitdone.Ifindthatifyoujustdoquickhenscratchingsthat just gives you the basic idea—the design of each frame—and that will give you aguideline.Sotherestoftheboardsyoucanjustdo.Justturnoffyourbrainandjustdraw.Justdraw,butmakesureyouhaveallyourduckiesinarowfirst.

Anytipsthataremoregeneral,businessrelated,orphilosophical?

It'sgoodtohavegoodartisthands,it'sgoodtohavegoodartisteyes,butit'sespeciallygoodtohavereallygoodartistearsandlistentowhatisbeingaskedofyouandexecuteit.

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StoryboardbyBentonJewfromTheCollector,ashortfilmwrittenanddirectedbytheartist.

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INTERVIEWWITHJEFFZUGALE

Firsttalkaboutyourbackgroundandhowyougotintotheindustry.

Igotintoitthehardway.Icameinkindofbackwards.Ididnotgotoartschool,butI'vebeendrawingsinceIwasalittlekid.Ifirststartedoutinthemusicbusinessandthatdidn'twindupworkingoutsoIhadtogetarealjob.AndIwoundupworkingataprintplace.SoIworkedinprintandreprographicsandcolorxeroxandthenlargeformatdigitalprintingandposterstuff.

AndIstarteddoinggraphicdesignalongwiththatbecausehereIamsittingatacomputerwithIllustrator andPhotoshop andQuarkXPresson it so I learned all those things. I didgraphicdesignattheprintplaceandthenatanotherprintplaceandthenIgothiredoutoftheretoworkasthein-housedesignerataconstructioncompany.

Andthiswasaboutwhen?

Thiswasabout1995.SoreallytheprofessionalartistcareerstartsaboutwhereIstartedattheconstruction company.And Iwas just there doing in-house presentation andwewere doingthree or four presentations aweek. It was a very busy construction company. From there Istarteddoingsomecomics. Iwasworkingona self-published titlewithmy friendChris. In1998, Imovedouthere toCaliforniaandIwasworkingasafreelancerbasically justdoingcomicsandsomegraphicdesignandstuffwhiletryingtogetmyselfsetup.

Andwherewereyou,NewJersey,right?

Yeah,NewJersey.Not agreat placenecessarily tomake a living as an artist,whereasLosAngelesisagreatplacetoliveandworkasanartistbecausethere'salotofartbeingmadehere.ThenIfreelanced,andIranoutofmoney.Ihadtogetadayjob.Iwenttoworkatadotcomasawebdesigner,butIwentintobookdesignandillustrationthere.ItwasEdmunds.com,thecarsite.AtthetimetheywerestillpublishingbookssoIhadexperiencewiththat,sotheyputmeinchargeof that.AndthenfromEdmundsIhadbeenworkingonconceptdesignandillustrationandstufflikethatonmyowntime;takingsomeclassesatvariousplaces.AndIgothiredoutofEdmundstoavideogamecompany.SoIwentfrombeingawebdesigner,graphicdesigner,abookproducer,toconceptartistinthespaceofaweek.

Andthiswasdoneonyourowntime…

Yeah,Ididallmytrainingonmyowntime.Andsomeof itwason-the-jobtrainingbecauseobviouslythere'sdowntimeatwork.Soifyouhaveallthatsoftwaretoplaywith…

ButyouweredoinggraphicdesignatEdmunds…

Mostly.Iwasdoingwebdesign,graphicdesign…

Notproducinganyartatthispoint…?

Well I wound up actually illustrating a book. I wound up producing the book as the bookdesigner/productionguy, justdid thewhole thinginInDesign,prettymuchdid itonmyown.Butitwoundupbeingabookthathadsomecartoons-illustrated.SoIdidgettodosomeofthatalongwiththegraphicdesign.Webadvertisements;wedidalotofthat.Thesiteneededtoberedesignedabitso…Ireallydiditbackwards.I'vekindofbeendoingconceptdesignandcomicsorboard-likeworksinceIwasfiveorsix,youknowsinceIcouldpickupapen.ButIwasdoingthatanyway,anditkindofwentaroundthebackway.It'sgoodtogotoartschool.It'saquickerwaytodoit.IapproveofthatpathratherthantheonethatItook.Butitwasfun.

Soyougothiredatagamecompany.Howdidyoufindoutaboutthat?

I had been starting to send out résumés and books to people and getting various responsesback.But a reallygood friendofminewhowasworking there as awriter said, “Hey, theyreallyneedaconceptartistandnotonlycanyoudo the job technically,but theyneedaguywhocanworkonTheSopranos,andyou'refromNewJersey,andyou'reItalianandsoistheartdirector.Soyoushouldcomeinandtalktothisguy,Ithinkyoucoulddorealwellonourteam.”Anditturnedoutitworkedreallywell.I'mfromnorthNewJersey.That'swhereIgrewup.SoifyoueverwatchTheSopranos,andyoulookatthebackground,that'swhereIgrewupprettymuch.SoitwasreallyeasytojustsliprightintojustdrawingwhereIgrewupwhenIwasakid.

Andyourfriendknewthatyouwerefamiliarwithworkingin…

Ohyeah.Ihaddonesomestoryboardsandconceptdesignforhim.Hemakeshisownfilms.He'sascreenwriterwhenhecan.I'ddoneabunchofstuff forhimonthat.He'dseenallmycomics.So it just turnedout tobekindofamagicmixwhere itwas like“Hey, that'sprettynice,here'sthiskidfromNewJerseywhoknowsJersey,heknowsTheSopranosreallywell,heknowsthewholething,so…”

Sodoyouwanttosaythenameofthecompany?

Itwas7Studios.ActuallyDamonConn,hewasmyboss.Hehiredme.

SoyouwereworkingoverthereonTheSopranosdoingconceptart…

Conceptandstoryboards.Itwasoneofthosegameswithalotofcinematicstuffinit.It'sbasedonatelevisionshow,soeveryfiveminutesorso,there'ssomekindofinteractionwhereeitheryou'rewatchingaconversationbetweenotherplayersoryou'repartoftheconversation.Andyou're…kindofliketheBiowaresystem—KnightsoftheRepublic,oranyofthoseBiowareroleplayinggames,youhavechoicesof thingsyoucansayoryouhaveachance to interactwith people. So all those things need to be boarded out to a certain extent. And there arecinematicsontopofthat.Therearein-gamecinematicsandthenrenderedcinematics.Theyallneededstoryboards.SoIwoundupdoingalotofthatalongwithalltheconceptandcharacterdesign.Therewerealotofcharacters.

Whatkindofthingsdidyoushowtheminyourportfolio?

Ishowedthemmyallcomicbookwork.Ishowedthemalotof—let'sseemostofwhatIhaddoneuptothatpointbesidescomicswassortofsci-fidesign,butalotofithadarchitectureinit,andtheyweregoingtobedoingalotofenvironmentdesignatthatplace.Ibasicallywoundupsketchingsomestuffright therewiththeartdirectorwhenIwent infor theinterview.Hewaslike,“Howwouldyoudothis?”AndIwhippedoutapenandstartedsketchingandwaslike,“ThisisjustlikeWestOrangewhereIusedtoridemybikedowninthisplace,andyoucan do this and can do this and this.” So I didn't necessarily have so much stuff that wasperfectly applicable to the job, but because of my background and my enthusiasm for theproject—IloveTheSopranos…greatshow…Ithinkthat'skindofwhatworked.Ihadtostepupmygamerealquickwiththecharacterstuffbecauseallmycharacterdesignsatthatpoint

hadbeencomicbooktypestuffsomyarthadbeeninkandpencilandstufflikethat,andIhadtodophotorealisticcharactersforthisthing.AndIhadtodoitstartingontheseconddayIwasthere. So I wound up doing about 70 photo-rendered painted characters. So the reasonweneededtodothatwasbecauseHBOhadtosignoffonallthecharacters,andthey'renotusedtoworkingwith pencil drawings or ink drawings or anything like that or even 3Dmodels.They're used to working with people. We needed to show them art that looked likereasonably…likeactualphotographicpeople.Asifitwereanaudition.

Whatwasthedaytodaylikeworkingatavideogamecompany?Whatwasthepacelike,whodoyouanswerto?

WellIworkedfortheartdirector,andthroughtheartdirector,fortheproducer.Basically,Igothandedalistofstufftodoandtheysaid,“Hey,weneedallthesebytheendoftheweek,”orbytheendofthedayorwhatever.SometimesIwouldfinishsomethingandsay,“Hey,I'mdonewiththat,”andthey'dsay,“Okay,here'sthenextthing,justdothis.…”Itwasprettyfastpaced,becausetherewasalotofstuffthatneededtobedone.Thecharacterpaintingswoundup—Iwasn'treallyallowedmorethanacoupleofdays,soIhadtolearnhowto…

Howmanywereyouexpectedtodoinaday?

Likeahalfofone.Bytheendofthething—bynumber40orso—Iwasabletodooneinabouta day. The later characters seemed to need not necessarily asmuch detail. Sometimes theywouldaskformore.

Thesearelikefullturnarounds1or…

No it's just a singlepainting. It's a singlepainting,butof a full-lengthcharacter in costume,with somekindof indicationof their attitude, alongwith theway their face looks and theirhairstyle and their clothing.So if they say, “Hey,weneed ‘young,mob thug fromPhilly—aPhiladelphiamobthug,’”he'sgottohaveacertainkindofattitude,andIhadtofindaposethatgave off the attitude, and I had to find the clothes that give the attitude, and the facialexpressionandstufflikethat.AndIhadacoupleofdaystodoeachone.

Soyoudidcharacterdesign,butIunderstandthatyoualsodidconcept.

Alotofenvironmentaldesign.Ididn'thavetodesigncarsoranythinglikethatbecausewejustusedrealoldstuff.Buttherewereneighborhoodsandtherewerebuildings,therewereinteriorlocations.Idesignedacasino,awholedockcomplex,acoupleofwarehouses—youdoalotofwarehouses in video games,Therewas a lawoffice thatwe did, therewas a convertedVictorianhouse—there'salotofthoseinNewJersey.AndIwoundupdoingfloorplansforeverythingaswellasjustdrawings.Sothatwasrunningconcurrentlywiththecharacterstuff.They'dsay,“Okay,weneedthischaracterbytheendofthedaytomorrow,butherearesomeenvironmentsyoucanputhimin.”AndI'dsortofrunmyownshowasthatwouldgo.Anditchangesbecausetheproducerwillrealize,“Ohweneedthisandweneeditveryquickly,soyouhavedropeverythingandwhipthatthingoutandturnitintotheproducersowecansendittotheclient.”

Soyoudidenvironmentalart,youdidcharacters,andyoualsodidstoryboards?

Right, the storyboard stuff—a few thingswere done pretty early because they needed to beworked intogamemechanics—but for thecinematic stuffwehad tobemoreconversationalthanscenariobasedstuff,itwasalldonelaterinthegame.Theactionstuffwasallbasicallythingslike,“Okay,here'stheleadcharacter,andyou'regoingtotakethisguy'sheadandslamitagainstawalloragainstacurb,”andIhadtoshowhowthecontrolwouldbemovedandthenshow a drawing ofwhat the guywas doing as the controlwas run. So thatwas the actionrelated stuff.Wedid a lot of stuffwhere Iwasdoing camera specwhenwewere trying tofigure out, “Where's the camera going to be?” “How's it going to interact with theenvironment?”There'salotofthingsthatgooninvideogames,sortofinthebackgroundthatyoudon'treallythinkabout,butalotofthatstuffneedstobeenumerated,likethecamera'sgottobe10feetbehindtheguyorfivefeetbehindtheguy,andwhenhegoesaroundthecorner,isitgoingtorotatearoundwithhim?Isthearchitecturegoingtogotransparentandthecamera'sgoingtoflythroughit?Andwedrawthroughabunchofscenarios.

And these are for the interactive parts. You wouldn't normally expect that to besomethingthatwouldbestoryboarded.

Itwasmorelikeasetofsequencedrawings,butitwasverymuchlikeastoryboard.Sohere'sthe guy, and he comes into this part of the garage. And there are columns that hold up theceilingandthentherearecars.Howisthecameragoingtoreacttothecolumnsorthecarsifhedoesthis?How'sthecameragoingtoreacttotheceilingorthewallsifhedoesthat?Andthere'salotofscenariobasedstufflikethat.

Youhadtothinkalotaboutcinematicstuffevenforgameplaystuff.

In either a first person game or a third person gamewhere you're either looking over yourshoulder or you're looking through the character's eyes, there's always a consideration of“What'sthatframegoingtolooklike?What'sthecharactergoingtosee?”There'salwaysalotofrenderingstuffforvideogames.TheTurokgamefromacoupleyearsagocomestomind,where they did a whole lot of paintings of “Here's what this should look like from thecharacter's eyes as a first-person shooter.” And even further along in that process they gotactualframerendersfromthegameandpaintedoverthemtosay,“Okay,itshouldbeimprovedthismuch,andthelightingshouldbelikethis.”Soyeah,there'salotofcinematicstuffthatgoesintoanyvideogamethathasthatkindofplayinthem.

Areyoudoingstufflikesomeoftheactionmovementforsomeofthesekindsofboards,maybetohelpdirecttheanimatorsatall?Posingstuffout?

A few things I have posed out, and some fight choreography. At the very beginning, I didprobablyeightdifferentfightscenes,likeinteractive,justshowingthethingsthatwouldhappenduring the fight scene, blocking out where and when these things would happen. Like thedialoguethingwhereyougettochoosethingsyousay?Wellsometimeswhenyouchooseonethingtosay,itjustenragestheguywhoyou'retalkingtoandhestandsupandtakeswhackatyou.And thenduring thefight,youhavechoicesof things tododuringa fight.You'resitting

there,andyou'llthrowafewpunches,andthensomekindofgrappletakesplace.Andthereinthegrapple,eitheryouhavetomovethecontrolsoryou'vegottohitabuttonorsomethinglikethat.Thenthatbranches.Ifyouwinthestruggle,youwhacktheguy'sheadintoafilingcabinet;ifyoulosethestruggle,heshovesyoubackinthewindow,soyou'reoutthewindow.

Iwouldimaginewiththisbranchingthing,itcouldtranslateintoalotofboardsbecausetherearesomanydifferentthingsthatcouldhappen.

Right.Andthenyouhavetobringitbackaround.There'sonlytwoendingstothis,sowecan'tbranch it too far andall thebrancheshave to comeback in.But the actual actions,where Iwould show, “Okay, you're going to grab the guy here, and you're going to run over to thewindow,andthenyou'regoingtoslamhimagainstthewall.”Thatkindofstuff.Sotherewascomicbookstyle fight imagesput in there.Theycouldhavebeendone inanimatics,butwedidn'tactuallydothat.

Andlateronyouendedupdoingthenon-gameplaycinematics?

Right.Themoreconversationalstuff.

Andthis,Iimagine,tookplaceprettyclosetotheendoftheproduction?

Inthisparticularinstanceittookplaceveryclosetotheend,probablytooclosetotheendoftheproduction.Andwhatactuallywounduphappeningwastheyrealizedwithaboutsixweekstogo,thatthedesignteam—whoweresupposedtobetheoneswhoweregoingtosetupthesecinematicthingsinthegame—werenotgoingtobeabletodothatbecausetheyhadtoomuchwork todo.Andmyself and theother concept artists anda coupleof theothergameartistsdidn'treallyhavealottodo,sotheprogrammingteamwhippedupatoolinacoupleofdaystoallowustoplacecamera,andblockcharactersoutthroughascene.Andmyself,theotherconceptartists,andtwootherguyswoundupdoingactuallyallofthein-gamecinematicusingthattoolinfourweeks,fourandahalfweeks.

Sotheotherguysontheteamdidn'treallyhavesomuchtodowiththis?

Well,thedesignteamwassupposedtodoit,andtheyhaddonealotoftheblocking,buttheactualexecutionofgoingintothegameengineandsettingthecharacterswheretheyweregoingtogoandputtingthecamerawhereitwasgoingtobeoneachlineofdialogue—thetoolwaslockedtothecharacterwhowasspeaking.Sowhenacharacterwasspeaking,itwouldswitchtoacamerathatwasattachedtothatlineofdialogue.Youcouldputthatcameraanywhere.

Wereyoudoingdrawnanimationforanything?

No,thiswasactuallydoneintheengine.Thecharactershadtheirownspeechanimationsandsome cannedwalking orwaving or animations like that already created.The animators hadactuallyalreadydoneallthat.Andwehadtotakeeachlineofdialogueandputthecharacterwherewewantedthemtobe—givethemthatbehavior.

Soyouwerereallydoing…?

Workinginthegameengine.

Soyouwerenotsomuchdoingstoryboardsbutyouweredoingprevis?

No,itwasn'tevenprevis,itwasasifwewereshootingthesceneforreal.Andwehadtodosome boarding for that, especially for the other guys who were not concept artists orstoryboardartistsordesignersor…whodidn'thaveanyexperiencedoingthat.Myselfandtheotherconceptartists,wewentinandsetupawholebunchofgenericcameras.Soonewouldbeovertheshoulder,acloseshot,overtheshoulderfortheback,youcoulddoaleftsidetwo-shot,arightsidetwo-shot.Andwe'dhavetocoachtheseguysthroughallthoserulesofdon'tbreakthe180,flipthethingbackandforthwhenthesepeoplearetalking,howtoblockoutachangeso thatwe'regoing tomove thisguyoverhere,howtomake thathappenso theeyesaren't jarring.We had to do a bunch of boards for that to show the other guys who wereworking…

Thesearealldrawnboards?

Yes,theseweredrawnboards.Sowecouldsay,“Here'sasituationthatwe'regoingtohaveandthisishowyoublockitout.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,refertothisvisualguide,itwillbeeasierthanaskingusquestions,becausewe'rejustasbusyasyouare.”Soforfourandahalfweeksoftwelvehourdays,webangedoutallourcinematics.Andtheyworkedprettywell.Atthatpoint,oneofthethingsaboutbeingatavideogamecompanyifyou'rea2Dartist,isyoumaywindupbeingaskedtodoalotofotherthingsbesidesthe2Dart.Conceptartiststendtoworkprettyheavilyatthebeginningofaproject,andifyou'veonlygotoneortwogamesinthehouse,whenyou'redonewiththeconceptart,they'regoingtosay,“Weneedyoutodothis.”Theymaysetyouupwithacompletelydifferentskill,maybeyou'llbeaskedtostartbuildingobjectmodels—really simple 3D stuff—and they'll showyouhow to do that or someotherkindofactualproductionwork.

Whatpercentageofyour timewouldyou say isdevoted to storyboardsversus conceptwork?

Atthevideogamecompany,Iwouldsayabout30percent.IdidalotofboardsforSopranos,IdidalotofboardsforPirates,becausethosecinematicsforPirates[oftheCaribbean],theywere all outsourced. So we had to do boards for all of those. They weren't particularlycomplexboards, theywereprettyquicklydrawnout,but theywereat leastsequenceboardsandsomeshotlayouts.About30percent.

SoyouworkedonSopranosthenyouworkedonPirates…?

PiratesoftheCaribbean:TheLegendofJackSparrow.Yeah,andthatwasconcurrentwiththelastpartofTheSopranosgame.

Sogenerally,there'smorethanonegamegoingandthey'restaggered.

Yeah,moststudios,theykeepyoubusy,andwhenyou'renotbusy,they'llfindsomethingelse

foryoutodo,becauseitcoststoomuchtohaveyoujustsittingaround.

WhenIworkedinthegameindustry,thereareraretimesthatyou'llbesittingidle,whichisaverydifferent thing fromany film—theyhaveyouon forwhenyou'reneededandyou'regonewhenyou'renot.…

Right,andthat'ssomethingthatdoesn'thappensomuchatvideogamecompanies.Videogamecompaniestendtowanttohirepeopleandhavetheminthereaspartofthefamily.Itreallyiskindofafamilymentality.It'slike“wewanteverybodyontheteamtobeontheteamallthetime and in here.” So that's why, in a lot of cases, if you want to work at a video gamecompany,it'shelpfultohaveotherskillsbesidestheonethingthatyoulovetodo.Soifyou'reaconceptartist,it'shelpfulifyoucandostoryboards.It'shelpfulifyouknowsomethingabout3D,andcandoalittlebitof3Dmodeling.OrifyoucandoPhotoshoptexture,soyoucanhelpdofacesandclothesandsoforth.Sothegamebusiness isveryoftenabusinesswhereyourspecialtyisgoingtobeneeded,butit'sgoingtobereallyhelpfultobeabletodotwoorthreeotherthingsfairlywell.Youdon'thavetobeagreat3Dmodeler,butifyoucanbangtogetherapottedplantinlessthanaday,thenyou'llprobablybeokay.

Sohowdidyoumoveintofreelancing?

Oh,Igotlaidoff.

Thathappens,too.That'sanotherreality.

I was freelancing before that. I've had my own little freelance business since I moved toCalifornia, so I've been around 13 or 14 years now. But it was much harder to do at thebeginning.OnceIhadgottenalotmoreexperience,itwaseasierformetogetwork.SoIgotlaid off in October of 2008. We were in the middle of working on—I don't know if yourememberthefilmNine?Theonewiththelittleragdollcritters?Prettycoolmovie—wewereworkingonthevideogameforthat,andthenthepublisherwentunder.Andwedidn'thaveanymoneytokeeptheconceptpeopleon.Sotheconceptguysgot laidoff,abunchofdesignersandawholebunchofpeoplegotlaidoffatthatpoint.Subsequentlythecompanyhasbeenshutdown,unfortunately—justlastmonth.ButinOctoberof2008,Igotlaidoff,andIgotadecentseveranceforit,andIgotunemployment.ButthenIsaid,thisisagoodopportunitytotryandgofreelance.Iaskedaroundsomefriends,andourmutualfriendTrevorGoringsuggestedIgotothisagencyFamousFramesandseeiftheycouldgetmesomeworkandtheydidinfactgetmework,andthenIwentoutandgotsomeworkdoingsomeotherstuffonmyown.

WasityourboardworkfromthegamecompanythatgotyouintoFamousFrames?2

Boardsandillustrations,becauseIdidalotofillustrationworkandconceptdesign.Andalotofthatwaspainting,soIwentinwitheverythingIhadandshowedthemallmyboardsandwewentfromthere.Ittookthemawhiletogetmethekindofcommercialboardworkthatisnowthemain thing I do.Once they gotme one or two jobs doing that, itwas real easy to startgettingmore. Itwasn'thard forme toget inatFamousFramesbecause Ihadsuchapileofworktoshow,andsomeofitwasreallyintricatepaintingandstuff.Youknow,itwasvisually

impressive.Not necessarily the kindof thingyoudo in storyboards, but itwas like, “Yeah,okay,clearlyyou'reanartistandyoucanhandlethis.”

DidyoufindyourselfgettingalotofgamerelatedworkorthingslikethatfromFamousFrames?

Theyhaven'tgottenmeanygameconceptorstoryboardwork,becauseagain,that'ssomethingthegamecompaniestrytokeepinhouse.ButIwoundupdoingactuallyabunchofcoverartforgames, forUbiSoft. I'vedone like fivedifferentones,butonlyoneof themwasactuallyused.Buttheypaidmeforit,obviously;itwasgreat.Butyeah,notsomuchgamework,mostof the stuff that Famous gives me is advertising storyboards. And it's not usually shootingboards,it'spitchboards.Whichiskindofadifferentworld;it'snotthesameasdoingshootingboards.Butit'sgoodworkanditpayswell,andit'sfun.…

Andpitchboardscanbeprettier.…

Yeah,thepitchboards—youdon'thavetodoasmanyoftheminaday,butthey'reallcolorandyoucandoaprettynicerenderingjobonthem.Istickwithkindofanoldschoolmarkerstylethat'sbeendigitized.

AndyouworkinPhotoshop,right?

Forthoseboards,ImostlyworkinPainter.PainterallowsmetodothekindofstuffthatIwanttodoforthoseboardsmuchfasterthanPhotoshopdoes.Thatmaybechangingwiththelatestversion of Photoshop where the brushes are much more programmable. But I've got somemarkerbrushesandkindofanoilbrushthatmixescolorsformeinPainterthatI'veusedforyearsandI'mreally,reallyquickwiththose.

Can you compare and contrast working freelance with working in house doingstoryboards?

Well,yourhourlyrate'salothigher.Butyouneverknowwhenyou'regoingtohavework.Ifyou're with an agency that's great, because they do the leg work for you. They take apercentage,butit'sworthit.Theycallyouupandsay,“Hey,I'vegotajobforyouatsuch-and-so,”andyougoandyoudothejobandthereitisandyougetapaycheck.Sothat'snice.Butworkingasafreelancerwithoutanagent,that'smuchharder.Ittakesalotofnetworkingandittakes a lot of calling people up and sending out postcards…So yeah, there's a lot of self-promotion, a lotmore research youhave to do to find outwho's doingwhat andwhere it'sbeing done and who you should talk to about finding out who the art director is or theproductiondesignerisorjustwho'sdoingwhatandsendingthemtherightstuff.

Whataresomeexamplesofthingsyoucanusetopromoteyourselfabittogetwork?

I have actually found that themost effective thing to do is to findoutwho's doing stuff andactuallyphysicallygothereandbringyourbookoryouriPadorwhateveryouhaveandtalktopeople.Thereisnosubstitutefornetworkingorevenjustshowingupandsaying,“Hey,I'man

artist,here'smybook.”Theymightnotlookatitrightaway,butifyouwillleavesomethingforthemtolookat, theywilleventuallylookat it.I'vedonealotofworkforacompanycalledZoic Studio. They're a visual effects house. They work mostly on television shows andcommercials.TheydoFringe,theydoGame,theydoCSI.IgotworkwiththembecauseIwenttooneoftheGnomonSchooleventswheretheyhadalltheartiststhere,andtheyusuallyhavealittlecareerday.AndtherewereacoupleofpeoplefromZoicthereandIhadreallyenjoyedwhattheydidonBattlestarGalacticaandFireflyandIjustwentoverthereandItoldthemthat.Isaid,“Hey,Ireallylikewhatyouguysdo—Fireflylookedfantastic,Battlestarlooksgreat.Ilovedrawingspaceshipsandworkinginsci-fiandifyouguysaredoingalotofthat,Iwouldlove todrawspaceshipsforyousometime.”AndIshowedthemmywork,and they liked it,andIgavethemmyinformation,andsixmonthslatertheycalledmeupandaskedmetodesignspaceshipsforthem.

That'sawesome.Ithinkonemessagethat'scomingoutisthateventhoughthere'salotofinternetstuff—thoughalotofpeopleliketodoemailblastsandstufflikethat—face-to-faceis…

Itmakesabigdifferencetoactuallytalktothepeoplewhoyouwanttoworkfororsomebodywhoworksattheplacewhereyouwanttoworkfor.IthinkitwastheL.A.Siggraphshowin2003orsomethinglikethat—IwounduptalkingtotherecruiterfromBiowareforlikeanhour.Shewentthrougheverypieceinmybookandshewaslike,“Whoa,thisisreallygood!”andshegavemelotsofadvice,andshewaslike,“Thisisn'tthekindofstuffthatIhirefor,buthereisthekindofstuffIhirefor.”AndIjustsatthereandwrotedownnotesfuriously.AndI'vekeptincontactwithherandthey'veprettymuchgotmovedtowherevertheyare.It'savideogamecompany,that'skindofthewayitis.ButI'vekeptincontactwiththatperson.She'snolongeratBioware,she'satlikeanindependentrecruitingagency.ShewasatBioware,andthenshewasatasimilargamecompany,andnowshe'sworkingonherown.Becauseeverybody'sfeelingthepinchwith the financial dust up.So there's no substitute for talking topeople. Introduceyourself.Give themyourcard.Haveyourstuff toshowthem. iPhonesaregoodforshowingstuff, iPads are better because they're so large. I got to showStephanMartinieremy entireportfolioatComic-Conthispastyearjustbecausehewasthere,andIhadtalkedtohim.HedidathingatCBAandIhadtalkedtohimthere,andherememberedmesoIshowedhimallmystuff.Andhe's theartdirectorat IdandhewasworkingonRage, that'shis thing.Soit'sgoodtobeabletodothat.Postcardscanhelp,aslongastheygettotherightpeopleandtheylookreallygood.Icanonlysaythatyou'rework'sgottobegood.It'sgottolookgood.You'vegottolookatthepeoplewhoareatthetopofyourgameofwhatyouwanttodo,ifyouwanttobeastoryboardartistorconceptartistorwhatever.Lookatthepeoplewhoaredoingthetopendstuffandtrytomakeyourstufflookasmuchlikethataspossible.Andifyoudon'thavethatskill,gotoschoolandlearnit.Findresources.Thequalityoftheworkiswhat'sgoingtocatchtheireyeandyourenthusiasmandpersonalityiswhat'sgoingtohelpsellyou.

Forthoseinschoolorjuststartingoutandwantingtobeastoryboardartist,whatkindofadvicewouldyougive?

KnowingwhatIknownow…Firstofall,decidewhatkindofstoryboardsyoureallyhavethemostfunworkingonandtrytodoabookfullofthose.SoifyouthinkyouwanttoworkforPixarsomedayasastoryboardartist,watcheverysinglePixarmovieandfreezeframethem,andsketchwhat'sgoingon.Doanentiresequencewhereyoustopthethingeverytwoorthreesecondsandsketchthat.Andlookandseewhatthoselooklikeasstoryboards,becausethat'sbasicallywhatyou'llbedoing.

That'sgreatforlookingatposesandcompositionand…

Andflow…BeingabletostopaDVD,andlookwhat'sgoingonandjustlookatthatsceneinitsownpoint.You'llgetafeelfortakingthatthingandseeingwherethebeatsare.Like,here'swhere this character enters the frame; that's really important. What's the next thing thathappens?Somethinghappensthatthecharacterreactsto.Makesureyousketchthat.Gothroughthe sequence and find all those little important things. And find out, especially with Pixarmovies—ImeanIcangoonalldayaboutTheIncredibles.There'ssomuchfabulous,justsoeye-moving…eye-control,that'sreallywhatitis—eyecontrol.Therearesomanysubtlelittlethings,withhandsmoving,andeyesmoving,evenhairmovingstuffinTheIncredibles,whereyoureye isbeingbouncedaround that sceneexactlywhere itneeds tobeeverysingle time.That'sthekindofthingthatyouwanttolearn,becauseyou'redoingitinastoryboard.Everyframethatyoudohastocontroltheviewer'seye.You'vegottohavethe1-2-3read:thefirstthingyousee,thesecondthingyousee…Sostudythatandtrytodoabunchofboardsinfrontofyourownstuff.Ifyoucangetyourhandsonfilmscripts—anykindofscripts—grabthose,downloadthem,readthem,boardthemthroughinyourhead.AfunonetotrytoplaywithisifyoucangettheoriginalversionofthescripttoStarWarswhichisnothinglikeanythingthatwasactuallymade,theveryfirstoriginalversionofthescript…that'safunone.Stormoffandjustsay,“Okay,GeorgeLucasneverdidthisfilm,becauseitwassodifferentfromtheonetheymade.”Andboardthatoutanddosomesequencesfromit.Therearesomanydifferentkindsofstoryboarding, reallycinematic stuff.There'sexamplesof ityoucansee.Sowith films, thatwouldbemysuggestion:takethoseDVDsanddothatandjustdigintoit.There'ssomecomicbookartistswhoyoushouldprobablybestudyingbecausethey'remastersofmovingyoureyearoundtheframe—WillEisnerisprobablyoneofthebestones.Oneofmypersonalfavoriteswhoalotofpeopledon'tknowaboutisAdamWarren.He'soneofthemostbrilliant.Oneofthebooks that hedid, theDirtyPair bookcalledSimHell—hewoundupcoloring it, and Ihavetheoriginalblackandwhiteversion—Iusedtoopenthatthinguptogetreferenceforstuff—everytimeIwouldopenthatbook,Iwouldwindupreadingittotheend.AndIdidn'tknowwhy.AndInoticedthatafterthefifthtimeIdidthis—everytimeIpickupthisbook,Ican'tputitdown,Ihavetoreadtotheend.Thereasonwhy,Ifound,IlookedatthepagesandAdamhaseverythingsetupsothatyoureyeisjustliterally,thebookjustreachesoutandgrabsyoureyesandpullsyouthrough.Youliterallycannotresistthepowerofthisforce.There'salotofcomicbookartists,theoldschoolguyswhoarereally,reallygoodatit.Notsomanyofthenewguys,Ithink.Becausethey'remaking…everyframeislikeasplashpagealmost.Buttheolderguyswerereallysensitivetostory.Kirbyisagoodexample,hedoesgreatwork.WallyWood.Youknowwho‘sactuallyprettygoodatit?MichaelGolden,amoreofamodernkindofartist,hedoesthattoo.Hergé—Tintin.Moebius,anyofMoebius’stuffifyoucangetyourhandsonthat,

because he does fantastic storyboards too. So eye-direction—really, really important.Cinematography—reallyimportant.ButchCassidyandtheSundanceKid.Therearesomanyfabulousshotsinthatfilm.Thatisoneoftheverybestfilmstostudyifyouwanttolearnaboutcinematography,shotcomposition,shotsequence.Thatthingaloneisacourse.Youcouldteachthatforawholeyear.Justgoframebyframe.There'sonesequenceatthebeginningwhereit'sall insepia tone,where there'saguystanding in thecorner,andbecauseof theblack/white,youdon'tseehimatfirst,becausehedoesn'tmove.Becauseofthewaytheblackandwhiteisdancingacrossthatshot.Andthenhemovesfromthecornerwherehewasstanding.Iwaslike,“OhmyGod!Wheredidthatguycomefrom?!”Andhewasjustsoperfectlyworkedintothescene, andwhenhe startsmoving, it's exactlyat thepointwhere someoneneeds tomove toincreasethemenace.BecauseSundanceisstandingthereandthisguy'sbehindhim.Andyoudon'tseethisguybehindhim.Andhedon'tknowhe'sthereeither.Andthenyouseethisguymovetoapositionwherehecanshoothimintheback.Soverysubtle,butreally,really,reallypowerfulkindof thing.And it's justaverysimpleblockingmove,but incomposition, it's abrilliantpiece.

INTERVIEWWITHJOSHSHEPPARD(www.thestoryboardartist.com)

MynameisJoshSheppard.IworkasaliveactionstoryboardartistinLosAngeles,andforthepast few years I work pretty much only on films, but I did do shooting boards for TVcommercialsandmusicvideosbeforethatforeightornineyearsrunningaroundLosAngeles.

FIGURE13.20JoshSheppard.

Whyarestoryboardsimportant?

Why are storyboards important? Storyboards are important because it's the quickest andcheapestwaytomakesurethatthestorygetstoldinaneffectiveandefficientway.Especiallywiththewayfilmsaresocomplexthesedays,therearesomanypeopleinvolved.I'veseenithappenmanytimesandeveryliveactionboardartisthasseenthis—wherethestorytelling,thecorestoryofeitherthewholemovieorasequenceorevenascenegetslost.Andwhatitgetslostinisusuallythechaosofproduction,sometimesit'sjusttheaction,thecomplicatedaction

that is happening on screen, sometimes it's visual effects, sometimes it's all of the above.Peoplethatdon'tworkinthefilmbusinessandevensomethatdo,Ithink,arealwayssurprisedtohearthatveryoftenthereisnoone,orthere'salmostnoone,thatisjustlookingoutforthestory.Thewriterisdoingtheirjob,thedirectorofphotographyisdoingtheirjob,thedirectorhasmanyjobstodo,sothey'rehopefullylookingoutforjustthestory,butitdoeshappenveryoften that it comes down, at least from my perspective, to only one person —that's thestoryboardartist.Visualeffectsisdoingtheirthing,everybody'sdoingtheirjobandbasicallythe storyboardartist is in thedifficult positionof saying, “Wait, this isn'twhat this scene issupposedtobeabout.Thedirector,whenwediscussedit—thedirectorisnothererightnow—butthedirectorwhenwediscusseditsaidthissceneissupposedtobeabouthowshelosesherboyfriendwhenthemonstertearsabuildingdownanditcollapsesonhimorwhatever.Thattomemeansthat thesceneisabouther.It'snotaboutall thiscrazyvisualeffects.Wecanhavethatstuffbutthecameraworkandshotsandwhereweshootitfromandhowweshootitneedstobeallaboutthatactressinthatmoment.Thedirectorisgoingtowant,whenthecameraisthereandtheactressisthere,that'swhatthey'regoingtotrytobefocusingon,andsothat'swhyIthinkweshouldbasicallystagetheshotsinthisway.”

ThatlittlespeechwouldbeaspeechI'dbegivingtotheprevisteamI'mworkingwithortheprevis supervisor, or very often these days, the previs supervisor is reallyworking for thevisualeffectsdepartmenthead.Theyaredoingagreatjobbutveryoftentheyhavetheirownagendawhichismakingawesomeshots.Yesweneedawesomeshotsinmovies,butawesomeshotsdon'tmakemovies.It'sthemoviemomentsthatreallygetyou.IrememberwatchingETwithmykids.Firsttimethey'deverseenit,andwhenETissickandlookslikehe'sdying,bothof themare therewith tears in their eyes saying, “IsETgoing todie?”Well, that's amoviemomentandeventhoughtheydidn'thaveaCGversionofET—theyjusthadthispuppet—thedirectorreallyfiguredouthowtomilkthatsceneforallthatitwasworth.

That'sthekindofthingthatwearealwaystryingtodo,eveninthemidstofallthemillionsofotherthingsthataregoingon.Thedifferentthingsthatthedifferentdepartmentheadswanttohappenwhilewe'replanningitorwhilewe'rethere.

Iwantedtotalkalittlebitabout,inmyexperience,howstoryboardsareusedthesedaysandhowsometimestheyaremisusedornotusedall.ThefirstexamplethatcomestomindisI'vedonestoryboardsforre-shootsonafewfilmswhereit'safilmthatIdidn'tworkon,they'vealready filmed it, everybody has gone home. They're in the process of editing it and theproducersandthedirectorcometotheconclusionthatthisfilmunfortunatelyneedsre-shoots.There'sallkindsofdifferentreasons.Sometimesitjustneedstoberewritten,sometimessomeperformances weren't as good, etc. In these two examples the producers told me that theybasicallydidn'tgetallthecoveragetotelltheirstory.AndIsaid,“Welldidyouworkwithastoryboardartist?”Andtheysaid,“No.”Now,maybeI'mjustadvocatingformyowncraft,butI feel pretty strongly that if theyhad somebody storyboard the sceneswith the director, thatwouldhavegiven thedirectoranopportunity topreplan itand to lookat itandsay,“I thinkherewe'regoingtowantthistypeofcoverage.We'regoingtoneedamomentwhereweseethetwo of them holding hands looking over the Grand Canyon or whatever.” That's whatstoryboardingisallabout.It'sawaytopreplanyourshootsothatyougetalltheshotsthatyou

needtotellastory.

Somedirectorsareexperiencedenough,they'regoingtothinkofitrightthereontheday,andother members of the team too. I've worked with first assistant directors who are soexperienced that theymayknowthe typeof shots that theyaregoing toneed. I'veseen themactuallyputthesethingsintheirschedule.

They'reveryexperiencedpeople.But,Ithinkthatthemosteffectivewaytoplansomethinglikethisoutisjusttohaveastoryboardofit.Ifthere'sastoryboard,thenthatdrawing,evenifit'sthequickestlittledrawing,isgoingtogointheschedule.

Thereisgoingtobe,ifyoulookontheschedulelater,thatshotwillbeinthere.Itwillhaveashotnumberand it'splanned,andsodespiteanychaos thathappenswhen it comes,atnightafter thebusydayofshooting, theAD[assistantdirector]will lookat thatwith thedirector,they'lllookattheschedule,andthey'llsay,“Oh,tomorrowwe'llbedoingthisshot,thatshot,andthatshot.”Theygetupinthemorning,theygetthere,thereisallkindsofthingsgoingon.Peoplemakemistakes,theyforgettogetshots,butifit'sallplannedoutaheadoftimethenyoudon'thavetogothroughthat.

In thisparticularcaseIsatdownwith theeditorandlookedat thesceneandyoucould tell,nowthat theyshot thestuffandhad thestuffedited together, itwasveryobviouswhatshotsweremissing.Unfortunately thewholecrewhadgonehomemonthsago, theydon'thave theequipment,don'thavetheactors,don'thavethelocation.Theyhadtogetaminiproductionsetupagainatgreatexpenseandgoandshootthere-shoots.Idon'tknowhowmuchmoneyitcostthem,butitwasatonofmoneyjusttogettheseshotsthat,again,it'sjustmyperspective,buttheycouldhavesavedthousandsofdollarsiftheywouldhavejusthadastoryboardartistsitthereandmakethedirectorkickthestoryshotsaroundwiththeartistorevenjusttelltheartistwhattodo,“Drawthis.”Butinthiscase,instead,Igottheedit,tookscreenshotsofit,droppedthe screenshots intomy storyboard template, and thendrew the shots thatweneededwheretheyweresupposedtobe.ThenIalsowroteinthedialoguethatwasexistingfromtheeditsothatitwasveryclearwherethiswouldfit.ThenIgavethoseboardstotheeditorandtheeditorcutthestoryboardsintotheedit,soitwasbasicallyamoviewithafewofmycrappydrawingsinthere.Butastheycutittogethertheycouldsee,“Yes,thisisgonnawork.”Sothentheymadeawholenewschedule for,whatever,a twoor threedayre-shootscheduleorsomethingandtheyflewthousandsofmilesawaytodothis.

Ithinkthatthereisalittlebitofamisconceptionsometimesaboutstoryboardsandwhattheyare and how to use them. I've seen storyboards from, say, a game companywhere they hadartistsworkingonastoryboardingcinematicforthisgameandthenthey'llsendittoapreviscompany.But theydon'tactually sendastoryboard,whichwouldbeshotswithdescriptionsandmaybedialogueinsequencewithanindicationofwhetherthesethreedrawingsinarowindicateashotandacutandashotandacut,orifit'sshotframeAandthenframeBandthenacut.What they do is they send basically some JPEGs, and I've seen the previs supervisor,previsartistssitthereandtogglethroughbyhittingthearrowkey,lookingatthesethings,youcan'ttellanything.Sometimesit'sobvious,butoftenyoulookatitandyoucan'ttellifthisisasingleshotandthenyou'resupposedtocutandgotothenextshotorifit'sasequence.What

thatmeansistheanimatorwillendupsittingtheremakingtheirbestguess.Likeifthere'sanarrowmovingthroughtheframe,doesthatmeanthatthecharacteriswalkingandthecameraisstill,ordoesitmeanthecameraiswalkingwiththecharacter,ordoesitmeanthatthecameraismovingpastthecharacter?Becausethestoryboardartistisn'tthere,it'suptosomebodytointerpret that.Sometimes theprevisanimatorcandoa fine jobof interpreting it.Sometimestheirprevissupervisorcandoafinejobofinterpretingit,andsometimesthere'sastoryboardartisttherewhomaynothaveevendonethedrawingswhocanlookatitandtakeabestguess.But I think a good storyboard has to be done completely,meaning full descriptions and anindication ofwhether to cut or continue and any notes or overheads of diagrams that showdifferentdepartmentheadswhatandwhereyou think this shouldbe stagedandall theotherinformation.

InmyworkworkingattheThirdFloorpreviscompany,I'vebeenpleasantlysurprisedthattheyweresmartenoughatwhattheydotoknowthattheyneedsomebodyfulltimeto—morethanone person actually—to make storyboards for projects they're working on or to interpretexistingstoryboardsthatcomeintomakesurethatthestoryistoldinthemosteffectiveway.Iwasworkingonaprojectwherewehadthreedifferentprevisteamsandtwosupervisorsorsomething.SoIjustmadeanoverheadofthis80-pagestoryboardforthewholeteamsothattheycouldlookatthisandthey'llknowexactlywherethecameraissupposedtobe.Thisisanexample of—it's almost like doing re-shoots. This was another artist's drawing and here Iindicated that it's a cut. The next frame isn't even a drawing, it's a screen capture from theprevis,andIreviseditbyputtingupanarrowovertherethatsays“pandown”andindicatedthatitisAandB.Thenthenextthingisadrawing,soit'ssortofahybridstoryboardfromwhatweusedtodo.Herethisisoneofthosecaseswherewegotindoingmultiplepassesatthisverydifficultsequence,andatonepoint,betweenthedirectorandthestudio, theywantedtosee two different versions of this huge sequence. Tomake sense of it all between us threestoryboard artists, the twoprevis supervisors, the twoor threeprevis teams, and thevisualeffectspeople,andthestudiopeople,Iwentandscreencapturedfromtheexistingprevisandmade a storyboard out of it again so that everybody could tellwhat thiswas, and in somecases,whatparticulartakeitwas.Iwouldputintheactualshotnumberoftheshotfromtheprevissequence.Soit'sjustoneofthosewaysthathelpseverybodystayorganizedandhelpsacomplicatedprocessstayfocusedonstory.

Thiswasanexampleof theopeningofamovie.Theyhadalreadyshot themovieandhiredanimatorsandatitlecompanytocomethroughandanimatetheopening,butthestudiosaiditwasn'tworking,soitwaskindoflikere-shoots.IgotthisQuickTimemovieofitandIscreencaptureditandwentthroughandjustredrewpartsofit.Andthatgotitapprovedandtheythenwentandhiredanotheranimatoranddidmorevisualeffectsworkonit,butitwassomethingthat just helped to keep everything organized. I've also done that with visual effectswherethey've shot the film and they've got previs in there to indicate what the visual effect issupposedtobe,butmaybetheyhavemadealastminutetweakandtheyneedavisualeffecttoworkstorywise.SoI'llgettheeditoroneofthedailiesfromthefilm,plusI'llgettheprevisthatwascookeduplongbeforetheyfilmedit,andI'llkindofcobblethetwotogetherandmakea new storyboard showing the visual effect working story wise. Because the visual effect

pipelineworkswithindividualshots.Basicallytheybreakthemdown,theygivethemashotnumber and they hand them off to individual artists. I'm generalizing, but inmy experiencethat'swhatI'veseen.

Andofcourse,whatcangetlostinthereisstory.Youcanhaveoneartistworkingononeshot,anotherartistworkingonanothershot,andthosetwoshotsaregoingtobeeditedtogetherandthey're supposed to work together. But those two artistsmay not talk to each other. In factsometimesthey'reactuallyatdifferentcompaniesondifferentcontinents.Therearepeoplethatare supposed tomake sure that doesn't happen, but they often havemuch bigger fish to fry,basically, and especially in visual effects and postproduction when it's getting closer andthey'rechasingareleasedateforthefilm,itcangetprettyhairytryingtogettheirjobdone,letalonemakingsurethestoryworks.

I've had jobs where I didn't really draw very much but I went in and I basically screencaptured the stuff, did a littlebit ofPhotoshoppingon it, put it together in a storyboardandgaveitbacktothemshowinghowthesevisualeffectsshotsthatareinprogressshouldbedonejustslightlydifferent, justsotheyallwillcuttogether.Ajoblikethatsometimesdoesn't lastverylong,itmightonlybeaday'sworkoritmightendupbeingaweek'sworthofwork—itdepends. Itcanbedoneatavisualeffectshouseorsometimes it's thepreviscompanythat'sdoingit.WhatelsedoIhavetoshowyouhere?Well,theselittlethumbnails.Sometimesdoingworklikethis,whentheyneedsomuchworkdonesoquickly,I justwilldostuffreallyjustvery quickly, because I know that this isn't a drawing that's going to be published anddistributedtoallthedepartmentheadsandwe'regoingtohavebigmeetingsonit.Sometimesthisdrawingmayonlylivefor20minuteswhiletheprevisartistiscookingitup.Let'sseeifthereisanythingelse,anyotherthoughtsIhad.

Ithinkthat'sthereasonwhystoryboardingissoimportant,istoplanandsavemoneyandmakesure the story gets told. You know, we've all heard examples of movies that everybody iswaitingtocomeoutandthenitdoesn'tcomeoutforanextraeightmonths.Veryoftenthat'sjustmarketing and visual effects postproduction issues, but also sometimes it's story issues.Sometimesthere's—I'veworkedoncomedieswherethey'realmostdoneshootingthefilmandtheybasicallywantmore funny scenes.And so thewriters are scrambling to cookup funnygagsandthenthedirectorwillhireastoryboardartisttocomeanddrawthosegagsanddropthemintotheedit,therougheditasit'sbeingbuilt,andseeif,justfromastoryboard,iftheycanseeifthisisgoingtowork.Isitgoingtobefunny?Andthestarwhoisthecomedianwilllookatitandsay,“Ithinkthat'sgonnawork,solet'sshootittomorrow.”Sothentheygoanddo,ortheymaysay,“Thisisn'treadingfunny,it'stakingtoolong.”

Anotherthingwithcomplicatedfilms,anexamplefromWheretheWildThingsAre, someofthefilmmakingprocessesaregettingsocomplicatednowthatyouneedsomebody to tryandpullallthepiecestogether.InthecaseofWheretheWildThingsAre,itwasauniquesituationbecausethecharactersweregoingtobeinrealsuits,butthefacesweregoingtobeCGfacereplacement.Theblockingof thecharacterswasgoing tobedictatedbyavideo shootonasoundstagewith the actorswho are the voices. So this is verymuch likewhen you see themakingofKungFuPandaandtheactorsareinarecordingbooth,doingthedialogueandalso

maybemakingfunnyfaces,andtheanimatorswilllookatthatfunnyfacetheymadeandputthatinto the animation. But in this case itwas also the specific blockingwhenGandall Feeneyshovessomecharacterandwalksoverthereandlaysdown,thatstuffhadtogo—Ihadtolookatthevideosanditwentinthestoryboard.Thenhisfacialperformancewouldlater,maybeayear later ormonths andmonths later, informwhat aCG animatorwould do to replace theplastic face.Thenmonths laterdown the linewhen theywere in the forest filming the thing,they'dhavethestoryboardsandtheycouldseethestoryboardartist'sdrawingoftheblockingthattheactorshadcookeduponthatsoundstage.Thentheywouldrecreateitintheforestthere,andI'msurechangeit theretoo,andtryandgetthesebigguysinthesebigsuitstocopythatblockingandthatbodylanguage.Andsoitwasthestoryboardsthatweresortofpullingallthatstuff together. Thenwe took that andwewere sending it out to thewriter and also Spike'seditor,becausehewasalso finding throughhis editorialprocess stuff thathe felt justdidn'tworkandhewassendingthatbacktothedirectorsaying,“Thiswholethingthatyouguysdid,thisbitofbusiness,it'sjustnotworking,”or,“Thisfeelsslow,”orwhatever.Sowealltriedtowork together, but in that case, it was one of those jobs where it was so complicated. Irememberthinking,“Howonearthwouldtheydothiswithoutstoryboards?”Itcouldquicklyspinintochaosandthenyou'djusthave,you'dgetthereandnobodywouldknowwhattodoandtrytorememberwhattheyhadplanned.Youcanmakenotesuntilyou'reblueinthefacebutapictureisworth1000words.

Whataresomeofyourmoviecredits?

Um,moviecredits.Iworkedrecentlyonamoviethat'scomingoutChristmas2011calledWarHorse forStevenSpielberg. It'sbasedonabookaboutahorse inWorldWarI.Before that,what have Iworked on?There is aBryanSinger film coming out, Jack theGiantKiller. IworkedonWheretheWildThingsAre.Iwastheleadstoryboardartistonthat,workingwithabunchofreallytalentedguys.IworkedonHellboyII,justoffthetopofmyhead.Alotofbadcomedies. IworkedonLadder49, a firefightingmovie. I think that's all I can thinkof rightnow.

FIGURE13.21StoryboardsbyJoshSheppard.

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Alright,let'sstartwithyourbackground—howdidyougetstartedintheindustry?Whatisyour,youknow,educationalorartisticbackground?

Igotstartedintheindustry—ImovedtoLosAngelestogetintofilmwith,really,noplanoranything.IreallyhadnoideawhatIwasdoingandIthought,”Well,Ibettergotofilmschool.”IappliedtoUSCandIjusttalkedtothemandtheprogramsoundedlikeIjustwasn'treadyforit.ItjustsoundedlikethepeoplewhowereintherewerereallysuperseriousaboutfilmandIrealizedI'mafilmfan,butIwouldn'tsayI'mreallyexcitedaboutbeingthedirectororwritingscriptsandallthatkindofstuff.ButIwentandgotworkasaproductionassistant.IthinkIgotaflyeroffofacarandIendedupworkingforfreeonastudentfilm.Andfromthere,Ikept,Ijustjumpedtothenextone,andwithinwhatfeelsliketwoweeksIactuallyhadapayingjobworkingatanofficeinalittletinyproductioncompany,basicallyjusttheproducerandme.Hewastryingtogetsomefilmmadeandthedirectorwhowasgoingtodirectthatfilmactuallyworkedasaconceptartistandstoryboardartist.HewasdoingsomestoryboardsforthisfilmandthatwasthefirsttimeIhadeverseenthem.Ijust,somehow,youknowIdon'tremembereverseeingamaking-ofbookordocumentarybackinthosedays.Itwas,Iwannasay,1992orso.

Sothatwasthefirsttimeyouhadseenstoryboards.

Thatwasit.Iknowit'sfunnybecauseeverybodythatIworkwith,seemstobethattheysawStarWarswhentheywereakidandthentheyfoundouteverythingtheycouldaboutitandthenhitchhikedtoILMandknockedonthedoor,orwhatever.Well,forme,whenStarWarscameout,Irememberseeingontelevision—thiswouldbein1977orsomething—justonebriefshotofasketch.ItwasaRalphMcQuarriesketchInowknow,asketchofDarthVader'shelmet,anditwasadifferentshape.Atthatage,sayIwaseightyearsoldorsomething,Irememberthinking, “Wow, that's cool!Somebodydrew that!”And thatwas it. I never thought about itagainuntilIsawthisguy'sstoryboardsin1991,orwhatever,‘92.MauroBorrelli,talented—do you knowMauro? Really talented concept artist, Mauro Borrelli. Trained at, I think atCinecitta,thestudiosinRome.Anyway,therehewasdrawingthesestoryboards,andmewithnohopeof…Ididn'tknowwhatkindofjobIwasgonnagetonceIleftthatcompany.WellIsawthesestoryboardsandIthought,“ThatIcando!”becauseIhadalwaysdrawn,Iwasabigcomicgeek, likealotofstoryboardartists.But,I lost interest inthesuperheroesaroundage

sixteen-seventeen.Icontinueddrawing,butIjusthadnoideawhereIcouldevermakealivingdrawing.Ididn'twanttodo,youknow,superheroesintights,soIdidn'tpursuethat.IthoughtforawhileaboutbeingatattooartistandIusedto—Ihadafriendwhowasatattooartist—andIusedtogotothetattoostudioswithhimanddifferentfriendsandInoticedinthosedays,therewasn'ta lotofdrawingability,youcouldsay,back in theeighties, that I sawandso Ithought I coulddrawand Icouldbeaprettygood tattooartist.But, I thought, “Well, Idon'twanttogetabunchoftattoosandyoucan'tbeatattooartistifyoudon'thaveanytattoos.”Isoldsomedrawings—theycallitflash—atatattoostudiooncebutitwasliketendollars,fivedollars,youknow,andIrememberdrawingatparties.Like,therewouldbe—onceinawhilethere would be—this is kind of in the punk scene back in the eighties— like, some guytravelingaround,hehadhisowntattoogunandpeoplewouldbeattheparty,they'dbegettingdrunk,whatever,andthey'dwantatattoo.Afriendofminewouldsay,“Heyyoudrawit!”ThenIwouldsay,“WellI'llsplitthefeewiththeguy.”Thatwasoneofmyfirst—Imean,again,itwasliketenbucks,fifteenbucks,whatever.

FIGURE13.45ApagefromJoshSheppard'ssketchbook.

Butanyway,so,IsawthesestoryboardsandIeven,Ithink,Ihadtodeliversomepaperstohimworking in some art department somewhere; I can't rememberwhat itwas.And so I got towalk through an art department. I saw the concept artists. I saw the storyboards.And I justthought,“Man,Icoulddothis.There'snothingelseintheworldIcoulddobutIcoulddothis.”SoIaskedhimwhattodoandhesaid,“Yougottamakeaportfolio.Ifyoudon'thaveagoodportfolio,you'llnevermakeit.”SoImadeaportfolioandIgotsomebusinesscardsmadeatoneof those littlemachines in thegrocery store.Andmybrother lived inHollywoodat thetimesoIgavehimsomeofthebusinesscardsandhepassedthemoutatparties—youknow,wewereinourtwentiesorwhatever.Hesaidhepassedthemouttoeveryonewearingblack,hefiguredtheywereinthefilmbusiness!Truestory!Andaguycalledme,andhisfriendwasanagentforstoryboardartists.SoIdroppedoffsomestuff inanenvelope—thiswasbeforeemail,andeverything—andeventuallyitgottotheagentandtheagentcalledme.Iwentdownthereandthenhehadall thesebindersintheofficeofdifferentboardartists’stuff.Andtheysaid,“Lookatthis,youneedtogettothislevel.”AndIlookedverycloselyatthestuff,IthinkIeven xeroxed some stuff and took it home and I started rebuildingmy portfolio. Iwas realserious about it. I completely rebuilt my portfolio, submitted to them again, took all theiradvice,followedit.Ididn'targuewiththemandIdidn'trealizeitatthetimebutthatwasoneofthekeystogettingmestartedwasjustthatIworkedwiththembecause,yearslater,theagentwould—I'd be in the office, dropping something off or something and the agentwould say,“Hey, look at this, someguy came inwith some samples.”And this happened, youknow, acouple dozen times over the years. And I'd look at the stuff and they'd say, “What do youthink?”I'dsay,“Well,boyhecanreallydraw.He'sgreatatthisandthat.”Andtheninevitablytheywouldsay,“Wellyeah,but,youknow,weaskedhim todoacouplemoresamplesandright awayhe starts saying ‘Iwent to this school and I, youknow, Iworked sevenyears inanimation,andblahblahblah,’andbasicallysaying,‘I'mnotgonnadothis,Igaveyougoodsamples—getmework.’”And itwas a good lesson forme, realizing that, here's somebodywhocandrawalotbetterthanme,hasabettereducationthanme,butthey'redeadinthewaterbecausetheyarenotwillingtoworkwiththeagent.Andtheagent,fromtheirperspective,isthinking,“Ican'tsendthispersonoutonadifficultcommercialassignmentbecausethisisallIknowabout them is that theycandrawwell and that they'vegot attitude.”So I always, as ImovedalongItriedtolearnfromotherpeople'smistakesandtheirstrengths,youknow.ThereweresomereallygoodartistsattheagencyandIlookedcloselyatwhattheyweredoing.Ihadalwaysbeen copying.Myeducationwas copying frommy favorite comicbook artists, JackKirbyandJohnBuscemaandlaterAlexTothe,ofcourse.Butwithstoryboardsitisadifferentstyle,obviously,becauseyou'vegottoworksoquickly,andIjusttriedtolookatit,copythestyle,dowhatIhadalwaysdone,andlookat thekindofsamplesthat theyhad, listentotheagentwhentheagentwouldsay,“Wellyeah,thatsampleiswelldrawnbutit'sboring,”stufflikethat.

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Howlongwastheperiodbetweenwhenyoufirstmadecontactwiththemandthetimewhentheyfinallytookyouon?

Itwasjust,itfeelslikeitwasjustafewweeks,and—

Soyouwerebuildingyourportfolioinjustafewweeksprettymuchfromthegroundup?

No,Ihadspentacoupleofmonths,probably,draggingmyfeetandatacertainpointIgotrealseriousaboutitwhenIrealized,like,Ineedtomakealiving.Ican'tkeepdriving,youknow,beingaPAandadriver.IwanttomakemoneydoingwhatIlove.ButIwaslivingreallycheapat the time, you know, we paid like seven hundred bucks a month rent and I drove a fourhundreddollarcarso,youknow,mybillsarealotmorenowadays.Soyeah,itseemslikeIsubmittedstuffandwithin,maybe,sixweeksor—Ican'tevenremember, it'salongtimeagobut,theysaid,“Okay,we'lltakeyouon.”AndIrathernaivelysignedanexclusivecontract.Ialwaystellartistsdon'tsignanexclusivecontractwithanagentunlesstheyarealreadygettingyouwork,butanyway.Ihadnootheravenues,soIsignedacontractandthefirstjobIgotwaslike,aRolaidscommercial—justtheguystandingagainstawhiteBGtalking.AndthedirectortoldmeexactlywhatshewantedandIwenthome,drewitup,broughtitback,andtheywerehappy.Irememberbeingprettysurprised,themoneywassogoodforwhatIhaddrawn.Itwasjust likethisguystandingthereholdingupaRolaidsandacloseupof the—oritwasAlka-Seltzer—you know, like, a close up of the glass with a—and I thought, “That wasn't toopainful.”Youknow,IjustdrewthisupandIgotpaidaweekortwolaterorsomething.

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AnotherpagefromJoshSheppard'ssketchbook.

Butthefirstyear,Ijustdidn'tgetalotofwork.Therewerealotofotherartists.SoIthinkImadelike,eleventhousanddollarsthefirstyear.Itwasastruggle.ButIdidtakethejobsthatother people didn'twant, like, you know,working on,whatever, Thanksgiving orMemorialDay;workingnights,doingallthatwork.AndIlearnedalotrealfastbecauseworking,asyouknow,freelancing,youknow,inthosedaysyourpagerwouldgooffandyouwouldjustcallthisnumberandthey'djustsay,“Canyoubehereintwentyminutes?”Andyourushover—youdon'tknowwhatitis,youdon'tknowwho.Becausetheseproductioncompanies,commercialproductioncompaniesinLosAngelesforsomereasonareoftenveryanonymous—there'snosign, there is just anaddress.So, itwas just achallengeeven findingwhere theplacewas,gettingthereontime,andthen,they'realwaysbusyandtheydon't—theyassumethatyouhaveall this information. I'vedonemanyjobswherenobodyknewmyname, they justknewtherewasanillustratorandIdidn'tknowwhatthejobwasfor—theyjusttoldmewhattodraw.AndI'dhavetoaskthemwhenitwasdueandiftherewasanymoreworktodo.

Youknow,it'svery—it'sachaoticbusiness,asyouknow.Andthen,thenextyearIgotawholelotmoreworkanditjustkeptgoingfromthere.Ithinkbeforetheinterviewweweretalkingaboutthedotcomyearsbeforethebubbleburstandtherewastonsofwork.Imean,therewasapoint,IrememberIdidn'tsavemymoneyverywellanditsloweddownforlikesevenweeksandIwasreallybroke—Ihadtoborrowmoneyfrommyagent.That'sapainfulthingtodo.Butasidefromthat,generally,therewasjusttonsofwork.AndthenafterthedotcombubbleburstIwaswellestablishedenough.Istillhadclientsthatwereworkingandthat'saboutit.

Let's talkaboutwhat'syour typicalweek likeasa freelancestoryboardartist.What'syourdaylikeorevenyourweeklike?Howmuchtimeareyouspending,lookingforworkandhowdoyougetwork,andwhat'sitlikeonceyougetonthejob?

Well it depends, when I was doing commercials andmusic videos—you're waiting for thephonetoring,so,evenwhenIwasverybusyIwasworkingthreeorfourdaysaweek.But,theotherdayIwasstillworkingononeofthose,soreallyyou'reworking,ifyou'rereallybusy,you're working five days a week, but you're not running around in the car and going toproductioncompaniesallthetime.Yougottabeathomedrawingorinthatofficedrawing.I'dgetajob,anditwouldbeadayortwoofintensework,andthenlikeahalfdayofrevisionsandthenI'dbeoff thenextday.Itwasaprettygoodschedule.NowadaysIworkinfilmso,whenIgotonafilm,Igetthereatnine,Ileaveatseven,andit'sjustfivedaysaweek.Andthejob,theoneI'monrightnow,lookslikeitwillbeayear,whichisprettylongforafilm.Theonebeforethatwasaboutfourmonths.Buttheyusuallyaresomethinglike,anywherefrom,amonthtofourmonths,somethinglikethat,ofjustfulltimework.

Iknowsomepeopleworkathome,butIprefertoworkattheofficebecausefilmsarejustsocomplicated, there's so many pieces to put together that I like to be there with the artdepartment seeing concept art, with the set designers, having access to that, access to theassistantdirectorsfortheschedule,youknow,getacopyofthenewscript.Andalso,Idon'tknowifthisistruebutitseemstomethatifI'mintheoffice,theycanseehowvaluableIam

ratherthanifIjustshowupeverythreedaysandgivethemastackofxeroxesandleave.Goingbacktothecommercialbusiness—IwasdoingshootingboardsforTVcommercialsandsoIwould get a call, Iwould showup there and it kind of always seemed to go like this. Theproductioncompanywouldgetthegoaheadfromtheirproducer,basically,sotheywouldsay,“Okay,we'regoingto try toget this jobfor thisbeercommercial.”Andthatdecisionwouldthenputinmotionawholebunchofthings.Theproducerwouldgettheproductionmanagertogettheircoordinatorinandstartcallingpeopleandinevitablythestoryboardartistgetsthecallatabouttwoo'clock:“Behereatthreeo'clock.”Andthenyougetthereatthreeandtheymakeyouwaitfortyfiveminutesandthenthedirectorcomesinandisbusyanddoesn'treallyhaveittogetheruntilfourthirtyandthentheyfinallygiveyouacopyoftheagencyboards,iftheyhavethem.Ascript, if theyhave it.Thumbnailsmaybe—sometimesyes, sometimesno.Theymayhavelocationphotosortheymightwantyoutocomewiththemtolocationsonascout,ortheymight be in casting, so you gotta sit there andwait for that, talk to them in between actorscomingin.Andbasically,theygiveyoupiecesofthepuzzle,andthenyouaskthemwhentheyneedit,andtheyalwaysneedit,basically,now.Sothere'saproblemalreadythat theydon'thavetheboardsandthey'repayingyouandtheywantthemnow.Sothenyoutryandgetthemdoneasfastasyoucanandthatmeansalotofnightwork.Ialwaystriedtoavoiditbutthere'sreallynowaytodoit. If theycallyouin theafternoonandtheyneedit thenextday, they'vealreadytoldpeoplethey'regoingtohaveitthenextdaysoyoujustgottadoit.Andthemusicvideosweresimilar,asimilardynamictothatalthoughthedeadlinetogettheboardsseemedtobe, sometimes itwasa longdeadline, like—nobody is inabighurry—or it's like,you'reactuallytherewhilethey'refilmingandyou'retryingtodrawstuffonthefloorofthestageorwhatever,so,it'saprettychaoticbusiness.

Forthepeoplewhoarejustcomingoutofschool,I'msurethey'dbeinterestedinhearingabout how the entire processworks.How are youworkingwith the director?Do youhavealotofaccesstothedirector?Doyoueverfindyourselfinsituationswhereyou'rein a studio, you don't knowwho orwhere anybody is, and you have to hunt down thedirectorifyouhaveanyquestions?

Absolutely.Onefunnystoryis,Igotacallforsomejob—Ididn'tevenknowwhatitwasreally—but I assumed itwasaTVcommercial—turnsout itwasapilot for somecelebritynewsshoworsomething—thiswasyearsago.But,Igotthereandtherewasaroomfullofpeople.Everybodywas just standingup from thisconference tableand therewaschaoseverywhereandeverybodywasrushingout.Thedirectorwasonthephonewithhiswifeandshe'sinlaborinthehospitalandhe'stellingher,“I'mgettinginthecar,I'llbethereinjustaminute,I'vejustgotonethingtotakecareof,”andIrealizedwhatwasgoingonandIjustsaid—heknewIwastheartistbecauseIhadmybagwithme,Iguess—andIjustsaid,“Youshouldgo.”Sohesplit.AndthenIwasaloneintheconferenceroomandIthought,“Wellthisistypical,Idon'tknowwhat thejobis—thedirector isgone,IknowI'mnevergoingtoseehimagain.Idon'tknowwhat'shappening.”Andthenfinally,Iwentandgotsomeoneandtheysaid,“Oh,yeah,we'regoingtogetsomeone.”Ididn'treallyknowwhatthatmeant,andIwaited,youknow,anhour,andsomebodycameinandsaid,“Areyouthedirector?”Isaid,“WellIwashopingyouwere,”andtheysaid,“AmI?”

That'sapretty,kindofanoutrageoussituation,but itunderscoresthechaosofsomeof thesejobs.And so I said, “Well let's—I think they called you in, like, to fill in for this directorbecausehiswifewentintolabor,”andhesaid,“Ohokay,”andthenwesatdownandthenhesaid,“Well,Iwantashotlikethis,”andthenatthatpointIalwayshavetosay,“Well,whatisthejob?”Andthey'llgo,“Oh!Youdon'tknow?It's…Youknow,we'regonnado,whatever,acommercialforthis,orateaserforaTVshoworsomething.”ThenIstarttogetabetterideaof it, and then—so, inaway, toget the information from thedirector,whoever I'mworkingwith,alotoftimesIhavetoremindthemthatIdon'tknowwhatjobthey'reon,eventhoughthismayhavetakenuptheirwholeweek.AndthenIstartaskingthemwhatthestoryboardsarefor,becausestoryboardsisacatch—alltermthatmeanssomethingdifferenttoeveryone.

Sometimes,itturnsout—IrememberonestudentfilmmakerhiredmetodostoryboardswhenIwasfirststartingout.IwenttohishouseandhepullsouttheRalphMcQuarriebookwiththosefamouspaintingsthathedidforGeorgeLucastogetStarWarslaunched.Andhesaid,“Iwantsome storyboards like this,” and I was like, “Well those are paintings that took weeks toproduce,I'msure.Ithoughtyouwanted,like,quicksketchesorsomething.”Atwhichpointheexplainedtomewhatastoryboardwas,youknow,somecollegekid.

Soalotoftimesit'saprocessoftryingtogettheinformationoutofthedirector.Reallywhatyou'retryingtogetataretheshotsoutoftheirhead.Somedirectorsaregreatatit.IrememberworkingwithScottieBergstein—he'sacommercialdirector—andheknewwhathewanted,hehadhisshotlistwrittenoutbeforeIgotthereandwewouldthumbnailittogetherandthenhewouldsay,“Addinanyextracoverageyouthinkandthenwe'll lookat it together,”andthatwasgreatbecause,youknow,that'sadirectorthatisorganized,knowswhathe'sdoing,knowswhatheneedsmetodo,explaineditclearlytome,heknowsI'mbusy,he'sbusy,sowebothcangettowork.Butthereareplentyofdirectorswho'dcomeinandthey'dsay,“Listentothissong,”youknow,they'dputheadphonesonmeandthenthey'djuststartbabblingabout,how“Isn'titcoolinthismoviehowtheydothatshot,thatshotinTopGunisawesome,”youknow,andyou'relike,youdon'twant tostopthembecausethey'reenthusiasticbutbasicallythey'renothelpingyouatall.And,sometimesthosemeetingswouldendandtheywouldthinkthattheygaveyoushots,likesomehowtheyhavethisimpressionthatthey'vehelpedyou,butthenyourealize,“Well,thisisanotherjobwhereI'mjustgoingtohavetomakeitallup.”They'renottellingmetomakeitupbutthey'regone,thereisadeadline,Igottagetitdone,soIdothat.Then when I give the boards to the producer or the production manager, whoever, they'reassumingthat thosearethedirector'sshotsbutsometimesthedirectorhasn'tevenseenthem.Hopefully the director does get to see them before the storyboard gets published to theproduction team but sometimes it doesn't happen. In film, it's a little bit similar, although,becausefilm,youknow,isatleast90minuteslong,theymaynotstoryboardatall,butit'squiteexpensiveobviouslytodoallthestuntandvisualeffectsworkandthescheduleistight.Thedirectorismoreinvolved,buttherearesomewhobasicallydon'thavetime.

You've probably experienced this where they meet you and they say, “We're gonna gettogether,” and then they never do. I mean, I've done—every storyboard artist has done—adozenfilmswherethedirector,forourpurposes,mayaswellnotevenbethere,justbecausethey're inNewYork casting or they're scouting or doing this and that. That's a pretty nerve

wrackingsituationbecauseifthestoryboardartistdoesn'thaveaccesstothedirectoritmeansthata lotofotherdepartmentsdon'taswell.Andso theystartcomingtoyou—Imeaneverydepartmentcomesifit'sasituationlikethat.Yougetasecondunitdirectorcomingin,yougettransportationpeople,stuntpeople,evenlocationpeopleandthey'reaskingquestionsandyoucan'treallysay,“Well,Idon'tknow,Inevertalkedtothedirector.I'mmakingthisupasIgo.”So theycome inand they lookatyourstoryboardssittingonyourdeskand theystartaskingspecificquestionsandyourealize,“Well,IguessIhavetojustbelieveinthissequencethatI'mdrawing as I go along and nobody has looked at it and make sure I tell these differentdepartmentheadsthatthisisaworkinprogress,thismaynotbetheshots.”Andthentheysay,“CanIgetaxeroxofit?”Andthenatthatpoint,Ialways,Igousuallytothelineproducerandexplain the situation and say, “Can I publish this stuff?” And at some point they'll get theboards to thedirector,wherever theyare, thedirectorwillusually sayyesor, “Revise this,revisethat.”

Sothatisasituationwherethedirectorisnotthatinvolved.Thereareothersituationsontheotherendofthespectrumwhereit'smuchclosertowhatmostpeoplewouldthinkastoryboardartistworks like,workingwith somebody likeHitchcock,wherehe justknowsevery singleshot.IworkedwithGuillermodelToroonHellboyIIandhewaslikethat.Heknowseveryshotandhejustwantsyoutobringinsomeblankstoryboardtemplatesandhesitsthereandhequicklythumbnailsonthepagesexactlytheshotshewantsandheexplainsitandhandsit toyou and says, “Go, do that, draw that as fast as you can.” And he actually worked as astoryboardartistforthreeorfouryears,hetoldme.Itwasafteraparticularlylongweek—itwasaFriday,hewasleavingtheoffice—andhetoldmehedidthat.AndIlookedathimandIsaid,“Soyouknow?”andhegoes,“Iknowman,yougotahardjob!”He'sagoodguy.Mostofthetimeit'sacombinationofthetwowherethedirector—infilmagain—wherethedirectorisgivingyouspecificshotsandthenthereisotherstuffthattheysay,“Well,Ihaven'tworkedthisout,whydon't you take a shot at it and then I'll look at it.”And that is veryoften the case,wheretheybasicallysay,youknow,especiallyif they'reworkingwithanexperiencedboardartist that theycan trust, theysay,youknow,“Takeashotat thisandI'll revise it.”Andthatrevisionmaybethattheylookabitandsay,“No,thisiscompletelywrong,thewholething,throwitaway.”Oritmightbe,“Okay,thisisgood,butyou'remissingabeathere,wheretheheroandheroinearesupposedtolookateachotherandthisisamomentoffaithandthentheyjumpoffthewaterfall,orwhatever.”Oritmaybethatyou'vegotallthebeatsofthesequenceworkingfinebuttherearespecificshotsthattheyreallywanttodoandtheysay,“I'vealwayswantedtodoashotlikethis,wherethey'refallingtowardusandthecamera—they'regainingpastcamera,soitstartsout,youknow,wideshotlookingstraightup,andthentheypassusandwecutastheywipepastcamera,orsomething.”AndsointhatcaseI'dbesittingtherewithmydrawingpad trying tosketch thisstuffoutas fastas Ican,and theseare just thumbnails,notproperstoryboards.Alotof times,becauseyoucan'treallydrawthatfast,a lotof timesI'mdrawing overheads, and an overhead is just amap of either the blocking,whichwould be:“Thisactorstandsherefacingthatway,thisonestandstherefacingthisway,thewaterfallisinthebackgroundbehindthemhere,”andthenthedirectorwillsay,“No,itshouldbeoveronthisside.”

Forthat,inasituationlikethat,that'sasituationwherewedon'thavealocationbutwehaveagagorasequencethatiseitherinthescriptorit'sgoingtobeinthescript,andso,we'rejustmaking itallup, it'snot tied tosome location.Other times there isa locationand theyhavephotos.

NowadayswithGoogleEarthit'saloteasier,it'sgreat—butitusedtobethattheywouldbeexplainingthelocationbecausethephotoshadn'tcomebackfromthelabyet,orwhatever.Orsometimesthere'sasetthat'sgoingtobebuilt,sobeforeItalktothedirector,alotoftimesI'llgo to theartdepartmentand really,youknow, introducemyself toeverybody thereand,youknow,meet the set designers, the assistant art director, art director, theproductiondesigner,andI'llgomeet the locationpeopleandI'll justask them.I'llgo like,“Whatdoyouthinkisgoing tohappenwith,youknow, thewaterfall scene?”The locationpersonwill say, “Well,we'vegotthreeorfourideasandoneofthemislikethis.”AndI'llsay,“Well,wouldwereallyfilmrightthereorisit,like,somethingwe'regoingtocheat?”Andthey'llunderstandwhatI'msayingandthey'llsay,“Well,there'sabunchofbigrockshereblockingthispartso,we'dhavetofilm,whatever,upontheridge,”orsomething.So,armedwiththat informationorsimilarinformationfromthesetdesignerwhenhesays,“Well,it'sgoingtobelikethisandthestairsaregoingtobehere,there'sabigwindowoutthere,andoutthatwindowwe'resupposedtosee the barn,” thenwhen the director comes and givesme their fiveminutes of time, I canunderstandwhatthey'resaying.Because,alotoftimes,theyassumethateveryoneknowswhatthey're talking about, and sometimes they just have so little time that they'll just kind of go,“Well,when she looks out thewindow, you know, in the background—” and I'll say, “Is itgonnabe thebarn?”and they'llgo,“Yeah, that'swhat Imeant.So thatmeansback thereyougotta have—” and I'll say, “her dad, you know, burying themother.” “Yeah, near the barn,buryingthedog,rather—youknow,OldYellerorsomething.”

Thatprocessof thumbnailingwith thedirectorsometimes,dependingon thedirector,canbenervewrackingbecausesometimestheydowantyoutoreallydrawitout,almostproperly,sothattheycanclearlyseeit,andinthatcase,it'salittlebitlikethey'rejustoveryourshoulderandyou'resittingtheresweatingitout,tryingtodrawthisstuffastheysayit.Butalso,that'swhat theyhireus for.That'swhywe'resovaluable,youknow,even though there isa lotoftechnologyout there,muchof thetime,especiallyearlyoninafilmwhennothingisbuiltordesigned,somebodywithapencilandasketchpadwhocandrawrapidlyandrealisticallycanreallybevaluable fordiscussionpurposes.So, a lotof times,while I'mdrawing somethinglikethat,thedirectorwillgetsomeonetocomeoverandhe'llshowthistothelocationpersonortheartdirectororaproducerandsay,“ThisiswhatIwasthinking,somethinglikethis.”Ihopethatanswersthequestion.

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Ithinkoneofthegoodthingsaboutstoryboardsisthatit'slikebeingabletowatchthemoviebeforeanyoneactuallyfilmsit,soyoureallydogetasenseofwhatthefilmwilllooklikeonceit's—

Yeah, before you start spending realmoney and going to reallocations.Another thing in thecaseofWarHorse,we—IwasonthatwithPhilKellerstoryboardingthatwiththeThirdFloorprevisguysthere.Wewerecookingupsequencestogether.TheartdepartmentwasallthewayoverinEnglandandwewereinabungalowatUniversal.TheyhadthisbigcomplicatedWorldWarIbattlefieldwheretheywerediggingtrenches,butinsteadofmakinganentireWorldWarIbattlefield they were—you know they didn't have a ton of money—they were trying tobasicallymake, I think itwas like one hero trench, and recycle it for all kinds of differentshots.Inthatcasewe—IreallystayedinclosetouchwithRickCarter,theproductiondesigner,andwith the set designers and art directors so that Imade sure that—therewere instanceswherewe'd say, “Well, there's a shotwe'vecomeupwith,or a shot thatStephenSpielburgreallywants,andwethinkwewouldfilmithere,butitlookslikeyouguysaregoingtohavethiswholewoodenstructurethere,butIthinkthat'sthebestplacefortheshot.”Sotheywouldenduprevisingtheset,thequote-unquoteset,ifyouwill,togetashotthatthedirectorwanted.

Thewaywewereabletoexplainthatwas,I'ddoaquicksketchandjustsenditofftotheminEngland. In thatcase thatmeantalso thedayof, there's somebody inabackhoewhomayormay not be digging huge amounts of dirt out of this field and so it even—it's one of theinterestingthingsaboutstoryboardsisthattheytoucheverydepartmentexceptcraftservices,Iguess, the catering.Whatwedoor don't put in the storyboards veryoften affects everyone,eventhetransportation.I'vehadatranscaptaincomeuptomeafterlookingatthestoryboardsand adiagram that I drewand say, “Where am I supposed topark allmy trucks?” I'm like,“Heyman,I'mjusttryingtotellthestory!”It'sjustagoodfastandfairlyinexpensivewaytoplan what is always a complicated, slow, and incredibly expensive collaboration betweenhundredsofpeopleovergreatdistances,sometimes,andalotoftime.SoIthinkthat'sthebestthingthestoryboardscandoissaveyoutime,money,andheartache.

Whatdoyouthinkaresomeof the trends thataremoving in?YoumentionedthatyouworkedwithTheThirdFloor,3oftendoinganimatics.Areyourworkingonanimaticsorareyouworkingonpreviews? Is that something that is relevant or a change? Inoticethattherearedifferentchangesthatarehappeningintheindustry.Anotheroneisthat

certain animation companies, and a few individuals do everything digitally, rather thanwith paper and pencil. So can you talk about some of the changes that have beenhappening?

Well, thebiggest changehappening rightnow in storyboards is in the filmbusiness, and I'msure it's happening in the commercial business too, but in the filmbusiness specifically,myexperience, there now are, in L.A., five or six previs companies, and they do 3D pre-visualization animation, sometimes with sound, of these big sequences—the stunts and theheavyvisualeffectsstuff.Atfirstwhentheycameintotown,alotofusliveactionstoryboardartistsweresweating it thinking,“Wow, they'rereally takingour jobs,”and the truth is, theyreallyaretakingthem,ormakingthemshorter.But,asfilms—thisisthebiggestsurpriseforme—as films get more and more complex, especially with the heavy visual effects, CGanimation,andnowwith3D,thepreparationforhowtostagethesesequenceshasalsogottenmore and more complex, and, surprisingly, more and more the previs companies need usstoryboardartiststogointhereandworkoutthestorybeats.

So,onethingthatIhavebeendoingthelastfewyearsisI'mnotdoingasmanyfinishedboardsasIusedtodo.Igotintothisbusinessreallytomakealivingmakingprettypicturesbutasastoryboardartistyoucan'talwaysdothat.Whatyouneedtodoisgettheshotsrightandgetthejobdoneon time.SoIgotused todoingquicksketchesearly inmycareer,sonow,a lotoftimeswe'redoingwhatIcallaroughstoryboard,andreallydoingthem—sometimesI'lldrawthethingandjusttearitoutofmysketchbookandjusthandittotheprevisartistwhoalreadyhas a model of an environment open and has a rigged character there, and they just startanimating the camera and the character. And so, that's a case where I'm not finishing thedrawing,I'mnotpublishingittoawholedepartment.Infact,alotoftimesnowworkingwithprevisartistsandteams,it'sverydifferentbecauseI'mlongerinproduction.Thereisnolineproducer, there'sno locations, it's sortof likeawriters roomwherewe'reall sittingaroundmaybe another storyboard artist. I'm working with Mark Moretti right now—and a previssupervisor,acoupleofprevisartists,andmaybeaneditor,andwe'rejustkickingideasaround,allofus,andasastoryboardartistyourjobisto,youknow,reallymakesurethatthisworksstorywise and so, the previs artistmay say, “Well, I got a great idea for this shot.” Theirsensibilityisverydifferentfrom,say,oursensibilityortheeditor'ssensibility,andsoIfounditextremelyvaluable tohavepeople like that tobounce ideasoffof and toworkwithpeoplewhocomefrom—likeInevercamefromanyvideogamebackgroundoranythingbutsomeofthesepeoplehaveworkedinvideogamesorplayedthemforyearsorworkedatvisualeffectshousesorworkedinCGanimationandsothey'vegotideasthatIwouldnevercomeupwithfor these complicated sequences.Youknownowadayswe'remakingmovies, of course, thatareliveactionmixedwithCGcharactersmixedwithallkindsofcrazyenvironmentsthatwenever had before. So I've found itworks prettywell toworkwith a team like this.And itdepends on the people. If you're working with people that are not good collaborators andthey'resortofveryimmatureandwantingto“ownasequence”—thenthere'snothingyoucando.Butmostofthetimeinthelastfewyears,I'llbedoingquicksketches.IcanhandtheminifI'mdrawingonpaperor Idrawdirectly inPhotoshop. Igetabunchof jpegs,youknowI'llscreencapturethem,puttheminafolder,namethemsequentially,andthenIgivethemtothe

editorandtheeditordropsthemintoanedit.Andso,somepeoplewouldcallitananimatic,somepeopleinanimation—Ithinktheycallitastoryreel.Butbasically,it's—Iwouldcallitaboardamatic,becausethereisnotactuallyanymovement.It'sjustalotofdrawingsandwe'repopping through them rapidly as you scrub through the edit. So the charactermoves or thecameramovesandveryoftenit'sprettyrough.

Andalsoitmightbearealhybrid,likeifit'sabigcomplicatedenvironment,whichaprevismodelerhasalreadybuilt,thenI'llgetthemodelfromthemandI'velearnedsomeMaya,soI'llopenupMaya andmove the camera around and screen capture, youknow, twentyor thirty,fortyshotsrapidlyofwhatIwantthiscameramovetobe.AndthenI'llgoinPhotoshopandjust really crudely draw my character over those Maya screenshots and that might be thestoryboard.Or, other times, I've drawnmore carefully over that background screenshot andsortofblurreditoutsothatit'ssoftinthebackgroundandmakeamorefinishedstoryboard.Especially if it'ssomething like,once inawhileweendupdoing like,dialoguescenes,butwith a big camera move, you know, some romantic moment or something, or a sad deathmoment.Andsothestoryreels,atleast,asI'vedonethem,alotoftimesarekindofunevenqualitybecausesomeareasneedmorelovethanothers.Some,it'sjust,youcanpopthroughitreallyfastbecauseit isexplosions.Andthen,oncewestartcuttingthattogether—andbytheway, sometimes it's not with an editor, sometimes I just use—Apple has program calledKeynotewhichyoucanmakeaslideshowoutof,basically.AndIjust,bypressingtheforwardbuttonIcanpopthroughandjustverballytalktheteamthroughit.Theprevissupervisorwillhave thoughts about this moment and the editor will have ideas about this moment. Sosometimeswedon'tevengettothepointofactuallyediting,likemakingaQuickTime.Itjustendsupasverbalpitchandtheprevisteamcangetstarted.Andasthey'reworking,they'lldokindof a first passon trying tobasicallymake aversionofwhatwe'redoingbut it'smuchrougher.

Sobasicallywe'relookingatyoudoingsomekindofaroughpassofastoryboard,ashotbyshotstoryreel,andthenshotbyshot,eachshot isgettingreplacedbysomekindofprevis?

Exactly.Andit's,alotoftimesagainbecauseoursensibilityasstoryboardartistsisdifferentthanwhataprevisartistmightbedoingat thetimeandanybodythathasfooledaroundwithanykindofCGanimationorMayaknows that it's justanabsolutelysatanicprogram.It'ssocomplicatedandsoit'seasytoget—Ithinkit'seasyfortheprevisartistsevenifthey'regoodatstoryorhaveagoodeyeforcomposition,I thinkit isveryeasyfor themtoget lost inwhatthey're doing.Very oftenwe're, as storyboard artists,we're the ones that are saying, “Well,look,inthismomentthisiswhentheguydiesandthismomentissupposedtobeasadmomentsoweneedhimtodieandthenkeepthecamerarollingforbasicallytheviolinmusicwhichisgoing to be in there at some point but as you have the shot now he dies and then you cutinstantly,whichisnotagoodmoviemoment.”

It sounds a lot like you're directing. Do you think storyboard artists need to be gooddirectors?Whatskillsdostoryboardartistsneed?

Itdepends.My ideabefore Ibecamea storyboardartistofwhat adirectordoes is close towhatI'mdescribingnow,butnowthatI'veworkedwithalotofdirectorsovertheyearsinTVandfilm,Inoticedthejobofdirectorismuchbiggerthanjustpickingtheshotsandtellingthestory.Theyhavetobeverymuchaproducer,ateamleader.Theyhavetoknowwhatthey'redoingontheset.Theyhavetoknow,Imean,Ihavenoopinionsaboutmoviepostersorcastingor—youknowamillion things thatadirectordoes thata lotofpeopledon'tknowthathavenothingtodowithmyskillset.So,yes,inawayitseemslikewe'redirectingthesequencebutdirectingafilmisalotdifferentthanjustdirectingananimatic,ifyouwill.Veryoftenwearein charge of cooking up—we're kind of co-supervisors with the previs supervisor and theeditorofcomingupwiththisanimaticwhetherit'sdrawingsstrungtogetherwithnosoundorit'sacombinationofdrawingsandsomeprevisandsomesound,orwhatever.

Thestorytellingskillseemstobewhatisseparatingyoufrom,say,theMayaartistwhowould, I'm presuming, be more inclined to have some fancy flying shots rather than,sticking on a dramaticmoment. So, storytelling skills—can you talk about where thatcamefrom?

Well, yeah, the storytelling skills are themost [important]—that'swhywe're still there.Ourskillsetinsomewaysseemsantiquated,butstoriesareneverantiquated.Ifyoulookback—whenIwastryingtolearnstory,Iremembersomebodygavemeabook,thatbook,whatwasit?Aristotle—Poetics.He talks about story and I think it's in there that he talks about howdifficultwriting is andhow the audiences, evenback then,weredisappointedwhen a storydidn'tgowellwhen theywouldbring thegodsdownon thispulleysystem, thismachine, tobasicallywrapup thewholeplotwithout really trying to do the important storywork.So Ithinkitwasdifficultbackthenandstoryisstilldifficult—that'sabigpartofourskillset.Theprevisartists—itdepends,someofthemhavestoryskills,someofthemdon't.ButIthinkeveniftheyhavestoryskills,theirjobissocomplexandspecificthatthey'renotreallyinaposition—they're not often in a position—to oversee the sequence. I'm sitting there as a storyboardartistandit'safulltimejob,10hoursaday,tryingtosolvethisandfigureitoutandcomeupwith some image.You know they're coming upwith an image by doing previs. I'm doing itdrawingorPhotoshopormanipulatingaphotoorascreencapturefromaCGsetbutbasicallymytimeisalluseduptryingtofixthestoryandmeanwhilethey,theirtimeisalluseduptryingtoanimate this character, trying toanimate this camera, trying toget this explosion towork,tryingtobuildtheset,andsoeveniftheyhaveastorysensibility,alotoftimesthey'rebusydoingthatandmyjobhappenstobestory.

FIGURE13.62AnotherpagefromJoshSheppard'ssketchbook.

Now the storyboard supervisor kind ofwears both hats. They, at least inmy experience, ifthey'regoodatstorythenthey'llweighmore.Sometimesthey'remoreofatechnicalsupervisorand there's,as Isaid,somany technical issues thatcomeupdoingprevis, that theymay justconcentratemoreonthatandcompletelyleavethestorydepartmentalone.Notleaveusalone.Imean,we'restilltalkingwiththemandsaying,“Welllook,inthissceneIreallythinkwe'renotevengoing to see thatwhole sectionof the set so Iwouldn't haveyourmodelerwaste timedoingthatbecausewe'vefiguredout—wethinkthiswouldbeabetterareatostagethis.”Sowe'retryingtoworkwellwiththisnew,complicatedteamthatwehavebeenthrowninto.Oneofthefunnest thingsisbeingabletousesoundmuchmoreeffectivelythanweusedtodoingjuststraightstoryboards.We'ddrawsoundeffectsandstuffbutit'sgreattositthereandlookattheeditwhenit's,say,90percentofourdrawingshavebeenreplaced.Nowit'spreviswithfullanimation,lightsandsoundandthenwe'lllookatitandwe'llsay,“Ithinkyouneedsome

greatmusicalstingrighthere. Idon'tknowwhat it isbutsomethingthat…”andthenbeforeyoucanfinishthesentence,theeditorprobablyhasagreatidea,oroneoftheprevisteamwillgo,“Oh,inHarryPotterthere'sthatmomentwhenblahblahblah.”Andthat'salotofwhatwedo when we cook up these sequences—we're always referencing other movie scenes andtryingto—wehavealotofDVDssittingthere.We'llputitonandwe'lllookatthesceneandwe'llgo,“Oh,well that's—our idea is tooclose to that.Wedon'twant tocopyit.”Orwe'llsay,“Wow,thatworkedperfectly.Theonlythingis,it'sliketooscarywhenthatcertainthinghappensandwe'reworkingonakids’moviehere, so let'sdo it like that,butnotas scary,”somethinglikethat.Becauseeverybodyisallfilmfans,wespeakthesamelanguage,which,inmyexperience,itstartswithStarWarsanditgoesoutfromthere.

Iimaginethat'sprobablyabigthing—languageoffilm—wherealotofthatcomesfrom.Let's jumpaheadandgo intoadvice forbeginners.What skillsdoyou thinkarereallyimportanttobeingsuccessfulatthisjob?

Well obviously, drawing is the number one skill. I'd say if somebody wants to become astoryboardartist, the first thing I think theyhave todo is justbe responsible about teachingyourself the basics, the important elements of drawing. If you're talking about live actionstoryboarding,Iwouldsaythatbasicallymeansfiguredrawing,specificallytheclothedfigure,andperspective,andthenalsostory.Youknow,you'vegottolearnstoryandthatissomethingthatcomeswithexperience,withanalyzingfilmsandevenTVcommercials.

You'vegottobeamoviegeek?

You'vegottobeamoviegeek,yeah.AlsoIthinkyouactuallyhavetomovebeyondbeingjustafan.That'sonethingthatIthinkisimportanttounderscore.Yes,someonethatwantstobeastoryboardartistmayhaveseen,what'sanexample,Idon'tknow,mayhaveseeneveryHarryPotterfilm,buthaveyousatthereandwatchedanyofthescenes,saywiththesoundoff,andjustsatthereandtriedtoanalyzewhatitisthey'retryingtodo?Likewhat'sthepointofthissceneandhowdidtheyachievethat?IfthepointofthesceneisthatHarryis—thisissuchascaryschoolthatHarrymightnothaveanyfriendshereorifyou'retryingtogettheaudienceexcitedforanactionsequencethat'scoming,lookatthesceneandfigureout,welldidtheysetthatupwellandhowdidtheydoit?Wherewasthecamera?Tryandguesswhydidtheyfilmitthisway?

I'veworked a little bit in games doing storyboards for cinematics andwhat they said, youknow the first thing I would tell them, I'd say, “Well, I don't know if I'm the right personbecauseIdon'tplayvideogames.I'veneverplayedanyoftheselikeWorldofWarcraft,Halo,anyofthisstuff,”andI'veheardthesameansweroverandover.They'dsay,“Well,that'sfine.Wecanfindpeoplethataregamegeeks.Weneedfilmpeoplebecausewe'retryingtomakeacinematic that is cinematic.” So sometimes they'll show me storyboards they want me toredraworthey'llshowmetheiroldcinematicoranewcinematicinprogressandthey'llsay,you know—I've heard this twice—someone would say, “Well, my supervisor at the gamecompanysayssomething'swrongwiththisandhedoesn'tknowwhatitisbuthewantsafilmpersontofigureitout.”SoIwouldlookat itandIwouldsay,“Well,rightawayI thinkone

problemisthecameraisjustflyingaroundlikeamosquitoandit'scompletelydistractingforthismomentwhichissupposedtobesad,becauseinthecinematicthischaracterisnowgettingkilledandit'slikeohmyGodnowthecharacterisalonefortherestofthegame,orsomething.Andso,Idon'tknowifthat'sagoodpointtojuststartflyingaroundlikeamosquito.Whydon'tyoujuststayforamomentandpullbackwith thecharacteras theyare lookingatsomethingoff-cameraand they'redevastated?And thenas the camerapullsback thedeadbodycomesinto the shot or something.Youknow, something that feels a littlemore emotional.Or do aPOV,somethingthat'ssubjectiveorsomethinglikethat.”Also,theymayjustbefilmingitinaway that just feels odd. It's hard to say but it's like, if you watch a foreign film—like IrememberwatchingamoviefromHongKongandithadsomereallycoolstuffinitbutrightinthemiddleof themoviewasamusicvideo, and itwas so jarring tomysensibility, comingfromHollywood,thatitmademerealize,“Oh,that'sjustadifferentsensibilityit'snotmine.”ButsometimesinthegamestuffIthinkthey'retryingtomakeafilm,excepttheyarenotusingfilmcamera techniquesormoviemoments.They'reusingstuff that iskindof from thevideogameworld,ifthatmakessense.AndIthinkthequestionwaswhatskill-sets…

…areimportantinstoryboarding?

Well, figure drawing, perspective, storytelling, and specifically shot picking. And alsocommunication skills—it's vital, I think, that anybody that's going to go into any kind ofbusiness,especiallyasafreelancer,hastobeabletocommunicatewell.It'soneofthethingsthat I saywhen I go and talk to that story—I talk at this class that's like storyboarding fordirectorsupatArtCenter.MyfriendAaronSaudteachesandoneofthethingsIalwayssaytothecollegekidsis,“Ihopewhenyougetoutofthisexpensiveschool,thatoneoftheskillsyougetistheabilitytocommunicatewell.Like,toclearlyandsuccinctlycommunicatetowhoeveryou'reworkingwithwhatyouwantthemtodoorwhatyou'retryingtodo.”BecauseItellthemstories aboutworkingwithdirectorswho just, theydon'thave that skill.Especiallyyoungerinexperienceddirectors.I'veworkedwithalotoffirst-timedirectorsinbothfilmandTVandit'salwaysso frustratingwhen theycan't explainwhat it is theywant.Soa lotof times I'vefoundmyself—like, they'll say what theymean. Like, they'll go, “There's this great shot inBladeRunnerthat'slike,Imeanitjustfeelslike,”andthey'rejustnotabletosayit.AndI'llsay,“Youmeanyouwanttodothatscarymomentwhenthey'recomingupintheelevatorandTyrell—istryingtopreventthemfromcomingupandthere'sthisshotpastRutgerHauerontotheguy,Sebastian,wherehe'sverynervous.He'snervousbecausehe'swithwiththereplicantbuthe'soutsmartingtheguyatchess.”Andthey'llsay,“Yeah,that'sit!”AndI'llsay,“Well,Ithinkoneofthereasonsit'ssoeffectiveisthatthereis,ifIrememberright,Ithinkthere'snocameramovement. It's just sitting therewith RutgerHauer's totally creepy face right in theforeground.”Inthatcase,I'venowtranslatedforthedirectorwhattheyweretryingtosay.

Ithinkadirectorneedstobeabletocommunicatewell.Ithinkastoryboardartistneedtobeabletocommunicatewell.AlsoIreallythinkastoryboardartistneedsbusinessskills.Justtheability to show up, meet deadlines, follow through on what they're expecting you to do,anticipatequestions,andaskthem,goandworkwiththeteamratherthanjusthunkeringdownanddoingabunchofworkandthenfindingout,“Oh,God,Ishouldhavegonedownthehall

andtalkedtothelocations,becauseitturnsoutthisisallwrong.”Commonsense,Ithink,isagoodskillset.Igetasked—studentsemailmesometimessaying,“ShouldIgotoartschool?”Ihadareallybadexperience inartschool25yearsagobutback then itwasbad.Theyweretrying to teach us Abstract Expressionism and they were not doing the fundamentals. I haddrawingonewhichwasdrawingthesoupcansandshoestheyputontheground,anddrawingtwo was drawing the figure, and that was it. I remember when I brought in my drawingsmidwaythroughthetermtoshowtotheteacherofthefiguredrawingclass.Hewentonandoncriticizing how I had drawn the figure in the middle of the newsprint, how it was a badcomposition.Lookingback25yearslater,Irealizedhedidn'tgivemetherightfeedback.Heshouldhavebeen talkingaboutproportion,whichwasmyproblemat the time,notabout thecomposition of this sketch on newsprint. So I think nowadays art schools seem to bemorefocusedonrealism.Ithinkifyoucanaffordit,gotoartschool,butyoudon'tneedittobeastoryboard artist. What you need is a portfolio, really. The Catch-22 is you also needexperience.Youhavetodosomesmalljobsandbuildupyourrésumé,aswell.

Soifyou'reastudenttryingtodoaportfolio,whatwouldyouputinit?Whatwouldyousuggest?

Ithinkthatwhatneedstobeinaportfolioforastoryboardartist isexactlythetypeofworkthattheywanttodoandonlythat.Iwouldneverputincomicbookpages,figuredrawings,youknow,anyofthestuffthatyouseeinalotofstudents’portfolios.Youusuallyseeamishmashofstuff that ifyouorI lookedat ityoucansay,“Ohyeah, thispersoncandrawtoacertainlevel.”But ifyoushowit to,youknow,thelineproducer'sassistantonsomeDisneymovie,theymayormaynothaveanyideaandsothey'lljustlookatitandthink,“I'mnotgoingtoshowa bunch of comic book pages tomy boss.He's going to getmad.” So that's one thing.Andbasically,Ithinkyouneedtohaveavariety,youknow,fiveorsixor10goodsamplesofthetypeofstuffweboardlikeheavyvisualeffectsscenes,stuntscenes,moodyscenes,andtheyshouldshowstorytellingskills,notjustawholebunchofrandomactionstuff.Ithinkthat'sonething that beginners and even some prosmake themistake of, just having a bunch of reallykineticdrawingsbutthere'sactuallynotabeginning,middle,andanend.There'snorealstoryorpointtothesescenes,whichiskindofanunfaircriticismbecausethere'sdozensofmoviescomingoutofHollywoodeveryyearthatarelikethattoo,thatdon'thaveanypointtothem.

ForTVcommercialsandmusicvideos,samething,youknow,havesamplesofcommercialsthatshow,youknow,somethinghappeningthatisnotjust,Iwouldn'tjustdomundanekitchenscenes. ImeandoaNike tennis shoecommercialor something that's excitinganddefinitelyshowtheproductattheend.AlotoftimesI'veseensamplesthatstudentsdothat,theyforgetthat thewhole point of this thing is to sell tennis shoes and so they don't actually show thetennisshoeverywell in thespot, if thatmakessense.Nowadaysallof thathas tobe, inmyopinion,has tobeonagood, adecentwebsite so thatyoucanemail it out electronically. Ihopethatanswersthequestions.

Well, so now I've taken my class, I've learned how to do my perspective and figuredrawing,I'vegotmyportfolio.Now,I'mastudent,howdoIgooutthereandgetsome

work?

Well,thefirstthing,asIsaid,Ithinkthebestthingyoucandoismakeagoodportfolio,putiton a decentwebsite, and then once youhave it you can start emailing it around.You couldemailittothevariousagentsthathandlestoryboardartists.That'sagoodplacetostartbecausetheyhaveclientscomingtothem.Theyhaveestablishedclientsandyoumightgetachancetoworkonsomething.ThatwashowIdidit,butitwasbeforeemailandInternetandeverything,soIjusthadaphysicalportfoliowhichIgavetomyagent.Inmyopinionthat'sprobablythebest way to do it but you can also network with other artists and they may be able torecommendyou.Ithinkthebestthingyoucandoisbeprepared.Beingpreparedmeanshavingenoughsamplesandavarietyofsamplesthatsomeonewhowouldprobablyhireabetterartist,amoreexperiencedartist,buttheydon'thavemuchmoney,theycanlookatyourportfolioandsayyeah,itlooksliketheycouldprobablydoit.Ithinkalotofstudentsmakethemistakeofhavinggooddrawingskillsbutnothavingthemintheirportfolio.Youseethis,that'swhytheyput figuredrawings inbecause figuredrawing looks reallygood,and it says Icandraw thefigurereallywell,butreallywhatyoushouldhaveisastoryboardsamplewithabunchofwelldrawnfigures.Whateverjobsyoudoget,doyourbestandthengiveacopyofittoyouragentorputinyourportfolio,putitonyourwebsite,andkeepupdatingit.

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FIGURE13.66

Basically networking is my best advice to students. I think the number one thing that killsbeginners in their chances of success is not updating the portfolio, not working on theirportfolio. That's the number one thing. I think the number two thing is themselves. It's theirattitudeabouttheirperceptionofwhatisorisn'tgoingon.Icanrememberemailingbackandforthafewyearsagowithaguythatshowedalotofpromiseandhewasalittlebitdragginghisfeetwithhissamples,butbasicallyhetalkedhimselfoutofgoingintofilmbecauseofthiswholestickysituationofhowharditistogetintotheunionandItriedtotellhim,“Youknow,therearepeoplewhohavewholecareers,30-yearcareers,theywereneverinaunionandithasn't stopped them, sowhy are you,whereyou'venever evengottenyour foot in thedoor,talking yourself out of it already?” Another thing that stops people, I think, is this wholesituation—there'salwaysbeenthistensionbetweenartistsandagentsandIthinkyoucouldtalktoanyartist,they'lltellyouhowevilagentsareandhowtheytakeadvantageofyou.Muchof

it'strue,butit'salsoanagent,ifyoulookatitanotherway,isanopportunitytohavesomeonewho isexperiencedhelpyouget into thebusinessandstay there.But Iknowfora fact, I'veseenitmanytimes,whereup-and-comingartistsgetoffonabadfootwiththeiragentandsotheyjustarelike,“Forgetagents.I'mnevergoingtohaveanagent.”Thenthey'restuckouttheretryingtobuildacareerbythemselvesjustfromscratchjustbecausetheyvow,theymakethisbloodoath:“Iwillneverworkwithanagentagainever,nomatterwhat,evenifnuclearwintercomes.”I thinkthatkillsalotofpeople'sprospects.It'saverydifficultbusinesstogetintoandIthinkyouneedpeople.InHollywoodthatmeansthere'salotofstrongpersonalities,alotofpeoplewhogotwherethey'reatbecausethey'retalkersandthey'reextrovertsandbasicallynotthekindofpeopleyouwouldwanttospendalotoftimewith.But,sometimesinbusinessit'suncomfortableandyouhavetomakesomecompromises,Iwouldsay.

I'vebeenaskingeverybody for twopiecesofadvice.One—something technical like, afavoritetoolthatyouuse,andtwomightbeabroaderquestiononsomeideaorattitudethatyoushouldknowtomoveforward.Socanyougivemeoneforeach?

Technical tip—I think thebest I can thinkof to improveyour, the realismofyourdrawings,we'retalkingaboutaliveactionstoryboardingnow,istoimprovetheheadandhanddrawings.Mostofthetime,ifI lookatastudent'sportfolio,it's thefirst thingIsaywhenwe'retalkingabout the subject of improving your drawing, not necessarily improving shot picking orstorytelling.Butifyoucanjusttakethesameexactsamplesthatyouhaveandjustredrawtheheadsandhands,instantlyitlookslikeabetterdrawing.Sometimesthefigureissobadthatitjustlooksterrible,butthatisprobablymybestpieceofadvicedrawingwise.Philosophically,Iwouldsayanybodythatwantstogointostoryboarding,beawarethatthisisnotthebesttimeinhistorytobecomeastoryboardartist.Thefutureisprettybumpybecauseofall theprevisthat is taking somuch of ourwork away. I believewe'll always be here, butwho knows?Thingschangerapidly.Butthatsaid,ifsomebodywantstodoit,nothingIsaywillstopthemandtheyshouldgoforit.ButIreallythinkifsomebodyisgoingtobeastoryboardartist,theyhave got to realize that drawing is only 50 percent of the job and what I've seen in myexperiencewith somany talentedpeople struggling andnot findingwork, there are externalforcesthatkeepartistsfrombeingsuccessful.Inmyopinion,sooftenartistsshootthemselvesinthefootwithhavingabadattitude,justnotnetworking,nottalkingtothepeoplethatthey'reworking with, and as I've said before, not improving their portfolio. Basically just basiccommonsense,realizingthatthere'sawholeotherside,halfofthejobisnotjustdrawing.It'ssolvingproblems, taking careofbusiness, networkingwithpeople, lookinghonestly at yourownwork.Therearesomepeoplewho,someartistswhojustrefusetoseethattheyneedtoimproveonacertainaspectoftheirdrawingandtheyjustwillnotdoit,theywon'tgothere.Infactthat'sonethingthatI'veheardsomeonesaythatartschooldoes,isitdoesn'tnecessarilyteach you to draw but it teaches you to watch yourself drawing and to then, hopefully, beobjectiveenoughtosay,“Oh,wowI'mnogoodatdrawing thefigureorcars,”orwhatever,“I've got towork on that!” So, if thatmakes sense, that'smy best philosophical advice.Befriendlytothepeopleyouworkwith.Beresponsible.

Alright,so,isthereanythingelseaboutstoryboardingthatyouwouldliketotalkabout,

or thatyou'vebeen thinkingabout thatyouwant togetoffyourchest?Goaheadandfreestyleit.

Freestyle it!Letme think.Well, I think I speak for every storyboard artist out there that, ofcourseweallwishthatwecouldsomehowgetmorerecognitionforwhatwedo.Youknow,sooftenyouseeamaking-ofdocumentaryonafilmor themaking-ofbookofafilmthatcomesout, and what you see art wise is all of the beautiful, amazing concept art, and rightly sobecausethatsellsbooksandthat'swhatpeoplewanttosee.ButIwishtherewassomewaythatthefansofthesemoviesandeventheotherdirectorsandfilmmakersthathireus,Iwishtherewassomeway theycouldknowwhatadifficult and important job this is.Where,youknow,allofusliveactionboardartistshaveallworkedonfilmswheretherewasnodirectorevenhiredyet,therewasnocrew.I'veworkedonfilmswhereitwasjustmeandtheproducerandthere'snoscriptandwemakepartofamoviejustlikethat,justussittingaloneinaroom.Andthenpeoplestartgettinghired.IfoundthisveryintimidatingwhenIwasfirststartinginfilm,sittingatatablewithadozenotherpeoplewhohaveallkindsofexperienceandskillsgoing back to when I was in second grade, even, and they're sitting there and they'rescrutinizingshotbyshot,drawingbydrawing,thisstoryboard.Andyouthink,“Wow,Iwasinthatbuildingtherewhen—they'drentedthebuildingbuttherewasnoonetherebutmeandthejanitor,thatwasit.AndIcookedthisthingupoutofthinairandnowthey'requestioningme.”Ican'treallysayanything,butIsortofwishsomebodywouldsortofsay,“Ohgee,youmadethisallup?That'sgreat!Youdeserveaprize,”orsomething.Theprizeistheypayus,butIwishthere was some way that storyboard artists’ contribution to films could get acknowledgedmore.We'renotevenguaranteedcreditonunionfilms.I'veworkedformonthsandmonthsonfilmswherea first-timedirectorwashired forpolitical reasonsorwhateverand Imadeupwholesectionsofthemovie,includingaddingplaceholderdialog,anditgotinthemovie,andbythewaythisisjustme—Ithinkanyliveactionartistyoutalktowilltellyouthesamestory.And then thefilmcomesoutandmyname'snoteven in thecredits justbecauseofwhateverreason.Theydidn'twannaspendthemoneyfortheprintsorwhatever.I'vehadargumentswithproducers—Itrynottoargueonthejob,butIhadaproducercallmeonamoviethatIworkedonfornearlyayearandsaid,“Look,”hewasapologizingbecauseIknewhimwell,hesaid,“Ijustwantyoutoknow,we'renotgoingtobeabletoputthestoryboardartist'screditsinthere.”Ijustsaid,“Igottatellyou,wemadeupthismuchofthatfilm,andIthinkitwouldbereallyuncooltodothat.Justplainolduncool.”And,amazinglyinthatcase,hecapitulated.Butitwas—Icouldhearitinhisvoice—Itwasamoneything.Ithinkthatit—Iliterallythinkithastodowithhowmanyfeetoffilmorsomething.Idon'tgetitall.It'sthemostridiculousthing.That'stheonething—Iwishthatwecouldsomehowgetmoreacknowledgmentforourcontributionsbutit'snotthattypeofjob.It'sthetypeofjobwhereyougodowninthemineandcomebackwithgoldandyouhandittowhoeverpaidyoutogodowninthemine.Hopethathelps!

INTERVIEWWITHSHERMCOHENSTORYBOARDSUPERVISORATDISNEYTELEVISIONANIMATION(www.StoryboardSecrets.com)

ShermCohen'sfirstprofessionaljobwasdoingaCaliforniaRaisinscomicbook.Hespentalotofhisearlyyearsfreelancing: inkingoncomics,doinggagcartoonsformen'smagazines,

andspotillustrationsforlocalmagazines.HiscreationofanindependentcomicbookleadtohimworkingontheRenandStimpyShowasa trainee.Thenhewenton toNickelodeonforHeyArnoldstartingasarevisionist,thenasaboardartist,thenlaterasastoryboarddirector.Between1998 and 2005 heworked onSpongeBob SquarePants for both the series and themovieasaboardartist andboardsupervisor.He laterwenton toCartoonNetwork forMyGym Partner is a Monkey, then to Disney for Phineas and Ferb. After returning toNickelodeonforthefirstseasonofTheMightyB!hereturnedtoDisneyforPhineasandFerbandKickButowski as adirector and is currently (asof thiswriting)onFishHooks. Shermalsorunsanonlinestoryboardingclassatwww.storyboardsecrets.com.

Let'stalkabouthowyoustarted.Youreducation,whatskillsyouhadgoinginbeforeyoustarteddoinganykindofstoryboardingatall.

It'sinterestingbecauseIneverhadanyintentionofbecomingastoryboardartist.Iwasalwaysinterested in being a comic book artist, and way back when out of high school I went tocollege, for a year,majoring in art and then right away I realized thatwasn't forme at allbecauseIdidn'tunderstandthedistinctionbetweenacommercialartistandafineartist.AndIwasreallyfuzzyonthewholenotion.SoonceIcouldtellthatIwasn'tinterestedinbeingwiththefineartscrowd,IdecidedtoenrollintheJoeKubertSchool,andthiswasbackinthemid-eighties,andIwantedtolearntobeacomicbookartist;Iwasreallyintosuperherocomicsandotherthings,andIwenttherefortwoyears—learnedanawfullotofstuff.Itwasareallygreateducation,becausethoseguysarereallyfocusedondeadlines.They'reoldprosandtheywere teaching those old school sort of ethics. And theywere teaching us really rock solidbasics especially about storytelling and visual storytelling. So that was a really greatbackgroundtohave.Andcomingoutofthatschool,andagainIwasinterestedinfindingworkasacomicbookartistbutIfoundthattherewasvery,verylittlemarketfordoingfunnytypecartoonsorfunnytypeofcomicsanditjusthappenedthatduringthattimethatIwasatKubertIrealizedthatmyworkwasgravitatingmore towards thehumorousside,but thenIfoundthattherewasnomarketforit.AndIkindofdroppedoutoflookingforwork,becauseIwasreallydiscouragedforquitea long timeand that's something that Iwant togetback to.Eventually,afteraboutfiveyearsofgoingbacktocollege,tryingdifferentjobs,goingintoretail,goingintoworking in a psychiatric hospital, all kinds ofweird things, I finally decided that Iwas somiserable not doing cartooning that Iwas going to have to figure outwhat to do. So I juststartedmakingmy own comics, just independent comics and Iwent to sell them at the SanDiegoComicConvention.Thiswasbackin1994then.

Sowerethesejustmini-comicsorweretheypublishedbysomebody?

Nothesewerefull-sizedcomics,butitwasself-publishedinasense.ItwasmyselfandonepartnerwhereIdidalltheartworkandstoryandhetookcareoftheprintinganddistributionwithDiamondandallthat.Sothat'swherethingsstartedtohappenforme.IhadthesecomicsandIwassellingthemattheSanDiegoConandoneofthedirectorsfromTheRenandStimpyShow,wasattheconandlookedatmystuff,hewasprobablylookingatallkindsofthingsasafan,andthiswasBillWrayandhelookedatthecomics,hecouldseeweprobablyhadalotof

thesameinfluences,mostlyHarveyKurtzman,andhesaid,“Hey,haveyoueverthoughtaboutdoing storyboarding?” and I was like, “Well, uh, gee, that sounds great, but I don't knowanythingaboutit!”Andsohewasverynicetosay,“Oh,whenyoucomebackinLA,givemeacallandwecanhavelunch,andI'lltellyouaboutit.”Sohedid,andthat'ssortofcrackedopenthedoor.ButthenextsectionthatIwanttotellyouaboutisprobablythemostinterestingforstudents. The really important thing is to get yourwork out therewhere people can see it,becauseifIhadn'tdonethat,Iwouldneverhavecaughtthatopportunity.Sothat'sabigthingIalwaystrytotellpeopleisthatwhetheryougetyourworkontheweborwhetheryouxeroxitandgotoshows,youneedtogetyourworkoutthere,otherwisenobody'sgoingtoknowwhatitisyoucando.Butthesecondthingishegavemeanopportunitytoshowmyworktohim,andIdidandhecritiquedit,andhesaid,“Well,thisisgood,butthisisn'tanythinglikewhatweneedforstoryboarding.”Thethingisthatthedifferencebetweencomicsandstoryboards,oneofthebigdifferences,isthatwhenwedrawcomicswelearntocompresstime.Wetrytofit as much into one panel as you can for economy's sake. And in storyboarding it's theopposite,youreallyhave topose thingsoutandyoucan'thave twoactionshappening in thesamepanel,letalonethemany,manydialogsandthingsyouhaveinacomic.SoIwaslearninghowtodothat.Hedidn'tlikewhatIhadverymuchandItoldhim,“Ah,letmeworkupanotherbatchofsamples.”AndsoIwentbackandlikeforthreeweeks,justworkedlikecrazytryingtocreatesomenewsamplesbasedonwhathetoldme.

Nowwereyoumakingupstoriesonyourown,orweretheresomeoldscriptsyouwereworkingfrom…?

That'sagoodquestion.AtthetimeIwasjustdrawingposes.Iwasjusttryingtodrawdynamicposesor…it'salittlehardtorecall…ortorecreatescenesfromtheRenandStimpyShowatthetime.ButthesecondtimeIshowedhimmywork,hewaslike,“Well,Icouldseethatit'sgettingbetter.”Hesaid,“It'sbetter,”buthe'slike,“It'sstillnotgoodenoughtoshowthepeoplebackatRenandStimpy.”AndIwasatthatpointlike—“Wow.”Knockedthewindoutofmysails,but just forabout10seconds,whereas I just sucked itupand itwas like,“Youknowwhat,letmeseeanotherfewweeks.Letmegiveitanothershot.”Andatthatpoint,that'swhenIpulledoutthestops.Iwrotealittlescene.Wrotemyownstoryboard,basically,itwasabout15pageslong.AndIjustwantedthemtosee—yeah,Icouldwrite,yeahIcancomeupwiththis stuff, and Ihadexamplesof storyboards,whichat the timewereveryhard tocomeby.Nowadays,with the internet you can just do a little bit of searching andyou can find somefantasticsamplessoyoucangettheformatright.AndIbroughtinthatthirdsetofsamples,andhewaslike,“Youknow,letmebringitinandshowBobCamp.”AndBobwasthesupervisingdirectoratthattime.Andtheygavemetheopportunitytoworkthereasatrainee.Thiswasanon-unionshopatthetime.Andsoitwasbasicallyafootinthedoorposition.I thinkIwasmakingaboutaquarterofwhatthestartingratewouldbeforstoryboardartists.ButIwasveryhappytogetit.

AndthiswasforRenandStimpyor…

Yes,thatwasforRenandStimpy,itwasforGamesAnimation.Andatthattime…

DidyousayGamesAnimation?

GamesAnimationwastheproductioncompany.NickelodeonAnimationStudiosdidn'treallyexistquiteyet.GamesAnimationwasalittleentitythattheycreatedaftertheytooktheshowawayfromSpumco.Thatwastheirproductioncompany.SoIstartedthereasatrainee.AndIhadanopportunity,even though itonly lastedsixmonthsbefore the showwascancelled, tolearnasmuchaspossible.Sothatwouldbethethirdphase.Thefirstoneisgettingyourworkoutthere;doasmuchasyoucantoletpeopleseeyourwork.Thesecondonebeingifyouhaveanopportunity,yougottoworklikecrazytograbontothatopportunityandnotletitgo.AndthethirdthingiswhenIgotinthereIjustaskedasmanyquestionsasIcouldasIwasdoingthework;beinghelpfulwheneverIcould.Ifthatmeantmakingxeroxes,Iwouldmakexeroxes.Ifitmeantgetting somebody lunch, Iwouldget somebody lunch.Butultimately it justmeant thatanytimeIdidsomething,especiallyiftheydidn'tlikeit,Iwouldaskthem,“Geewhat'swrongwithit,howcanImakeitbetter?”SoIthinkIlearnedabouttwoyearsofexperienceinthatsixmonths.Thenextpartaboutthat—itisfascinatingformetotraceinbackinmyownmind—isthat one of the directors was Craig Bartlett, who went on to create Hey Arnold! forNickelodeon.AndCraigstartedonRenandStimpyaroundthesametimeIdid—neartheendoftherun.Andwewereboththenewkids.Andeventhoughhehadlotsandlotsofexperiencebehindhim,hewasnewthere.Andwegottoknoweachotherprettywell,andbythetimethatHey Arnold! launched at Nickelodeon, we already had a relationship, he already knewmywork.Iwasn'tgivenajob,butIwasgivenanopportunitytotakeatestforthejob.AndIgotthejobonHeyArnold!.AndIhadthatjobforaboutthenextfouryears.AnditwasduringthatlongerstretchoftimethatIreallyhadtheopportunity,startingasastoryboardrevisionist, tolearn,becomeastoryboardartistnextandthenaboutayearlater,becomeadirector,andsoIreallytookthatopportunityagainbyaskingquestionsallthetime,andseekingtofindwhereverpossibletogainthoseskillsfromtheenvironmentthatIwasin,toreallygetafirmfootholdintheindustry.

Yousaidyoudidalittlebitofrevisionwork.Canyoutalkaboutthat?

Absolutely. Storyboard artists, that position is an incredibly demanding position. In TVanimationthatprobablymeanschurningoutabout12pagesaday.Sometimes15pagesadayofstoryboards for a total of storyboards that are going to be 200 or 300 pages long in just amatter of a few weeks. And considering that a lot of comic artists are interested in doingstoryboards,butthereareveryfewcartoonistswhoaredoingcomicbooksthatwouldbeabletochurnouta200pagecomicbookinfiveweeks.That'sjustlike,“It'sberserk,that'sinsane!”Sotohit thegroundrunningasastoryboardartistwithnopreviousexperience isvery,verydifficult. And the people I've seen try it, really, really struggle with it, and end up eitherquittingorgettingfired,orjuststrugglingwithitquiteabit.SoIhadtheopportunitytostartasastoryboardrevisionist,whichmeantthatIwasjustbasicallyhelpingthestoryboardartistsbycleaning up scenes that they didn't have time to clean up. Taking their rough drawings andmaking themclean.Ordrawingcrowds in thebackgroundofa scene.Ormore frequently, ithadtodowiththedirectoroftheshow,afterthestoryboard'sbeenfinishedandthatstoryboardartist hasmovedon to another episode, because theykeep comingone after another, if they

havetomakefixestothatboard,orre-writeanysections,wellthatstoryboardartistis,likeIsaidhe'salreadyworkingonsomethingelse.Itcan'tstop.It'slikeafreighttrainandifyoutrytostop it,yougetabigcrash.So thedirectorwill thensay,“Hmm,youknowwhat,we re-wrotethisscene,”andhemightdescribemethesceneorhemightgivemeapageofscript,andinsteadofhavingtodealwitha20-pagescriptfora200-pageboard,astoryboardrevisionistmight get a half a page of script, or a description of a scene and then they'll have theopportunitytohaveafewdaystodothatonescene.Andithelpsyoureallygetyourfeetwetandbuilduptospeedandbuildconfidence.

Forbeingarevisionist,alotofourreadersmightwanttoknowhowquicklythey'regoingtohavetowork,howmanyboardsthey'regoingtobecomingupwithadayoraweek…

It'savery,veryfastpacedjob,butitcanalsohavefitsandstarts,becausetheremaybedayswhenthere'snothinggoingon,andyou'rewaitingaroundforwork.Andinapoorlyorganizedstudio thatwouldhappen. Inamorewell-organizedstudio…they'dstillbemakingfixes tostoryboards…attherateofabout10pagesperdaytostartoutwith.

10pagesmeaninghowmanypanels?

Oh that's agoodquestion. It'sbasedona3-panel storyboard.But thekey tonote is that thestoryboards don't have to be really cleaned up. There's a degree of finish that happens inanimation storyboard that is quite a bit different than feature storyboardswhere a lot of thedrawings look like illustrations.But inTVstoryboards,becausewe're churning themout soquickly,oftentimestheleveloffinishcanbequiterough,likeitisonshowsthatI'mworkingoncurrently likeFishHooks—thedrawings are relatively rough compared to other shows I'veworkedon.LikePhineasandFerb,whichIworkedonforacoupleofyearshasamuchtighterrenderingstyle,soitalsodependsontheshow.Anotherkey,andthisishopefullyahelpfultip,isthatinTVanimation,ifyouhaveonescenethatgoesacrossanumberofpanels,let'ssay3panelsor5panelsor10panels, themost important thing is tocleanup thatvery firstpanelvery clearly so that you can see all the characters and their costumes and the backgrounds,everything very clearly—and then it allows you in subsequent panels to draw it a little bitmore loosely, concentrating on the gesture and on the expression, because you set the basicsceneandallthedetailsinthefirstpanel.Andthat'sawaythatartists,iftheyreallyhavetogoquicker,thenit'slikemakesurethefirstpanelisreally,reallycleanandthenyoucangoalittlebitrougherontherest.

Nowalotoftheseboardsaresentoverseas.Soaslongasyougetthefirstpanelright,afterthatyou'remostlydealingwithacting,right?

Yeah,primarilyyou'redealingwithactingunlesstherehappenstobeacameramoveofsomesort,youknowyouwant toaddress theshiftedbackgrounddrawing.Andthat'sagoodpointaboutshippingtheshowoverseas,isthatyou'renotgoingtohaveanycommunicationgenerallybetweenthestoryboardartist,andtheoverseasstudio,soit'simportantthatyoudrawthingsinsuchaway that someonecan lookat it andunderstand itveryclearlywithouthaving toaskquestions, or even frankly read the scene description underneath. It's very common for TV

storyboardsatanyratetohavedescriptionsoftheactunderneaththedrawingjusttocoverupany ambiguity, but what happens is the scene descriptions are translated into the targetlanguage,whichmightbeKorean,itmightbeChinese,itmightbeIndianandyoucan'treallyrelyonwhat they'regoing to say, so it's really important tomakeyourdrawingsasclearaspossible.

Sowe'llgetintohowyoufirstbrokein—youwereworkingasarevisionist,andhowlongwereyoudoingthatbefore…?

Iwasdoingthatforroughlyayear.Andwhathappensis,eventhoughit'sdifficulttofindworkasastoryboardartist,meaningit'snotthekindofjobanyonecanjustwalkinoffthestreetandget, it takes a bit of perseverance, andquite a bit of hardwork and a goodportfolio, goodability at drawing and storytelling…What Iwant to say about that is, as hard as it is, asdifficult as it is to break into a storyboarding position, there's always a demand for goodstoryboard artists. It's hard to get a job in the first place, you just need to realize that thestudios are chewing up and spitting out artists very quickly, and because of the demandingschedule,there'salwaysaneedforgoodstoryboardartists.Soifyoucanproveyourself—thatyoucandothe jobandyoucandoiton time—thenassoonaspossible, thepeople thatyouworkwitharegoingtojustscoopyouupandputyouintothatposition,becausepeoplequit,peoplemove on, people get fired,who knowswhat. That'swhat happenedwithme, Iwasgraduallyoverthatperiodoftimeshowingmyselftobeabletodomoreworkwithoutsomuchindividualattentionfromthedirector.Atonepoint,Igotawholeshowthatthedirectordidn'tlike,andhesaid,“Justfixthis.”AndIsaid,“Whatdoyouwantmetodowithit?”Andhesaid,“Ah,doitover!”.Youknow,hereallydidn't likeit,andsoitgavemetheopportunity to—Iwasn't working from scratch, but I could seewhatwas done there and any of the scenes Ithoughtmightbepumpedupbetter,Iwouldre-draw.

Bythistimemaybeyou'dshownyourselftohavesomekindofwritingtalent?

No,notatthispoint.AtthispointeverythingIwasdoingwasnotrelatedtowriting.It'saverygood question that you have, because thewriting aspect comes in a couple years later. ButduringtheHeyArnold!show,thatwasascriptedshow.SomostlyithadtodowiththewayIwasabletointerpretascriptandputitintovisualterms.AndhavethecharactersactingandalsothefilmmakingusethatIwasdoing.Ratherthanhooting,ordrawingeverythingasthoughitwasonaflatstage,Iwasabletointernalizethestoryenoughtoknowwhenarethemomentswhenyou'regoingtowantacloseup,whenareyougoingtoneedanupshotoradownshot,andthatcomesfromsomethingelseIwasdoingduringthoseyearswhichwasstudyingfilmslikecrazy,tryingtolearnconsciouslythefilmlanguagethatwealltakeforgranted.Andit'sathingthatalotofpeoplewilldoinstinctively…knowingwhentodrawaframeacertainwayorwhentotiltthecameraacertainway.It'ssomethingthatallofusasvisualpeople,sortofinternalizedfromwatchingalotofTVandalotofmoviesandalotofcartoons,butatsomepoint if theartistcanstudyandconsciouslytry tofigureoutwhat they'redoing, thenallofasuddenitwilltakeyourworktoahugenewlevel,becauseasastoryboardartist,you'rereallythefirstlineofbeingthedirectorofsortsbeforeitevengetstothedirectorespeciallyintheanimationfield.Soyouneedtobringapersonalvisiontoittomakeitsomethingthat'sactually

goingtostandoutandbeworthnoticing.It'sfairlyeasytobeaverage,buttostickoutamongthecrowd,itrequiresyoutoalwaysbetryingtobetteryourself.Andlearningsomethingaboutfilm—Iwasliterallywatchingafeaturefilmeverydayforacoupleofyears.Itwaslike,I'dgohome, I'dwatcha film.At first, thequestionwas, thereare somanymillionsofmoviesouttherehowdoIknowwhichonestostudy—thegoodones,andwhicharethebadones?SoIfiguredI'djustlookattheonesthatweretimetested.I'dstartwatchingtheclassicsfromthefortiesandfiftiesormoremodernclassicsthathavestoodthetestoftime.Iwouldalsofollowotherpeople'srecommendations.PeoplewererecommendingthingstomethatIwouldneverhave sought out like silentmovies,which turned out to be one of the great joys ofmy life,learning about Chaplin and Keaton and Harold Lloyd and early Laurel and Hardy becausethey'realljustpurestorytelling.Forcomedypurposesifyou'redoingfunnystuffthat'sagreatthingto lookat.Sothewritingpartdidn'tactuallycomeinuntilaftermyexperienceonHeyArnold!But there isonemore thingonHeyArnold! that Iwant tomention is thatduring thecourseofthistime,Iwentfromaboardrevisionisttoafullstoryboardartistthentoadirectoron that show, and theway that happenedwas pretty strange and very fortunate forme.Ourexecutiveproducerontheshowwasjustinterviewingpeople,Idon'tknowwhatpossessedhertodothis,andshewaslike,“Well,whatareyourgoals?Whatwouldyouliketodo?”AndIsaid,“Well,likeayearfromnow,I'dliketobeadirector.”AndsotheypartneredmewithDanPovenmire,he'sthecreatorofPhineasandFerbrightnow,soI'veknownDanforquitealongtime, andweworked together as a storyboard teamwhere hewas a director and Iwas thestoryboardartist,eventhoughthedirectordoestonsofstoryboardingaswell.Andweworkedtogetherverycloselyandwelearnedalotofthings.Andatonepoint,ourproducercalledmeintoherofficelikeayearlaterandsaid,“Okay,we'rereadytomakeyouadirector.”AnditshockedmethatshehadtakenwhatIhadtoldherwasmygoalandapparently,shewassortofsaying, “Okay, that'swhatwe're going todowithyou.”So it's also really, really, importantonceyouhaveajob,ifyouhaveambitionstodosomethingelse,ortodomore,toletyourco-workers,yourbossesknowwhat that is,becausewhen there'sanopportunity, then theymaycome to you for that opportunity. I was frankly quite shocked by it. It's not like I wasn'tprepared to take it on, because I was, but I was just so happy that someone was not onlylisteningtome,buttakinganinterestinmyowngoalsandinmyowncareer.Ofcourse,it'satwo-waystreetbecause itworksoutbetter. It'snot likeproducersareSantaClausand theirwhole goal in life is to helpme, but itworks out good for them, itworks out good formebecause like I said, they always need people that can do this kind ofwork and I had beentrainedwithDanPovenmireforayearwhoisreallyanaccomplisheddirector,andsothenIwasreadytotakeondirectingonmyownshows.

Let'stalkaboutthejobitself.Yourrelationshipwiththedirector,whatthejobentails.

Ingeneral,mostshowsstartwithascript;unfortunately,thereareahandfulofshowsthatarewritten and drawn by the cartoonists purely in visual form, but letme address the scriptedshowfirst.Scriptedshows,again,that's90percentoftheshowsthataremade,inaTVshowforatypical11-minuteshowyou'llgetascriptthatisbetween18and22pageslong.Ascriptshouldn'tbemorethan15pageslong,buttheyalwaysmakethemmuchlongerthantheyneedtobe.That'sawholedifferenttopic,butyou'llgetthescriptandtypically,you'lleitherworkwith

twopeoplewhereoneislikethedirectorandoneislikethestoryboardartist,orforsomeonewho is more experienced they may have just one person working all by themselves. So itseemslikethere'stwiceasmuchworkifthere'sonlyoneperson,thatistrue,butitjustdependsonthebudgetoftheshow.AtCartoonNetwork,itwasthefirsttimeIeverhadtodoashowallbymyself,andthenlateronwhenIwentbacktoNickelodeonforTheMightyB! Iwasalsoworkingonashowforfiveweeksbymyself,buttypicallyfiveweeksandascript.Andwhatusuallyhappensinthefirstweekofyourfiveweeksisyoutrytodothumbnaildrawingsoftheentirestoryboardthatyoucanreallymapoutinareallylooseformat,whereyou'regoing.Andthosethumbnaildrawings,canliterallybeaninchandahalfbyaninchinthemarginsofthestoryboard.Theycouldbeonpost-itnotes, theycouldbeonbig sheetsofblankpaper.Theimportantthingisthatyoujusthaveaclearideaofwhereyou'regoing.

Areyouthumbnailingtheentireshowbeforeyou'redoinganyfinalboardsorareyoujustdoingasectionatatime?

Usuallyyouwould thumbnailout theentire thing. Iwill say that,partlybecauseyouneed toshowittothedirectorfrequently,afterthatweek,youkindofneedtopitchittothedirectorbysittingdownwiththemandshowingthemtheworkthatyouhave…whereyou'replanningongoing because it's very risky to turn a storyboard artist loose for five weeks, not seeinganythingatall,andthenallofasuddenattheendoffiveweeksyougetsomethingthatmaybedoesn'twork.It'sverytypical,thatastoryboardartist,afterthumbnailingwillneedtoshowtheboard to somebody—whether it's the director of the show, it might be the storyboardsupervisor.Atanyrateoneveryshow,there'sgoingtobethatpersonthatyouneedtoreportto.

Areyougoingtobereportingtothemeveryday,or…?

It's typically once after about aweek,with your thumbnails. And theywill give you notes,typically.If theylikeeverythingthatyou'vedone, they'll justsay,“Okay.”Butusually, they'llfind a certain section,where theymay look at your thumbnails and… itmay be that it's aspooky,scarysequence,andthedirectormightlookatitandsay,“Youknow,Ithinkyouneedtomakethisalittlescarier,trytoshowsomemorethingsinshadows,orshowtighteranglesthatyoucan'tseearoundthecharacters.”Therecouldbeanumberofthingsdependingonthesituation. Or let's say it's an action sequence. The director might ask you to draw it morebroadly,tomakesurethatthere'smoreaction.Oneofthekeysinworkingthroughashowistomakesure there'sa lotofhighsanda lotof lowssothat theshowhasacertainamountofaride,likearollercoaster,whereitstartsoutinoneplace,thetensionpicksup,andthenitgoesfasteror thenitgoesslowerandmaybeit'sveryexcitingatsomepointsandmaybeit'sveryquiet … that's a part of the pacing that you need to learn only through experience andobservationabout story.But that'sbasicallyyour firstweek.Typically then,outofyour fiveweeksyou'llhaveanother twoweeksinwhichyoucanroughout thestoryboardonfull-sizepaper, or digitallynow.So storyboardonpaper is frequently threepanels per page, but it'ssometimestwopanelsperpagelately,becausethescreenratioshavechangedinthelastfewyears.Becausemorework is produced inwidescreen format, it's frankly harder to fit threepanelsontoapage,sothetwopanelstoryboardpagehasbecomemorecommon.Muchmore

commonhasbecomethedigitalstoryboardwhichdoesn'tworkinpagesatall,itjustworksinindividualpanels.Soallofthistalkaboutpagesmaybeoutdatedinafewyears,butyoucouldjustmultiply thenumberofpagesby twoor three to figureouthowmanypanelsyouwouldneedtoproduce.

So the ideaofdrawing in theroughform—ontheactualpaperoron thescreen—is tomakesureyou've integratedall thedirector'ssuggestionsandnotes,andalsoyou'regoingtocomeacross things you hadn't thought of at the thumbnail stage because you're really workingeverythingout.Oneoftheseisposingandacting.Usuallyinathumbnail,there'sreallynopointinactingoutallofthescenesindetail.You'rejusttryingtodrawsomeofthekeyposesinthescene,so theroughformbecomeswhereyoureally leteverythingplayout indetail. It's justthatthedrawingsareveryscribbly.You'rejusttryingtogetthemdownasquicklyasyoucan.And it is always better to have a completed board that's rough than to have an incompleteboard that's clean. It's one of the key things. Because if the production ends up with acompletedboardthat'srough,theycanstilleithergetarevisionisttofixit,ortheycouldshipitwithsomeadditionalclarifications.Butaboardthat'sincompleteiscompletelyuseless.Andintelevision,justlikemanyotherbusinesseswheretheyusestoryboards,thedeadlinesarenotjustfortheindividual,butthewholeproductionissetuplikeaproductionline,meaningthateveryweeksomethingisexpectedtoshipbecausesomebodyiswaitinginChinaforthenextboardthatyou'regoingtosendthem.Andifyou'relatethatmeansthatyourstudiooverseashasdowntimeandthey'renotdoinganything,butyou'restillpayingthem,etc.

Sothere'sreallyhugestakes.Eachoftheseepisodescosts,Idon'tevenknowhowmuch,it'sclearlyafewhundredthousanddollarsperepisode.Andwhentheschedulegetsknockedoffkilter, it's adisaster.So that'sone thingabout the rough stage is that if youknow thewholethingisdoneinroughformanditworks, thenyou'recool.At thatpointyouhaveameeting.Thisistheendofthethirdweektypically,itdoesvaryfromstudiotostudio,whereyouwillnowpitch that roughboard to thedirector, give themonemore chance to see it, to findoutwhat'sworking,what'snot.Sometimesthingsseemtobereadingwellonpaperbutyoumaywanttopitchtheboardbypinningituptothewall,thisissomethingthat'sfairlycommonwithcartoonstoryboards,youpinthethinguponthewallandliterallygothroughitandreaditandactitouteitherinfrontofasmallcrewofdirectorsandwriters,oritmaybetheentirecrew.Thepointofthatistofindanyofthosesectionsthatarejustdroppingdead.Ifyougetlaughs,laughs,laughs,thenyouknowyou'redoingwell,butifyougetlaughs,nolaughs,nolaughs,andthenmore laughs then you know that somewhere in themiddle, gee this section isn't reallyworking.Oneofthethings, typicallywewoulddo, isusuallyyou'llwanttocut thosethings.Showstendtorunlongerallthetime,thanyouwantthemto.Sothat'swhathappensaftertherough,isyou'rereallygettingclosertoboilingitdown.

Areyoufindingyourselfworkingalotfromprerecordedsoundtracks?Isthesoundtrackbeingdoneatthistime?

That'sanexcellentquestion.Ideallyonthescriptoffortheshow,youwouldbegivenatapeoranMP3filewhich theycalla track, somepeoplemightcall itanEMReven though that'sacompletelyoutdatedtermthatstoodforElectro-MagneticRecording.Anditwouldbelikean

inchwidetape.Someofthepeoplewhohavebeeninthebusinessareallylongtimemightsay,“Oh,makesureyougettheEMR,”eventhoughthereisnosuchthing.Soyou'reworkingfromarecording.Unfortunately,intherealworld,abouthalfofthetimethatyou'redoingastoryboardtherewillbenorecordingbecausetheproductionhasgottenbehind.Idon'tknowhowmanytimesthishashappenedwhereyou'restartingaboardwithnorecordingtoworkfrom.Andinthatcase,you'rejustworkingfromthescriptimaginingwhattheactingwouldbe.Andmaybelateron,aftertheshowhasbeenrecorded,astoryboardrevisionistmighthavetogobackinandchange theexpressionswhere theremaybeabigdifference inexpressions.Shows likeTheMightyB!werereallyextraordinary in that (AmyPoehler)…she'son thatshowParksandRecreation,SaturdayNightLive…Anyway,thestarofTheMightyB!whoco-createdtheshow,she'safantasticcomicactress—absolutelygreat—andwhenshewouldrecord,thosewerethebesttracksIeverworkedoffof,becauseIcouldlistentohervoice,Icouldlistentothewayshewasacting,andIcouldtotallyseethecharacterdoingallofthisstuffinmymind.Anditmadeitveryeasyformetodrawfunnydrawingsbecauseshewasactingreallyfunny.Soifyouhavearecordingavailabletoyou—firstofall,youhavetolistentoitafewtimes,youjusthavetoorelseyou'regoingtogeteverythingwrong,buttheotherthingisthat it'sareallyhugebenefitifyoudohaveone,sothanksforremindingmeaboutthat.Afterthatrough,and after youget approvals or corrections, the final twoweeks are typically the time to docleanup,andthat'swhereyou're literallyat thispoint just focusingondrawing.Mostartistsfindthatthisistheeasiestpartofthejob.That'swhereyougettositdown,typically,youcanput your headphones on, you could listen tomusic, you could listen to audio books—someartistswatchTVshowsontheircomputerwhilethey'redoingthis.Becauseit'sthepartwhereyoudon'thavetoworryaboutstorytelling.You'vealreadytakencareofthatstuff,andyou'rejust trying to make pretty drawings out of it. I mean it still requires some degree ofconcentration,butanartistcan'tbeonfireallthetime,andsothatcleanupstage,eventhoughit'salotofwork,issortofthementaldowntimefortheartist.Andyoudoneedtochurnouttonsofpagesatthistime.Remember200pagesofcleanupdrawingsis400panelsoverthecourse of let's say 10 days. So that's 40 panels per day…and that's about 12 pages or 13pagesadayofatwopanelboardthatyou'recleaningup.Butthethingisyoudon'thavetothinkaboutittoomuchandit'snotthatbad,it'sabouttwopagesanhour.Youjustgotstayatit.Youpullupapieceofpaper.Youeithertraceitoveroryouuseakneadederasertorubitdownorifit'sacomputeryoucanpoponanewlayertocleanitup,orjusttweaksomeofthelines.Itdepends.Everybodyworksdifferently.Ihaveafriendthathisroughsaresocleanthatbythetimehisroughsareapproved,hebarelyhastodoanythingatallforthenexttwoweeks

Have you found that with everything going digital that things are changing and thatmaybeyou'llbeaskedtoananimaticratherthanboardsonthewallforinstance?

WellIcantellyouI'veheardofthathappening,butI'veneverseenithappen,andI'veneverbeen asked to do that. I've just sort of heard apocryphal stories of artists having to do that.AlthoughIknow that for theFoxshows likeFamilyGuy andothers that theypose themoutextremelydetailed,andI think that theartistsaredrawing theboardswith theanimatorveryclearly inmind.Whereasmostly just about everything I've donewe're just trying tomake aboard as good as possible and that the animatic is dealt with by the director separately. It

wouldn't surpriseme at all ifmore andmore it gets to that point, but it's going to be verydifficultforanyonetofindthetimetotrytodobothofthosejobsatthesametime.

Nowgettingbacktotherealgruntworkandexpectations,Iknowofdifferentpeoplewhohavedifferentrulesofthumbabouthowmuchtodraw.I'veheardsomepeoplesaythatevery time there'spunctuation,youdrawanewpanel,orevery timesomeonestopsorchangesdirection,youdrawanewpanel.Doyouhaveanyrulesofthumblikethat?

I'venevercodifiedthatway.Icansayforsurethough…it'sstrangethoughthatalotofartists,especiallyinaconversationthatgoesbackandforthbetweencharacters,mighthaveonlyonepanel fora lineofdialog.And Iwould say that there's rarelyanycase inwhichyouwouldwant to have only one panel. Because animation by the very nature of the word is aboutmovement,it'saboutlifeandyoucan'thaveanymovementatallifthere'sonlyonedrawing.Ithastostartsomewhereandendsomeplaceelse.Soevenwithacharacteronlysayingacoupleofwords,youcanstartwithastart-posewherethecharacterisinasettled,normalposeandthenwhen they say theirwords, they're either leaning forward, they're leaning back, they'retilting theirhead, they'remaking theexpression, they're lifting theeyebrow—something.SoIcansaydefinitivelythatnoscenehaslessthantwopanels.

Then the question comes in, “Howmany poses do you need to draw?”My suggestion hasalwaysbeen,“Asfewposesaspossibletogettheideaacross.”Thatmaymeanalotofposes,but theexamplethatIfrequentlygiveis ifacharacter is inasceneandhe'sputtingonatie.Well,youcoulddrawthatwithjustafewposesofthecharacterholdingatieandputtingituptohiscollarandtheninthenextpanel,thetiecouldbecompletelytiedandyoudon'tneedtodrawalltheinbetweenthings.Butthatscenarioisonlyifthetietyingisn'tcentraltothestory.Ifit'sjustalittleincidentalactionthenyoudon'tneedtogointoallthatdetail.Becauseitcouldtake50panels toshowaperson tyinga tie ifyouwanted togoon inallof thatdetail.ThiscameaboutwhileIwasonHeyArnold!Ihadacharacterwhohadtoputonasweater,anditwas just killing me trying to draw this because there's so many different motions that acharacterhastogothroughtoputonasweater—itwasgoingtotakemeallday.SoIwentandaskedthedirectorforsometips.Andhesaid,“Inthefirstpanel,he'sholdingthesweaterlikeuptohisheadforexample,andin thesecondpanel, thesweater'son—that'sallyouneedtodo.”AndIwaslike,“Really?!That'sfantastic!”Butthepointofthatwasthatthescenewasn'tabouthimputtingonthesweater.Thescenewasabouthimwalkingoutthedoorofahospitalwithhisgrandson.Ithadnothingtodowiththesweater,itwasjustabitofincidentalaction.Ialways recommend that you use as few poses as possible to clearly communicate that. Nosceneshouldevergobeyond12or13panels,soifyoufindyourselfgoinginthatdirection,youeitherneedtofindagoodplacetocutawaytoacharactertalkingordoingsomethingelseor you've just managed to over-pose it.We had a situation recently on a show in which acharacterdrewanobjectfalling,anditwaslike16panelsbecausetherewasallthisdetailofthe object falling, falling, falling, hitting the ground, bouncing, bouncing. And it was like,“Whatareyoudoing?Whocares?That'slikewaytoomuchwork.”Andwejustcutitdowntojustafewpanels.

Anywaysofknowingwhenyou'vedrawntoomuch?Whatkindsofquestionsmightyou

askyourself?

Whenwe'redrawingonpaper,forexample,Ijustknowthatwehadtoputlettersoneachpaneltoindicate—scenenumberswouldbedonewithnumbers,scenepanelnumberswouldbedonewithletters.ThiswasonNickelodeon,itvariesfromstudiotostudio.AndwejustsimplyhadaruleonSpongeBobthatifyougetto“n”you'vegonetoofar.Thatwasall.Itwaslike,you'redoingtoomuchifyou'vedonethat,whichwouldbeabout13or14panels.Soit'sreallyhardtogiveafirmanswertothat,butoneofthebestthingstodoistolookatsomeofthemany,manyexamplesthatyoucanfindofstoryboardsontheinternetandjustcompareittotheworkthatyou'redoingand try to consciouslypull somethingoutof thatbycomparing them to theactualfilm.AgreatexampleofthatwouldbelikeontheMiyazakiDVDlikeKiki'sDeliveryService,MyNeighbor Totoro—thoseDVDs have all the storyboards on a separate disc inanimaticform.Andyoucanseethroughhisexamples,someofthebeststoryboardsyou'lleverseeandyou'llalsoseewhenhe'sposedsomethingout toagreatdegreeandwhenhehasn't.That'sarealgreatguidelineforanimationstoryboards.Forfeaturestoryboards, theactingismore left to the actor to actually do, so even though action may be very posed out,conversations wouldn't really be posed out because you let the actors do all of that. So itvaries from whether you're doing feature storyboards that are much more posed out, TVstoryboardslessso.

Is there anydifference between showsdone inFlashwhere you're dealingwith assetsthatarealreadyworkedout,itmightbealittlebitdifferentfromsomethingthat'sdrawnout?

Youknow,I'veonlyheardofoneexamplewherethatwasthecase.Forthemostpart,whetherit'sanimatedinFlash,orevenwhenit'sinCG,thestoryboardingseemstobenoteffectedbythat.Theoneexception to thatwasaFlash showbeingproducedatNickelodeonwhere thestoryboardartistswereactuallydoingtheboardswiththeFlashlibraryforthatproduction.ButI'veneverseenthattakeplacesincethen.Itwouldmakesense,I think,ifstudiosweremoreorganizedintheirplanning—thatwouldprobablymakesense—butwithallthedifferentshowsthatI'veworkedon,I'veneverexperiencedthat.

Ifyou'reabeginnerandyou'reinschool,andyouwanttoknowwhatthingsyoushouldstudy,orhowyou'regoingtomakethefirstcontact,orshouldIhaveawebsite,shouldIhaveablog—ifyouwereakidrightnowinschoolandyourgoalwastodostoryboardsforacartoon,whatwouldyoubedoingrightnow?

Thefirstthingwouldbetotakeadvantageofthefactthatyouareinschool,andmakesurethatyou'reinvolvedinstoryboardingoranimatingorworkingonastudentfilm.Byusingyourclassexperience,totakethetimeitrequirestomakeasampleboard,thenyou'llalreadybeonelegupwhenyougoouttoshowpeopleyourwork,becauseifyouwanttogetajobasastoryboardartist,thefirstthingyouneedistohavestoryboardstoshowthem.Andalotofartistswillsay,“Oh, I don't havemyownboards, I don'twrite, so I can't createmyown storyboards.”Butwe'veseenmanyartistswhohavestoryboardsfor theirstudentfilms.Andsorightawaythehave something that they've completed thatwe can see.And evenwith that, if someone can

give them a critique, at least they have something to critique from. Themost primary thingwouldbetobemakesurethatyou'recreatingthework.Thesecondthingwouldbedefinitelytohaveyourownwebsite.Andtohaveapresencethroughouttheweb,sothattherearepeoplethatyou'llcomeincontactwiththatyou'llgettoknowandwhetherthatpresencecomesfromlargecommunitieslikeDeviantArt,whichisanexcellentplaceforgettingalotoffeedback,alotofencouragement,alotofexposure,DeviantArtisverygood.It'snotagreatprofessionalplatformbecauseit'sstillprimarilyavenuefornonprofessionalsorpeoplethatarestilltryingtogetintothebusiness.There'sstilltonsofreallygreatprofessionalsthatareonDeviantArtincludingmyself.There'sguyslikeAdamHughes,hugesuperstarsthatareonDeviantArt,buttherearealsotonsofpeoplethatarejuststartingout.Thecommunityisvery,verysupportive.Startinguparegularblogthough,isessential.It'ssupereasy,ifyoujustwanttostartsomethingbasic usingGoogle'sBlogger templates, you canget a blog started in about 15minutes andstartpostingthings.Butwhatyouwanttobeabletodoisifyoumeetsomebody,thenyouwanttoshowthemyourwork.Youwanttosimplybeabletogivethemawebsiteaddresssotheycangotoandlook.Youwanttomakeiteasyforthem.

Do you think most kids are going to need to wait for the job boards, or should theyaggressivelytrytofindcontactsontheinside?

That'sagreatcomment.There'sadirtylittlesecretaboutjobpostingsI'mgladyouaskedmeaboutbecausethiscanreallysavepeoplealotofheartachesifthey'reawareofthis.Thejobpostingsthatcomeupinanimationstudiosorthatarepostedwiththeunionorthatarepostedin all kinds of places—they're not always really looking for somebody. A lot of timescompaniesarerequiredbyequalopportunitylawstopostjobopenings,evenwhenthejobisn'topen.Let'ssayI'mSuperDuperStudios,andIwanttohiresomebodyforajob.Nowthelawrequiresstudiostomakesurethatthey'refollowingallkindsoflegalregulationstoofferthatjob to everybody. And later on, they make a show of, “Okay, we've offered the job toeverybody,butwe'regoingtopickthisoneperson.”Soalotoftimesthepostingsarereallyfakeleads,andalotofpeopleareveryfrustratedbythatsortofthing.Thejob'salreadygonebythetimethejob'sbeenposted.That'snotalwaysthecase,butit'sfrequentlythecase.Oneofthemainwayspeoplegetwork,isthroughpeoplethey'veworkedwithinthepast.Nowthiscanbefrustratingforsomeonewhohasn'tdoneanywork,butthat'sagainwhystudentworkissoimportant.Forinstance,I'veseentonsofpeoplethatI'veworkedwiththatwhenyou'veduga little bit deeper andyou'vegotten toknow them,you findout that they allwent to schooltogether.Theywere all in the sameclass,whether itwasCalStateFullertonor itwasCalArts,orsomeplaceelse.Andit'snotbecauseit'sanoldboys’network,whathappensisthatsomebodygetsajobbecauseofthemeritsthattheyhaveandthenwhentheyfindoutthroughtheirownworkthatlet'ssayIfindoutthat,“Gee,they'rereallylookingforstoryboardartists,”Imightmentiontomyfriend,“Hey,they'relookingforastoryboardartists,youmightwanttocomedownhereandIcanshowyourportfolio to theboss.” Iused to really, reallyhate thenotion that when I started out that you have to know someone to get a good job in theentertainmentfield.Anditisstilltruetosomedegreethatitreally,reallyhelpsandbecomesthebackbonetoeverythingthatyoudo.ButpartofthewayIwouldrecommendpeopledothatisjusttobroadentheircircleofpeoplethattheycanasmuchaspossible.Andagain,ifyou're

inschool, that'sahuge,hugeopportunity.Justplaynice,collaboratewithasmanypeopleasyoucan,andjustmakegoodrelationships.Beinghelpfulandfriendlygoesalong,longway.Andeverybodywho'sworking in thestoryboard fieldhasacompletelydifferentstoryabouthowtheygotinvolvedinit.Alotofguysgotinvolvedthroughcomicsbecauseashowcreatorreallylikedtheircomicbooks.Forexample,SteveHillenburgonSpongeBobwasareallybigfanofKaz,whoisareallygreatindiecartoonist,whohadbeendoingfantasticcomicssincetheeighties.HewaslivinginNewYork,andStevejustalwaysreallylovedKaz'scomicsandhewas like, “Iwonder ifKazwould be interested doing a storyboard?”And hewas like,“Nah,hewouldn'twanttodoit.”Andsotheyendedupcallinghimupandhewaslike,“Heckyeah!”Hehadneverworkedinanimationbefore.CameouttoL.A.andstartedworking,andhe'sbeenworkinginanimationeversince.Butit'sbecauseheputhisworkoutthere.Peoplecame and noticed it and he got an opportunity. It turned out that working for the weeklynewspapersthathewasdoing,eventhoughhewasprettypopularinthatfield,it'snotaverylucrative field. So hewas very happy to start working in animation, and consequently he'scontinuedtoworkonhisownprintcartoonsthroughalltheseyearsaswell.

I do want to mention, backtracking a little bit, that when it came to being noticed for mywriting, and how someone could get noticed for a job that way, again it happened in thescrewiestwaypossible.IhadmadeoneofmyindependentcomicbooksbeforeIevergotintoanimation,itwascalledCancerMan.Igaveacopyofthiscomictoafriendofminewhowasworking on Rocko's Modern Life at the time. And Derek Drymon, who was the friend,apparentlyleftthecomicinthebackseatofhiscar,andhewasgoingoutandhewasgoingouttolunchwithhisfriendSteveHillenburgwholaterwentontocreateSpongeBob.WellStevereallylovedthecomic.Itreallycrackedhimup.Ididn'tknowanythingaboutthisuntilacoupleyearslaterwhenSteveaskedmetocomestoryboardonSpongeBob.AndIwasjustlike…Ididn'tevenknowif IcoulddoitornotbecauseIhadn'twrittenforanimationyet, Ihadjustwrittenmyowncomics.Andhesays,“Well,IreadyourCancerMancomic,anditwasreallyfunny,soIthinkyoucoulddoit.”AndIsaid,“Well,ifyouthinkIcoulddoit,thenI'llgiveitatry.”And if he hadn't seen that comic in the back seat ofDerek's car, hewould never haveknownaboutmywriting.Sothebiggest,biggest,biggestthingafteractuallycreatingtheworkistogetthatworkunderasmanypeople'snosesasyoucan.

Shouldyoubeageneralist,oraspecialiststartingout?

It'satoughthingtoaddress.Itisgoodtohaveawell-roundedability,especiallyinstorytelling.Asastoryboardartist,Iwouldsaythemostimportantthingistobeagoodgeneralistintermsofbeingabletotellastoryandtoknowwhat'simportantinastorysoyouknowwhichpartsofthestoryareimportant,wheretoemphasizetheemotion,wheretoemphasizetheaction.Sointhatsense,it'sverygoodtobeageneralist.Butinanimationwearebrokendownintotwobigcamps. One being the action-adventure type of show—Batman, orBrave and the Bold, orAvengers—and then the funny stuff. And then there's also sort of amiddle-ground likeTheFamilyGuy,where they're cartoons, but they're not very cartoony.And among those, you'redefinitelygoingbebetteroffbeingaspecialistinoneofthosefields.Becauseifyou'rereallygoodatdrawingfunnystuff,you'llhaveaneasier timegettingajobonafunnyshow.Andifyou'rereallygoodatdrawingactionstuff,you'regoingtobeashoe-infordrawingonanaction

show.Iwouldnever,myself,trytogetworkonanactionshow,becauseIknowthattheguyswhodothatkindofworkcouldjustmopthefloorwithmeasfarasdrawingaction-adventureand superheroes. And they probably feel the same way, about in the way they probablywouldn'tfeelcomfortableonSpongeBoboronFishHooks.

Yougottoknowyourstrengths.

Yeah,absolutely.Youwanttobroadenyourhorizonsasmuchaspossibleespeciallyintermsofstorytellingtechniques.It'seasytofallintoarutofstagingeverythinglikeasitcomandthat'swhat everybody seems to default to.But sometimes the peoplewho stay abreast ofmoderntrends in storytelling,whether it's television commercials or anything that's reallyout of theordinary,canreallypopoutinastoryboardwhenit'sdonethoughtfully.Andit'slike,“Whoa!That'sagreatidea!How'dyoucomeupwiththis?How'dyoucomeupwiththatshot?”Andthatdoesn'talwaysmeantheneweststuff,itcanalsomeantheoldeststuff.Bystudyingsomeoftheoldestcomedyworks,you'llalsobeabletocomeupwithalotofinnovativeideasbecauseyou'll find that99percentofyourcoworkersdon'thaveany idea thatold,classicstuffevenexists. I find for example, I'll just throw this out there, that the movie Sunset Boulevard,directedbyBillyWilder, is I think thegreatestmovie evermade, and it hasprettymuchanendlessencyclopediaofthingsthatyoucouldlearnaboutstorytelling.Justtofocusinonthatonemovie.There'smorethatyoucanlearnfromonewell-mademoviejustbywatchingitoverand over again asking yourself constantly, “Why did they choose that shot? Why did theychoosethatangle?Whydidtheydecidetocutthereinsteadofafterwards?Byaskingyourselfthat question after you've placed yourself in the hands of let's say someone who'sacknowledgedasamasteroffilmmaking,whetherit'sagainMiyazakiorifit'sBillyWilderorifit'searlyStevenSpielberg.Butyouwouldn'twanttodothatwithMichaelBayorMcG.Youknow,you'dbetakingsomerisksbecausethosefilmmakerssoalotofthingsthatareright,buttheyalsodoalotofthingsthataren'tnecessarilygoodstorytelling.

I'maskingallmyintervieweesfortwotips:onethat'smorekindofatechietiporkindofahands-ontip,andmaybesomethingthat'salittlemoregeneral.

They'rebothalittlebit tiedin,butthefirst techietipIwouldsayistodrawalotonpost-itnotes.Drawalotofyourstoryboardroughsonpost-itnotesandevensomeofthecompletedworkonpost-itnotes.Post-itnotesareserendipitouslyverysimilartomostscreenratiosandsoit'sveryeasytodoboardsonthem.Butwhatitreallydoes,isbecauseyou'redrawingonapieceofloosepaperthat'skindofacrappy,throwawaypieceofpaper,itletsyouasanartistsortofloosenupalittlebitandnotbesopreciousabouteverydrawing,becauseIpersonallyhave a very hard time drawing inside of a pre-printed box.A lot of storyboard paperwillcometoyouonasheetofpaperwithanicelyprintedbox.AndIjustkindoffreezeupknowingthatwhateverIdrawonthispieceofpaperisthefinalartwork,soI'vehadalotofsuccessbydrawingonpost-its.Becauseifyoudon'tlikeadrawing,youjusttearitupandyouthrowitawayreallyquick,andyoucan'teraseandreallydoabeautifuldrawing.Itkeepsyoumovingatafastpace.Butalsoletsyourearrangetheorderalittlebit.Soifyou'redrawingonpost-its,andthenyoudecidethat,“Oh,youknowwhatIneedafewmoreposesinbetweenthesetwoposes,” and you're not cutting up pieces of paper trying to do all of those things.Now that

doesn't apply to digital at all, but in terms of thumbnails, I still frequently draw on post-itnotes.WhenIhavetomovereallyfast,I'llactuallyscanthosethumbnailsin,cutthemup,andput them in the digital storyboard. For some reason, I'm able to draw on post-it notes veryquickly.TherewasashowwedidonKickButowskiwherewehadtocompletelyre-writethefirsttwominutesopening,andthat'slike20percentoftheshow.AndIhadtodoitinonenight,andIwaslike,“Uugh!”Justfeverishlydrawingonpost-its,scannedthemallin,droppedthemintothestoryboard,andtheywereprettyloose,buttheywerethereandtheyweregoodenoughtoship.Sothat'sabigone:Drawonsomethingdisposable,post-itnotesarefantasticforthat.

ThesecondgeneralnotethatIwouldgiveisthat—IcouldputitintermsthatmyfriendRobertsaid,“It'seasiertoeditcrapthanair.”AndwhatIwouldsayismysuggestionistoreallygiveyourself permission to do crappy drawings. It's very, very intimidating to try to draw astoryboardandthinkthatyou'regoingtobelike,drawingafinishedstoryboardfrompaneloneandcontinuingonafterthatbecauseyouwanteverydrawingtolookreallygood.Butifyoujuststart out andyou just start scribbling things andgettingyourpencilmovingandputting stuffdownevenwhenyoudon'thaveanyideas, ifyouhavetostageasceneandyourdon'tknowwheretogowithit—ifyoujustdrawsomethinghorrible,thenyoucansortoflookatitandgo,“Ahwell,obviously Iwant tohave thischaractera littlebitbigger in the frameandmaybemoreofanupshotontheretomakeitmoreinteresting,”butitcanreallybeparalyzingtobefacingeitheranewstoryboardoranewscriptoranewpageorwhateveritis,butyouhavetobuildupaheadofsteam.Sometimesdrawingabunchofcrappydrawingswillgetyouthroughthatheadofsteam, thenyoucangoback laterandyoucanfix themup. Inadeadlinedrivenindustry,Itrytodrivethishomeallthetime,andIneedtohearthisjustasmuchasanybodyelse—isthat“done”isthemostimportantthing.Irarelyseeanartistthatturnseverythinginontimegetfired,whichisn't tosayit'sokaytodomediocrework,butit'sfarbettertogetyourworkfinishedandnotsogreatthanitistotrytomakeeverypanelperfectandthenbelateonyourdeadlines,because in this industry, it'sallaboutdeadlines.Thestakesareveryhigh intermsofallthemoneythattheyspend,andhowmanypeopleyou'reaffectingwithlateboards.It's all tricks that you have to play on yourself to be able to get yourself to finish thismonumentaltaskoftryingtochurnout12pagesofproducteveryday.

OnelastthingIwillthrowintothissecondthingistoalwayskeepinmindthatforeverysinglestep of the way when you're drawing, what is the story about?What is this scene that I'mdrawingabout?Andhowdoesthisscenefitintothebigpicture?So,it'seasytogetblindersputon—you'reworkingonthisoneparticularscene,amomandadaughterhavingbreakfastinthisonescene.You'llgetcaughtupinthescene.Youmaybetemptedtodosomecloseupsonthe cereal bowl or a cool angle—but if you've forgotten what the scene is about—you'veforgottenthatthesceneisaboutamotherthatdoesn'ttrustherdaughterorit'samotherwho'safraidthatherdaughterisgrowinguptoofast—THAT'swhatthesceneisabout.It'susuallynotaboutwhat it isonthesurface.Youneedtothinkaboutwhat'shappening.Becauseonlythenareyougoingtobeabletododrawingsthataregoingtocommunicatetherealessenceofthestory which is always something that has to do with emotions and some sort of dramaticemotionalthingratherthatjustwhat'sonthesurface.Alwayskeepthestoryinmind.

Isthereanythingthatyouwantedtotalkaboutthatwedidn'ttalkabout?Thatyouthinkisimportantthatyouwantmetocover?

I'lljustrattleoffafewmoviesthatIparticularlylike.LikeIsaidtoyoubefore,ImentionedtoyouSunsetBoulevard.Jaws isanotherone thatcanbe lookedataspurestorytelling.Againthat'samoviewhereyouthinkit'saboutpeoplehuntingashark,butJawsisnotaboutpeoplehuntingashark,it'saboutamanwhohastoovercomehisgreatestfearstoprotectthisfamily.Sothat'sagreatexampleofwhereyouthinkonthesurface,“Ohyeah,it'samovieaboutsomeguy chasing a shark.” No. It's never about what you think it's about. Like Superman,particularlySupermanII, it's like, “Oh, it's about someguy trying to save theworld fromanuclearbomb.”No,it'saboutastrangerinastrangeplacewhodoesn'tknowhowtofitin.It'susuallyaboutwhat thepeoplearegoing through.SoJaws isa reallygoodexample.Moviesthataregreat tohaveondiscwouldbeKiki'sDeliveryService,probablyoneof thebest—there are otherMiyazakimovies that aremaybemore adventurous ormore stylized, but intermsofpurecharacter,plotandstorytelling,Kiki'sDeliveryServiceisfantastic.AndI'mveryfondofTheKid byCharlieChaplin. It's a shorter film; it's about 45minutes long so, it's areallygoodonetostartoffwith.OthersthataregreatfromhimwouldbeCityLightsandTheGold Rush, for example. And Casablanca! And as far as being aware of general filmstorytelling,IstillrecommendtopeopleIworkwithallthetimeabookcalledTheFiveC'sofCinematography by JosephMascelli because it's a straight basic encyclopedia of tried andtrue,testedstorytellingtipsandonceyou'velearnedthethoughtprocessbehindusingallthesedifferent techniquesofstorytellingthenitbecomessecondnatureandyoudon'thaveto thinkaboutitanymore.

MoretipsSome of themost common things Iwas running intowith new studentswas they frequentlyframethingswaytootight.Evenwhenyouthinkyouneedtoframeacharactertightly,youstillwant togive themenough room tomove their torsoand theirarms.And theclosest thatyougenerallywanttogettoacharacterattheextremeisusuallylikeaheadandshouldersshot.Butshooting characters from the waist up is a good idea in terms of your general shooting orfurther away from that. It's really commonwhen you frame characters too tightly they don'thaveanyroomtomove.Iftheydon'thaveroomtomove,theydon'thaveroomtoact.Intermsofscreendirection,itseemstobeaverydifficultthingforalotofpeopletocatchonto.OnewayItrytoboilitdownforpeopleverysuccinctlyistotellthem,thatifyouframeacharacterontheleftsideofthescreenandyouhaveadifferentcharacterontherightsideofthescreen,the easiest thing to remember is that that relationship should always be the same. The leftcharactershouldalwaysbeontheleft,andtherightcharactershouldalwaysbeontheright,until you actually see them switch places on the screen. It's just one of the easiestways toremember itwithout having toworry about angles and stage line and everything. It's like ifJoe'sontheleft,Fred'sontheright,theneverytimeyoushowthem,Joeshouldbeontheleft,andFredshouldbeontheright.Andwhencharactersmovewithinascene,youprobablywanttoshootthatinawidershottogivethemachancetomove.Andthenyousimplyre-establishtherelationship.It'saneasywaytorememberit.

NOTES1Turnaroundcharacterdesignsaremodelsheetswithorthographicviewsofthecharacterusuallyfromthefront,profile,3/4view,andbackview.

2FamousFramesisastoryboardagency.

3TheThirdFloorisapreproductionstudioinLosAngeles.

NothingintheworldcantaketheplaceofPersistence.

Talentwillnot;nothingismorecommonthanunsuccessfulmenwithtalent.

Geniuswillnot;unrewardedgeniusisalmostaproverb.

Educationwillnot;theworldisfullofeducatedderelicts.Persistenceanddeterminationaloneareomnipotent.

CalvinCoolidge30thpresidentofUS(1872–1933)

Tobealiveistogrow.Tobestagnantisdeath.Nevergetcomfortableandyouwillnevergetcomplacentwithyourart.IwouldcallaguythatsweepsthestreetforalivingandtriestodoitbettereverydayanartistbeforeIwouldconferthetitleonasell-outpainterwhocranksoutthesamecanvasdayafterday.Thegreatestofartistsalwaysfeelliketheyhavemoretolearnandthereissomethingouttheretheydon'tunderstandyet.Thatthingyoudon'tquiteunderstandiswhatkeepsyoudrivingharderandharderandmakesyougetbetter.Thisiswhatittakesforyoutomakeitasastoryboardartist.Thepassionthat's insideofyouwillhavetogrowandcarryyouthroughtheupsanddownsofacareerinfilmmaking.

Theexperienceofbeingaprofessionalstoryboardartistisajourneyofexcitementandchange.Newtoolsandtechnologiesareinventedallthetime,andit'suptoyoutobreaknewgroundinstorytelling for the generations to come.Remember, it is your emotions that youwill drawfromwhencreatingstoriesforothers.Learnthetoolswellandkeepuptodateonthetrendsintheindustry.Butkeepinmindyourartismeaninglessunlessithaslife'sexperiencesbehindit.Greatartcapturesthetruth,joy,absurdity,sadnessandfearofeverydaylife.Soalongwiththemanyhoursofdrawing,studying,andfilmhistory,gooutandenjoytheworld.Enjoypeople.Fallinlove.Takeeveryopportunitypossibletoexperiencetherichnessthisworldhastooffer.

Yourartwillbebetterforit.

Youmight be tempted along theway, because of economic hardship or family pressures, togiveupalifeinfilmmaking.Noonesaidthiswouldbeeasy,butitismuchmoredifficulttofaceyourselfinthemirroreverydayknowingyoudidn'ttakeashotatfulfillingyourdreams.Weareheretotellyouthatitispossibleandhopefullyafterreadingthisbookyouunderstandalittlemoreaboutwhatittakestomakeyourstoryboardcareerareality.Storyboardartistsarecreated and emerge likebutterflies after longyears of artistic development. Jobswill comeandgo,buttheworldwillalwaysneedgreatstorytellers.Thisisnowyourchallenge.Wedareyoutodreamandcreateworldsnotyetseenbefore.Thisisyourjourney.Whenyoudiscoverwhatfillsyourheartandmakesgreatstories,shareitfortherestoftheworldtosee.Andwhenyoudiscoverwhat it takes tocreate thosegreatstories,pass thatknowledgeon to those thatcomeafteryou.

Whenit'syourturntobeginthejourneydon'tdelay,anddon'tbescared.Mistakesandfailurewillmakeyougrow.Embracethemandtheywilltakeyoutothefinishline.It'swithasmileandawinkthatItellyoutheoldadageisabsolutelytrue—“…ifyoufindacareeryoulove,you'llneverworkadayinyourlife…”

StoryboardArtistCommunitywww.storyboardart.org

PromoteYourselfwithaProfessionalFacebookPagewww.facebook.com

NetworkwithotherProfessionalsonLinkedInwww.linkedin.com

IATSELocal800StoryboardUnionwww.adg.org

DrawingBooksBarbaraBradley(2003)DrawingPeople,Ohio:NorthLightsBooks.AndrewLoomis(1944)FigureDrawingforAllIt'sWorth,NewYork:VikingPress.

AndrewLoomis(1939)FunwithaPencil,NewYork:VikingPress.RobertValley,MassiveSwerveBooks1–4,SanFrancisco:RobertValley.comAnatomyBooks.

GeorgeBridgman(1920)ConstructiveAnatomy,NewYork:DoverPublications.StephenRogersPeck(1951)AtlasofHumanAnatomyfortheArtist,NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.

BooksonStoryRobertMcKee(1997)Story,NewYork:HarperCollins.DavidMamet(1991)OnDirectingFilm,NewYork:PenguinBooks.

BlakeSnyder(2005)SavetheCat,California:MichaelWiseProductions.

BattleshipPotemkin(SovietUnion/1925)DirectedbySergeiM.Eisenstein

BoogieNights (USA/1997)DirectedbyPaulThomasAnderson

ButchCassidyandtheSundanceKid(USA/1969)DirectedbyGeorgeRoyHill

Casablanca(USA/1943)DirectedbyMichaelCurtiz

CitizenKane (USA/1941)DirectedbyOrsonWelles

CityLights (USA/1931)DirectedbyCharlesChaplin

DisneyFilms

TheGallopin’Gaucho(USA/1928)DirectedbyUbIwerks

PlaneCrazy(USA/1928)DirectedbyWaltDisney,UbIwerks

SnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarfs (USA/1938)DirectedbyWilliamCottrell,DavidHand

SteamboatWillie (USA/1930)DirectedbyUbIwerks

TheThreeLittlePigs (USA/1938)

TheEnglishPatient(USA/1996)DirectedbyAnthonyMinghella

Ghostbusters2(USA/1989)DirectedbyIvanReitman

GIJoe (USA/2009)DirectedbyStephenSommers

TheGodfather:PartII(USA/1974)DirectedbyFrancisFordCoppola

TheGoldRush(Germany/1925)DirectedbyCharlesChaplin

TheGoodtheBadandtheUgly(USA/1967)DirectedbySergioLeone

Goodfellas (USA/1990)DirectedbyMartinScorsese

HellboyII(USA/2008)DirectedbyGuillermodelToro

TheIncredibles (USA/2004)DirectedbyBradBird

TheIronGiant(USA/1999)DirectedbyBradBird

JacktheGiantKiller(USA/1962)DirectedbyNathanJuran

Jaws (USA/1975)DirectedbyStevenSpielberg

TheJazzSinger(USA/1927)DirectedbyAlanCrosland

TheKid(USA/1921)DirectedbyCharlesChaplin

Kiki'sDeliveryService (Japan/1989)DirectedbyHayaoMiyazaki

KungFuPanda(USA/2008)DirectedbyMarkOsborne,JohnStevenson

Ladder49(USA/2004)DirectedbyJayRussell

LawrenceofArabia(USA/1963)DirectedbyDavidLean

LittleBoy(USA/2012)DirectedbyAlejandroMonteverde

TheMask(USA/1994)DirectedbyChuckRussell

MeninBlack(USA/1997)DirectedbyBarrySonnenfeld

TheMummy(USA/1999)DirectedbyStephenSommers

Nine (USA/2009)DirectedbyShaneAcker

ThePhantomMenace (India/1999)DirectedbyGeorgeLucas

Psycho(Brazil/1960)DirectedbyAlfredHitchcock

RaidersoftheLostArk(USA/1981)DirectedbyStevenSpielberg

TheSilenceoftheLambs (USA/1991)DirectedbyJonathanDemme

StarWars (USA/1978)DirectedbyGeorgeLucas

SunsetBoulevard(USA/1950)DirectedbyBillyWilder

Superman(USA/1978)DirectedbyRichardDonner

SupermanII(USA/1981)DirectedbyRichardLester

TheTenCommandments (USA/1956)DirectedbyCecilB.DeMille

Terminator3(USA/2003)DirectedbyJonathanMostow

Thor(USA/2011)DirectedbyKennethBranaghandJossWhedon

TopGun(USA/1986)DirectedbyTonyScott

TouchofEvil(France/1958)DirectedbyOrsonWelles

Vertigo(USA/1958)DirectedbyAlfredHitchcock

WarHorse (USA/2012)DirectedbyStevenSpielberg

WheretheWildThingsAre (USA/2009)DirectedbySpikeJonze

TheWizardofOz(USA/1939)DirectedbyVictorFleming

actionscenes138–9;seealsosecondaryactionactionswithinshots90advertisingstoryboards110AfterEffectssoftware141agentshandlingstoryboardartists226–7animatics105,139–41AnimationGuild152antagonistsinstories91Aristotle218ArtDirectorsGuild151artschools221,228aspectratios57–9asymmetryinimages14–15audiotransitions136

backgroundtoanimage34,78,141–2Bartlett,Craig232Bay,Michael244beatboards102–3“beats”inastory10–11,19–20,89–92,116,121Beck,Steve157Bergstein,Scottie205Bioware174–5,182bird'seyeview67–9blogs241–2bodylanguageoffilmcharacters48,98,120BoogieNights75boomshots74Borrelli,Mauro200brightcolors101Buscema,John201ButchCassidyandtheSundanceKid184

C-curves,drawingof44cameramovement73–5,133–8,141–4;acrossthe180°line85cameraposition67–75;effectonemotion70–5Camp,Bob231Carter,Rick214Casablanca246Chaplin,Charlie250

choicesmadebycharactersinfilm93chokershots64Cintiqmonitors126CityLights246clarityinstoryboards79–80clean-updrawings238–9climaxtoastory88,91–2close-up(CU)shots63,71–2,85Cohen,Sherm229–51TheCollector163–72color,choiceof33,101comedicscenes101communicationskills220–1compoundshapes45conceptartists179conflict:internalorexternaltocharacters94;levelsof91Conn,Damon174continuityboards104–7ContractServicesAdministrationTrustFund(CSATF)151contracts153–4contrastbetweenobjects32–3coolcolors33Coolidge,Calvin248Cornwell,Dean102cowboyshots62Craigslist.orgwebsite149,153craneshots74–5cuttingstyles137

darkcolorsanddarkimages33,101deadlines245delToro,Guillermo206DeMille,CecilB.6depositspaidforstoryboardingwork153depthoffieldofalens76–7depthinastoryboard21–39;usedtosupportstaging101designincorporatedinscenes92–3DeviantArt241diagonallines12–13dialogue,creativityin137digitaltechnology,useof41,126,239digitizertablets126directors’notes107,158Disney,Walt6distancebetweencameraandaction101dollies73double-checkingofstoryboardwork123Drake,Stan156Drymon,Derek243Dutchtilt74dynamiccompositions15

effectstransitions137efficiencyinshooting101,129–32Eisenstein,Sergei5–6,96–7Eisner,Will183elements,drawingof41–2ellipses,drawingof44emotionalfeelings:oftheaudience10,18,32,96–7;offilmcharacters95,121,245

emotionaljourneys88,92emotionalweightofastory92,95,138environmentaldesign176equalopportunitylegislation242establishingshots118ET185–6extremeclose-up(ECU)shots64extremewideshot(EWS)60eyeline71–2eyes,drawingof54–5

facialexpressionindrawnfigures48FamilyGuy239,243FamousFrames(agency)180–1featureanimationboards109fightscenes138–9figuredrawing47–52,219–20,227FishHooks233fisheyelenses76Flashanimation241flatspaceonscreen21,101Fleming,Stan156focallengthofalens76focalpointonscreen19–21,32,133foreground34,78,141–2framingofvisualelements9,11,246freelanceworkinstoryboarding7–8,153,181frontalshots72fullshot(FS)62

GamesAnimation(company)231–2gesturesinfilm90TheGodfather93TheGoldRush246Golden,Michael184TheGood,theBadandtheUgly82Goring,Trevor180

handoffshots133hands,drawingof53,227hangingperspective28–30HarryPotterfilms220heads,drawingof53–4,227HellboyII198,206Henry,Robert114HeyArnold!232–5,240high-angleshots67–8Hillenburg,Steve242–3Hitchcock,Alfred(and“Hitchcockeffect”)74–5,206horizonline67horizontallines12,15,22–8Hughes,Adam241

incitingincidents91–2TheIncredibles183indiefilms160IndustrialLightandMagic(company)155–7IndustryExperienceRoster151industrygroupsandindustryevents150

insertshots67InternationalAllianceofTheatricalStageEmployees(IATSE)151–2interviewsforjobs152–3invoices153TheIronGiant93Jaws246

Jew,Benton(interview)155–72jobpostings242jobsearchforastoryboardartist148–52,160,182,202,234,242Johnson,Ollie10“jumpingthe[180°]line”81juxtapositionofshots96–7

Keller,Phil214Keynotesoftware216KickButowski244TheKid246Kiki'sDeliveryService246Kirby,Jack183–4,201Kuleshov,Lev96kungfu138–9Kurtzman,Harvey230

layersinstoryboards126–7;forforeground,middlegroundandbackground78,141–2legalservices154lenses75–8;selectionof78Leone,Sergio82lightimages33lines,useof12;seealsostraightlineslive-actionboards107–8longlenses76,78LosAngeles160low-angleshots67,69–70Lumière,AugusteandLouis5

McQuarrie,Ralph200,205marketingforstoryboardwork145;seealsopromotionMartiniere,Stephan182Mascelli,Joseph246Mayasoftware216,218mediumshot(MS)63middleground34,141–2TheMightyB!238Miyazaki,Hayao244,246montageeffects5,96moodofascene136Morretti,Mark215Mosjoukine,Ivan96–7motivationofcharactersinfilm90,95movingcharactersonscreen85music,useof136–7

narrow-anglelenses76networking150,181,226–8“neutral”shots85Nine180

180°rule81–5,137–8;withthreecharacters81–4onlinepresenceforastoryboardartist149overtheshoulder(OTS)shots65overheadshots67,69overlappingforms35overseasmarketsforstoryboarding233–4

Paintersoftware181panelsneededforastoryboard,numberof239–40panning73parallax,illusionof73,141–4parallellines14,22payratesforstoryboardingwork152“payoff”inafilm94perspective22–30;hanging28–30perspectivegrids22–4,27,30PhineasandFerb233Photoshopsoftware126,157–8,181,216pitchboards110,181PlaneCrazy6plotofastory91Poehler,Amy238pointofview(POV)shots65–6,73portfolios145,226–7;designof145–7posingofcharacters’images52post-itnotes,useof244–5Povenmire,Dan235previsualization(“previs”)113productioncompaniesforfilmsandcommercials8,202,204progressioninvisualdesign93promotionofone'sownwork145,181protagonistsinstories88,90Psycho75push-in/pull-outshots74

quotesforstoryboardingwork153

rackfocus77reactionshots66TheRenandStimpyShow230–2resolutiontoastory88,91–2resumés147retainerspaidtostoryboardartists153reverseshots66revisionworkonstoryboards232–3rhythmofashot93Rockwell,Norman102roughdrawings(“roughs”)45–8,122–3ruleofthirds16–17

S-curves,drawingof42–3Saud,Aaron221sceneswithinstories89;transitionbetween136screendirection79–84,246–7;creativityin137–8screenpositionsofcharacters80scriptanalysis115–16scriptnotes116scriptedtelevisionshows236scripts,interpretationof117–19

secondaryaction100–1,137self-editing127sequenceswithinstories89“setup”stageinafilm94shapes:designof17–18;useof11–18;seealsocompoundshapesSheppard,Josh184–229shootingboards104–7short-anglelenses76,78shortcutsusedindrawing41,49–55shotchoice60–7,89silhouettes49–50simplificationofimages50–1sizeofobjects,changesin35sketchbooks,carryinganduseof42“sleeper”inashot75smallclaimscourtproceedings154TheSopranos174–5soundtracks,useof238“spec”work153specialistsandgeneralistsinstoryboarding243SpongeBob243staging98–101,129;ofascene98–100;inasingleshot98starpeople51–2StarWars200,205,219staticcompositions15steadycamshots74SteamboatWillie6stories,natureof87–92storycharts91–2storypoints10–11,19,46;identificationandfulfilmentof119;transitionbetween136storyboardartists7,57,93,97–8,102,113–19,127,137,141,184,215,218,228–9,234–5,243,248–9;seealsoCohen,Sherm;Jew,Benton;Sheppard,Josh;Zugale,Jeff

storyboardsupervisors219storyboardtypes102–13storyboarding:benefitsfrom6,90,184,214;commonmistakesmadein127–8;originsof6;processof115–19storyboards,finishedversionsof124–7storytelling:“inthecut”97;visual9–10,87,96,113–14,218,244–5straightlines,drawingof43subtext119–20SunsetBouelvard244,246SupermanII246“swoosh”lines139–40symmetryinimages15–16

televisionanimationboards111TelevisionCommercialRoster151televisionstoryboards233–4tensioninafilm94terminologyofstoryboarding9–10ThirdFloor(company)187–8,215Thomas,Frank10three-actstorystructure88,92three-dimensional(3D)work113,215TheThreeLittlePigs6thumbnails120–3,126,236,244tiltingthecamera73

Tothe,Alex201TouchofEvil75transitionsbetweenscenes136trianglesindesigns18truckingthecamera74

UbiSoft180–1unionmembership150–2,158,227

vanishingpoint22–7,78,122verticallines12,15videogameindustry111,175–9,220videogamestoryboards111–12visualappealofimages10–11visualstimuli17visualstory,definitionof88

WarHorse198,214warmcolors33Warren,Adam183websites:forstoryboardartists149–50;ofstoryboardartists149,153,241–2WheretheWildThingsAre189,198wide-anglelenses76wideshot(WS)61,71Wilder,Billy244Wood,Wally184worm'seyeview70Wray,Bill230–1

ZoicStudio181–2zollies74–5zoomingshots76Zugale,Jeff173–84