First Storyboard

bupaje · Post by **bupaje** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 7:18 am

Well, getting started on my storyboard. Took a few shots with the cam - the paper is actually white but guess I need natural light and a tripod (you can see the distortion. I think I'll starve to death unless I get faster as these took a while - the thumbnails I can hammer out very fast though. Except for the boom shot which is 14x17 I drew and inked the rest in 5x7 boxes as I wasn't sure how big to make them.

ingie01 · Post by **ingie01** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:53 am

Burt, Could you tell us what the assignment was? Is this one of your own storyboard concepts for something unrelated to school?

bupaje · Post by **bupaje** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 2:20 pm

This storyboard is for a Visual Storytelling class. We create a concept, storybeats, script, thumbnails and storyboard for a short. We review bits and pieces of various films and discuss story, camera and so on.

I have an idea for a series I want to pitch at some point so I decided to storyboard this. I will use it to plan the animation I am working on for Flash class as well. I figure this will provide useful material for the pitch.

Bones3D · Post by **Bones3D** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 3:15 pm

As far as storyboards go, these are fine as they are. But if you decide to start going to animatics, you'll probably need to find a way to fix the camera/artwork positioning or invest in a flatbed scanner. Also, using a guided hole punch with a low-weight paper (probably 8.5 x 11 sheets) should allow you to align each page of your storyboard so you can trace elements from the previous pages to the next (such as the background/setting) to accompany any changes you make to your characters' actions. (A light-table may also prove useful.)

To further maximize the usefulness, xeroxing an NTSC (4:3) or HD (16:9) safe-frame onto each page will allow you to maximize each storyboard frame to full screen when producing the animatic.

The nice thing about using a set of fixed size sheets for your storyboarding, is that you can set default inking styles (such as a specific stroke width or pattern) that will remain constant from one frame to the next... eliminating a lot of the random guesswork.

bupaje · Post by **bupaje** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 10:40 pm

Thanks for your suggestions. I hope to geta copy stand and camera at some point.

I am planning on going to kinkos and printing out some templates as suggested as drawing all those boxes is time consuming- just want to see if I can get them on a on a heavy decent paper to draw on that will take ink or marker well.

I do have a very small light table but doesn't even have the register (or whatever the stubs you plunk the paper holes on are called), may try to get a full size one if I get surplus book money at school.

Do you guys ie 'the pros' storyboard like this or digitally? Do you create a template for symbols for stuff like ligting direction, zoom -all those arrows and such or do you just pen them in quickly? Do you take original story board panels in your portfolio for an interview or do you just take copies?

DarthFurby · Post by **DarthFurby** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 4:41 am

Are you animating this by computer or the old fashioned way? Storyboarding gives me nightmares. You really have to know your stuff. I'm curious to see how the final animation turns out. Thanks for sharing these and I hope you'll post the final animation when it's done.

bupaje · Post by **bupaje** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 5:45 am

The Visual Storytelling is about how to produce storyboards etc - most of the other people are just producing the storybeats, storyboards etc for a short but we won't actually be doing it in that class. Since I had to do a short for my Flash class I though I would use the material produced in the this 'theory' class and actually try to produce something for my Flash class. So, the animation will actually be done in Flash.

It has been eye opening to do this so far. My first version of the script and storybeats was epic but as the process has gone on I had to trim it a lot as I start to see what is involved. It is still too long according to the instructor but I want to try to get something that will be worth putting in my portfolio - may not be good enough but have to give it a go.

I am thinking that parts of the worm motion will be traditional as Ibis at flashfilmmaker.com suggested that I might need to be less machine dependent if I wanted to get that fluid motion for the worm. I made his head in parts but I plan to do the body by drawing the old fashioned way.

bupaje · Post by **bupaje** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 7:13 am

Hi again. Was trying to figure the best settings to scan art with my scanner and ended up with a few of the frames from my storyboard. Figured I'd torture you with them.

http://stormvisions.com/bc/frame12.jpg
http://stormvisions.com/bc/frame19.jpg
http://stormvisions.com/bc/frame20.jpg
http://stormvisions.com/bc/frame21.jpg
http://stormvisions.com/bc/frame24.jpg
http://stormvisions.com/bc/frame25.jpg

Bones3D · Post by **Bones3D** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 8:29 am

I myself have been using 8.5" x 11" sheets split into a 4 x 2 grid. Each row is a scene frame drawing, with brief descrition area beneath it:

- Storyboard Template
(55K Photoshop 7 document)

It's not the perfect setup for highly detailed scene layout, but it gets the job done for organizing your basic ideas. I've seen some better 8.5" x 11" templates that are more detail oriented, but you get less frames per page. (Usually done in a 3 x 1 alternating grid)

I also have a relative that uses my 4 x 2 template for laying out childrens' book designs. My guess is that it fits into the usual 4-frame comic layout you commonly see in newspapers here in the U.S.

As for photographing a storyboard, you can correct distortions in your photos using the "line" tool in Photoshop in a new layer along the edge of the paper to determine the rotation offset, then use that info to rotate the canvas in the opposite direction. Further distortions can be corrected using the distort tool under edit>transform in Photoshop. (I do this quite frequently for correcting snapshots for print.) As long as your images are high resolution, you won't get too much of a blur introduced.

Finally, if you are working at sizes like 8.5" x 11", a flatbed scanner is invaluable in this kind of work. It ensures a nice, even image each and every time. You can even find them for under $50 in most places.

Rhoel · Post by **Rhoel** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 9:56 am

I posted some comments on storyboards some time back. Looking at your boards, places for scene numbering, dialoues, timings and backgounds etc are missing.

here is one which I use at work - it probably has more than you need (its a 16:9 format - is anyone using anything else?).

Master artwork is here

Here;s one I dun earlier - part of a short film I am working in:

These scenes are finished. The reason the BG and [T]iming panels are blank is because there are no backgrounds - the're all vectored and 2/ the timings are flexible - they were worked out on a excel form.

The storyboards are prepared on a DTP program - photoshop is a pain for manipulating text - I am using Serif's PagePlus 9, both cheap and cheerful but gets the job done fast.

The action and dialogue are copied across from the script file (Final Draft).

The great part is the DTP originals are A3 sized. But because the file is output as pdf, I can autoscale down to A4.

By having all the action and dialogue listed, it helps when I give it to the producer or other animator - all the story is there in both works and pictures. Avoids confusion.

Hope this helps someone.

Rhoel.

Bones3D · Post by **Bones3D** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 12:13 pm

Agreed... my storyboard sheets are definitely lacking in certain details, which would certainly be a problem for animation with a group of other animators. However, in my case, I work independently for the time being, so formal organization isn't quite as important, since I'm generally well aware of where in my work I'm at.

Eventually, these habits will need to be changed to accomodate more professional forms of content creation.

Rhoel · Post by **Rhoel** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 2:48 pm

Though our boards are on the formal side, they do have one hidden advantage. When the boss goes to the broadcasters, he carries half a dozen completed examples with him. Without exception, people will grab them and flick through the pages. It's part of the marketing deal. If someone takes that much care over the storyboards, it is subconsciously assumed that that same thoughness will be carried through the whole production. It is of course complete bollocks because the team who make the board are usually not the same guys who do the film.

But a well presented storyboard and promo pack indicates a level of professionalism which can frequently clinch a deal. It's that "These guy seem to know what they are doing" kind of thing.

The reverse is also true ... I have seem projects get turned down because the prep work was so badly presented. Look at it from a broadcasters point of view. Do you want to want to give $60,000 to guys who cannot do a bunch of story sketches well.

My own rough sketches are only 5 * 3 centimetres, often really rough and ready things, just enough detail to tell me who it is and where. The main boards are derived from those. The layouts can be just enlarged xeroxes of the storyboards.

The final reason, which is probably why I do it this way is because in five, ten years or so down the road, I can look back over projects-in-development boards and reminisce - some films never got beyond the storyboard, others have been made whilst others got turned into a different film.

Rhoel

bupaje · Post by **bupaje** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 4:26 pm

Thanks for the excellent feedback guys. I do have a script with camera directions and will try to use an image editor to see if I can use this with the template to put something together. Do you draw right onto the templates usually or do you cut and paste from seperate art panels?

Bones3D · Post by **Bones3D** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 8:20 pm

In my case, I just print the templates as a need them and draw out some rough sketches right on them. Since the sheets are expendable, you can simply toss a bad one and start another.

Most likely though, any sort of serious storyboard art should probably drawn out lightly in pencil then inked in afterwards, just like any artist would normally do before beginning a large project.

A different approach to storyboard templates, would be to use a large set of blank index cards to draw your ideas on. Unlike the templates, this offers the flexibility to re-organize a scene flow any way you like, even after you've drawn it.

bupaje · Post by **bupaje** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:33 am

Thanks. I like the storyboard/index card size allright for quick ideas but I need a bit more room for a cleaner drawing. That's why it might be cool to work slightly larger and then photoshop them. I don't know how much latitude studios give you in how you do the work -not sure if I'd be allowed to do it that way? Anyway as my skills improve I imagine it wouldn't be as important. I imagine as a storybaord artist drawing tons of drawings you start to develop a fast economical and expressive style, or I'll end up being the guy who makes coffee all the time.

On a side note, I cobbled together a few images from my sketch book. Trying to think up some more supporting characters.

Anyway I patched together a few items I've been picking at recently from my sketch book. Trying to find more denizens for a story idea related to the first short I recently posted.

http://stormvisions.com/bc/sketch1.jpg