Hi, do you have any tips about creating a good storyboard or know any literature that could help? I will have uni entrance exams next year and I will have to create a storyboard with artistic values for a short animation, that is why I ask, hope I'm not bothering you ^^
Hi
sorry for the delay of this answer ^^’ : I have just got a storyartist job at Illumination Mc Guff, so I m really busy these days..
well everybody has his method, here is mine, I still have a lot to learn but maybe I can help:
_ first you read your script, then you try to think about how to improve it.
_ you do other stuff, while you’re think about your script. you take the time to be sure to visualize every sequences. don’t be too fast at the beginning, let your brain proceed.. storyartist seems often to chill but itis only because they need to think without pressure of what they have to tell through their storyboard…
_ you should if possible draw the map of the area of your sequence, and put your character inside of it, especially if they move during the sequence. try to play with them. so you will be more confortable with puting the camera wherever you decide
_ then you don’t draw but only write on paper every shots, describe them, without drawing them. try to describe the mind of each character in each shots. How they react, why they react like that.. if you draw already at this point, you will loose your time. you need to be sure of what you’re drawing..
_ then use this to do a basic thubnail sequence.
_ Then you redo it with trying to improve it, pushing the meaning of every shots.
_ when you are certain of your thubnail sequence, you can do the pre layout of it. you do only one or two pannel per shot and be careful with the composition, the layout (size of every characters in the shot)
_ when you are sur of your pre-layout, you do the storyboard clean, with developping every acting, most key poses as possible of course.
I use this method because I need to go through many steps before doing a proper storyboard. but as you wish of course.
other tips (I myself need to apply much more often but anyway -_-’):
_ watch a lot of old movies, not only the most famous .. Animation is movie cinema, not only animation. if you only like animation you willbe probably stay a basic storyartist and not a good enough storyartist
_ GO OUT and live your life. travel. ask yourself why you act like this or this, question yourself about your own behaviour. GROW UP. You need to have something to tell when you do storyboard.. even if you are a great technical storyartist, if you don’t understand human relationship, you will never be able to tell properly a good story. (this is not me who say that but master Miyazaki ;)) (of course I myself have a lot to learn about it.)
_ Interest yourself to other kind of arts. Theatre, dance, opera, classic book, mythology; history, astronomy, sciences, economy… by example I don’t read so much but I can say that I m very influenced by some kind of litterature. Even if itis not a visual art, it is very important.
_ read “how to film” from Eisenstein in order to get tips about scenography, howto think about your background design before thinking about your storyboard
please share this if you think it can help!
good luck
