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A storyboard is a visual script that helps everyone

involved in a production to understand exactly

whats required for each shot. While the basic

concept may be universal, the exact function of

a storyboard will vary according to the type of project for which

it was created. For example, traditional 2D animated series use

storyboards as templates for the animators to follow. As 2D

animation is typically produced in a different country to the

boards themselves, its vital that they include as much

information as possible. Typically, this will include every key

pose of the animation, where the camera should be positioned,

and how each shot should be composed.

By comparison, the storyboards for a 3D or live-action film

will usually be far less polished, and will be stuck to less rigidly.

Live-action filmmakers typically use storyboards only for

complex scenes, or those including visual effects work that

needs to be planned out in advance of the shoot; while some

directors prefer to board out an entire film, this is rare. By

contrast, TV commercials tend to be boarded out as part of the

pitch process. Sometimes the boards can be used as one

of the marketing tools to help green-light a project, especially

if the investors are having trouble envisaging how a complex

script might be translated onto the screen.

These days many productions also use storyboards to

create an animated storyboard, or animatic a version of the

finished film made from the storyboard images, which is used

to test edits and scene timings. The animatic is a draft version

of the final film; as shots are completed, theyre dropped into

the animatic, replacing the storyboard image. Without this

simple tool to save time, money and confusion, most modern

feature films could never be made.

While most storyboard artists still use basic tools such as

pencil, paper and marker pens, you dont necessarily need to be

a great artist. Some people use toys or action figures to create

their storyboards; others simply pose actors or friends, then

video or photograph the results. Whatever your medium of

choice, the five tips on the right should contain much of the

information you need to get started.

Storyboarding an animation saves time and confusion later on. These tips shouldgive you valuable pointers for planning out your first project BY NIEL BUSHNELL

Our expertthis issue

Niel Bushnellis the founder ofQurios Entertainment,

a UK-based studio specialisingin storyboarding, illustration,concept design and animation.He has worked on numerouscommercials, feature films,television series and computergames. His most recentstoryboarding work was fora series of pop videos andQurios second short film,

All Colours Grey.[w] www.qurios.com

Board control

TUTORIALS | Storyboarding tips

054 | 3D WORLD3D WORLD May 2005

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have space for yourdrawing, the scene or

sequence number, and

notes, dialogue or scene

descriptions. I prefer not

to work too large; the

bigger the picture, the

longer it will take you to

draw! Try putting two to

four of your templates

on an A4 sheet and see

which size youre most

comfortable with. Onceyouve got a template you

like, print out lots of copies.

OBEY THE RULES OFCOMPOSITIONThe best films follow the same basic rules of composition as

classical painting and architecture. Make sure that your shot

makes maximum use of the frame; allow the image to

breathe, dont overcrowd it. Dead space or bad composition

can make a scene distracting, and cause the viewer to lose

track of whats going on. If you dont know much about

composition, take a trip around your local art gallery;

drawing inspiration from sources outside of film and TV will

also help to keep your work fresh, and may just give you the

jump on the next guy.

ABOVE Making a plan of your scene can help you to position

your cameras and create a good board sequence. Think of how

to cover the action what are the best places to view it from?

May 2005 3D WORLD3D WORLD | 055

Storyboarding tips | TUTORIALS

INSIDE TRACK |Storyboarding a two-shot

A typical two-shot

Heres a simple scene featuring two actors and

filmed by two cameras. All the action will be

captured from one side of an imaginary line, and the

cameras wont cross this line

01

The camera two view

Despite the change of angle, the bald actor still

appears on the left of the screen, so the relative

positions of the characters are maintained throughout the

scene, enabling the viewer to follow the action

03

The camera one view

Note that the bald actor appears on the left of

the screen in this shot. This establishes one side

of the line of action, and also establishes the geography of

the scene from the viewers perspective.

02

ABOVE Good composition. There are mathematical reasons

why some compositions look better than others, but most

artists are able to judge this instinctively

ABOVE Not so good composition! This is an exaggerated

example, but its a common mistake to put a persons head in

the bottom half of the frame, with lots of dead space above

ABOVE One possible layout for

a storyboard. Experiment with

your own dont work too large,

and keep the images numbered

DONT CROSS THE LINE!When storyboarding, its important to know something

about staging for film and television. One classic rule is

known as crossing the line. This is important in a two-shot,

where two actors are filmed from either side by two

cameras. To help the viewer understand the geography of

the scene, the two cameras should not cross an imaginary

centre line. In other words, Actor 1 should always be on

the left-hand side of the screen when viewed from either

camera. If you cross over this imaginary line, the viewer will

have difficulty following the action. See the boxout below

for an example of how to storyboard a two-shot.

CREATE A PLAN VIEW

Take the time to sketch out your scene as a plan view(looking down on it from above), and think about where

youll need to place your cameras. Its a good idea to treat

the animation as a live-action shot, and think about where

the best positions for a camera would be. Also envisage

how the action moves around the set. Youll soon realise

that particular scenes look best from certain angles, soexploit these positions. Much like live-action, some 3D

projects only use partial sets, so you may be limited in the

directions from which you can shoot, but a good boarder

can make the best of a small or partial set.

RATIO, LENSES ANDTECHNOBABBLEKnow what aspect ratio (the ratio of the width of the screen

to its height) youre working in before you start drawing. If

the shape of the storyboard panels dont match that of the

animation, youll be severely limiting the usefulness of the

board. Standard formats include 4:3 or 16:9 for TV, and2.35:1 for cinema, although there are many others. Its also

helpful (although not, in my experience, vital) to know a little

about camera lenses and their effects. Finally, familiarise

yourself with camera-speak! Words like pan, dolly, locked-off,

flip and flop should become second nature to you. And dont

forget to compensate for TV cut-off. All film and video loses

a portion of its outer edge due to cut-off during the

transfer from drawing to screen.

GET ORGANISEDIt sounds obvious, but you can quickly become swamped in

drawings for a project: a complex sequence might require

dozens, or even hundreds of images. Establish a numbering

sequence early on and stick to it. Its worth creating a

template for your boards, too (see image, right). This should

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