Professional Storyboarding by Sergio Paez & Anson Jew

Drawing for Storyboards

Your Drawing Alphabet: SICO Shapes

S-curve, straight lines, C-curves, ellipses, or SICO

SICO curves

S-Curves

S curves

Straight Lines

Straight lines

C-Curves

C curves

Ellipses

Ellipses

Compound Shapes

Compound shapes

Cinema Language

Aspect Ratios

1.33:1 or SD 

1.66:1 

1.78:1 or HD 

1.85:1 or Widescreen 

2.35:1 or Cinemascope 

Shot Choice

Extreme Wide Shot 

Wide Shot 

Full Shot 

Cowboy Shot 

Medium Shot 

Close up Shot 

Choker Shot 

Extreme Close Up 

Over the Shoulder Shot 

Point of View Shot 

Reverse Shot 

Reaction Shot 

Insert Shot 

Camera Lenses

Long/Narrow Lens 

Short/Wide Lens 

Fisheye Lens 

Zoom In/Out 

Rack Focus 

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is complicated, but it's FUN - it's filmmaking with quick drawings, and it's addictive.

Lots of information, but easy to learn by doing.

Studying lots of different media will build your intuitive sense of storytelling.

Storyboard design is my passion.

The Storyboard Process

Get all the technical details - designs, characters, locations, aspect, deliverable format, etc.

Script Analysis

Movies don't really use scripts, may just pass the storyboarder an outline

Everything else uses a script

Read the Script

Read the entire script, understand how your section relates

Characters' motivations, how your events relate to the larger story

Themes the screenplay is going for in general, and in this specific scene

Break down into Beats / Inventory / Research

Break the scene story into beats

Take inventory of all people/places/props needed

get reference from similar scenes, also reference of inventory

Script Notes / Maps

mark up script with notes and thumbnail sketches, figure out which shots work best where

draw a map of the scene to figure out where things go before you start drawing panels

Interpreting the Script

Look for callouts in scene, action, dialog.

scene

time and place for scene, establishing shot.

action

each thing mentioned probably needs its own shot

dialog

any necessary reaction shots based on the set up, present people specifically called out

A brief description of a complex event (battle, party, etc) could involve dozens to hundreds of shots.

• About scene:
  • How many in the scene?
  • What is the change (beat) of the scene?
  • Who's affected?
  • How do they feel about it?
  • How does the scene affect or effect the following scene?
  • How does it reframe or evolve from the previous scene?
• Within a scene:
  • Who, what, what action, is the main focus?
  • Who's got control?
  • Where are we, and who's moved where for this shot?
  • What's the subtext?
  • What nonverbal cues might work - how do we show not tell?
  • who's being affected by the shot, and how?
  • What's the consequences of the action?
  • what do you want the audience to feel?
  • What's the overall mood

Fulfilling the Story Point

Most important: identify and fulfill the story point of the scene

Everything that occurs in the scene must support this point

Subtext

The emotion/meaning behind the characters' dialog.

WHY is the character saying what they're saying, the way they're saying it?

Not necessarily a double meaning - can just be the "things unsaid" or "mutual understanding" or a simple status transaction.

Thumbnails

quicky first draft in dozens of panels per page, just to see if everything's working before creating detailed panels.

Exploring emotional beats and thinking through/organizing the scenes on paper

Thumbnailing can be half the time, since most of the thought applies here.

Keep it simple, no shading unless that's the point. Arrows to show movement

Starting Your Rough

Vanishing point/perspective grid is a good place to start

quick, simple, unlabored, but NOT sloppy - this is economy of finish since it's testing

Double Check Your Work

All important information?

Maximum effect from scene?

Scene flows well?

Would the subtext/context within the story be clear to someone who hasn't read the whole script?

Finished Storyboards

Redraw with polish, now you know how the panel must be built

• solid poses w/clear silhouette
• simple tones
• color only where key
• More panels rather than arrows
• keep near model
• perspective grid

Digital Storyboards

Most storyboards are digital now, and it's MUCH faster.

Cintiqs are neat, but cheaper tablet hardware works too

Industry-standard software (the book is out of date here)

Work in layers for max flexibility

Checklist for identifying Common Mistakes

• Does the shot fulfill the story point
• Best camera angle for the story point?
• depth? FG, MG, BG?
• Too flat? Profile rather than 3Q?
• Good silhouette?
• too much horiz/vert lines, or symmetry?
• animation playing to camera (depth)?
• variety in shot angles?
• composition shapes interesting?
• is this a reused composition?