Storyboard
One important element of the workshop process during the Animated
Debate project was the preparation of the storyboards to animations
which were being created. These storyboards, made by the participants,
are the most essential initial material to the final animation. In
a professional film studio, a storyboard is a cartoon recording of
every planned take. The storyboard is an illustration of a written
script, the vision of the adaptation’s author, but first of all, it
is the most significant hint for the film team. It facilitates the
logical scenes connection, it allows to remove useless takes or to
introduce new ones, important for the film or animation.
Not all film makers use the storyboards, but in the animation studio
they are one of the vital phases of the production. Storyboards can
consist of thousands of drawings, where all takes are depicted. These
takes are later executed using cameras and computers. This combination
of the newest technology and traditional pencil or marker drawing is
very significant.
Apart from the obvious inspirations coming from the script and adaptation,
the storyboard is created during the discussion amongst the film makers.
And so it happened during the animations making in the animated Debate
Project. It was during the work on the storyboard and the exchange
of views and common ideas, when the images of characters and set design
ideas were born. It is perfectly visible when comparing the next storyboard
drawings and the frames of ready animations.
How the storyboards of animations in the Animated Debate project were
created
In the Animated Debate project the work on storyboards played a significant
role in bringing closer to the participants the peculiarity of animation
work. It also reminded of the inseparable connection of the computer
animation with traditional art techniques. The process of storyboards
making, exampled with the films "Pansies" and "A little shoemaker",
proceeded in the following phases:
Common script analysis together with the discussion over particular
scenes - in this way the workshop group decided about the number of
the scenes and the next takes of every scene.
Common analysis of the main characters and the site - the discussion
over the characters led to the ideas for their presentation: age, clothing,
and characteristic features.
Pencil drafts of subsequent takes, the visualization of staging ideas.
It is essential that all workshop participants were engaged
during this phase, so that everybody has its share in creating the
drawings.
The evaluation of a ready storyboard - this is a very important moment
in the storyboard work - as here, the group learns the logics
and drama of the whole film, and they can evaluate how difficult will
be the making of particular scenes.
During the preparation of the storyboards to the films "Pansies" and
"A little Shoemaker", the instructor claimed that the number of planned
scenes and takes and the degree of their complexity outgrew the abilities
of the group and required more time to performing than in had been
planned in the project. Therefore the idea was created to use the static
illustrations of the selected scenes, besides the animations, in the
film. Thanks to that, the number of scenes and takes which required
animation, was limited. All drawings were doubled, the storyboard was
created again, this time in colours and sizes suitable to the proportions
of the screen. When this opportunity occurred, some revisions were
made in the drawings, which according to children, were not suitable
to the content. Next, the drawings were scanned and saved as images
ready to assembly into the film. Thanks to this procedure, it was possible
to decide which of the takes would be replaced by a drawing. By saving
time, the form of the film was diversified. The group came back to
the storyboard during each next classes, to check the theme of the
animation.
Examples:
Storyboard to the "A little Shoemaker "
Storyboward to the "Herkules"
Pieces of the storyboard made by italian group
