'I'll never look at films the same' said one of the attendees to the workshop.
This past spring, I had the incredible opportunity to run Storyboarding 101 at Warwick University. As part of Warwick Film Festival, in which students are encouraged to create and submit a short film to a competition, the University invites film and television industry experts to offer talks on how to make a short film.
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Warwick University is situated on a 400-acre site north of Warwick and Leamington Spa and is actually a little closer to Coventry than Warwick itself. It was established a little over 60 years ago in 1961 and admitted its first 450 undergradute students in 1965.
I was given a large hall in which the workshop slides would be broadcast. It was the first time I had run a workshop of this scale at Warwick University, so I was quite nervous. I was also informed on my arrival that it was the most signed-up-to talk of the entire series of workshops. So I had to deliver.
For those who may not know, storyboarding is the art of taking a script (text) and turning it into visual sequences; imagine a comic strip of the script. It is the first visual interpretation of the script and, in animation, happens before any other part of production and is finalised before any animating takes place. It is worked and reworked to minimize any editing that goes on at the end of the process. At the studio we use storyboarding to test ideas with clients and get everyone on the same page before designing and animating the assets.
I thought it would be really valuable to run over storyboarding basics. Storyboarding is an excellent tool to fool-proof your ideas and test camera angles, etc without the cost of production.
I wanted to do a talk that would be super-interactive, so I printed out some storyboard panels that look a little something like this:
They already had rough compositions which I went over in my talk and for inspiration, and thanks to the wonderful Simona Vrabcova and Alice Walder we went over the intro to Kubo and the Two Strings.
I chose that because:
We didn’t need any background information around the story or the characters due to it being an introduction and;
The scene has a lot going on, crashing waves, etc making it an interesting challenge to storyboard. The students could either focus on the characters or they could create a pulled back composition that would focus on the landscape and mood of the intro and finally;
I had access to the original animatic used in production, and at the end I wanted to inspire the students to see what was actually chosen and be able to analyse these choices with new eyes and have experience of actually storyboarding themselves.
The lecture kicked off with a comprehensive overview of storyboarding – the backbone of any successful film project. We explored the basics, from understanding frame composition, to the importance of shot angles in conveying narrative flow. I started by showing storyboards edited to music and voiceover, (known as pick-ups), which is called an animatic. I wanted to kick off with how storyboards, however rough and quickly drawn, could and would, if done well, create a deep emotional impact, once we had gone through the part of the talk, Alice handed out the worksheep panels and their assignment was to take the Kubo and the Two Strings and turn it in to emotionally charged, interesting and creative storyboard panels.
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Tools and Techniques
One of the highlights was the discussion surrounding the various tools and techniques employed in storyboarding. From traditional hand-drawn methods to the use of cutting-edge digital tools, participants gained insights into adapting their approach to suit the specific needs of their projects.
Showcasing Success: Case Studies and Examples
To illustrate the power of well-executed storyboarding, we delved into case studies and examples from successful short films. I made sure to go over plenty of examples of not only animated projects but also live-action, and show how even someone not skilled at draftsmanship could still gain a lot by visualising script ideas.
We also talked a lot about where storyboards sat in the production pipeline, (the sequence of tasks that lead to finished animation/live-action films and television), and we went over how I personally approach a script, and explained best practices when doing the first few reads of a script.
Tailoring Storyboarding for Short Films
Recognizing the unique challenges posed by short film projects, we delved into the nuances of storyboarding for brevity. Strategies for conveying a compelling narrative within a limited timeframe were explored. I also didn’t want to give the students too much time to ruminate and emphasized placing the ideas down on the page in the form of thumbnails as quickly as possible.
Thumbnails are very small drawings that give a very basic idea of the composition.
The Collaborative Art of Storyboarding
Then I continued to explain my methods of taking those thumbnails and using references, (researching a subject), and the art of cutting, which is making a decision when the camera moves from one position to another.
Another thing I encouraged was talking over ideas as a group; in animation we simply cannot work alone and having feedback and learning from each other is what makes the projects that we create so dynamic and different, because this is more than any of us could do alone. We are all coming to a project with our own unique voices, influences and ideas and so I encouraged the group to talk about other movies they were taking inspiration from and shots that stuck out to each of them. A previously quiet series of groups were roaring with creative chatter soon enough.
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Of course, collaboration and being able to convey your ideas quickly and effectively are all paramount to the demands of short film production.
To illustrate the power of well-executed storyboarding, we delved into case studies and examples from successful short films. This interactive segment allowed participants to analyse and appreciate the impact of meticulous storyboarding on the overall success of a project.
Hands-On Learning
The lecture wasn't just about theory; it was a hands-on experience. The practical exercise and the encouraged eliciting of information provided participants with the opportunity to apply their newfound knowledge.
The room buzzed with creativity as attendees brought their visions to life on paper, even Claire Caine the Student Community Experience Officer at Warwick University said 'I'll never look at films the same' once she joined in and was convinced to give it a go.
The group felt at ease to ask and answer questions elicited from the presentation, and by the end, the excitement had lead to friendships being formed from the students. This exchange of ideas and networking is key to success in any industry, as much as the ability to convey your ideas, storyboarding or not.
Towards the end I showed the example storyboard of the scene that they had been working on the entire time and the room instantly hushed as everyone looked on in awe at the storyboard that Laika used in production was shown on the screen.
Many of the students mentioned to me afterward that they got a lot from the talk, one even mentioning that they do animation as a hobby on the side and would be in touch via the email address that I shared in the presentation.
Rewarding for All
I was really moved by the impact my talk appeared to receive. I hope I ignited the students to think differently about how they approach film-making or any other type of visual communication. It really proved that the skills that the animation industry requires can transcend animation-only courses, and can be applied to all sorts of disciplines with great success. Understanding the basics of composition and how to craft narrative will hopefully stay with the students, and many kept hold of their storyboards, excited to continue working on them when they got home.
From what they were saying, the interactive nature of the talk was a happy relief for the hardworking students of Warwick University, who are often living in a very theoretical and logical space. I think it was genuinely fun for them to have some time to play, explore and apply visual storytelling techniques, and it reminded me that I should make space for unbridled creativity in my own practice.
I always find workshops rewarding, but there is something about the perspective of young people, especially shy young people who are full of marvellous ideas once you coax it out of them, that I find particularly fulfilling.
I would absolutely love to run this workshop at next year's Warwick Film Festival if Warwick University would have me back. We are talking about having it earlier in the year at a point where students have more time to implement what they have learned.
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