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I’ve been working towards entering the animation industry since I was 4 years old drawing flipbooks with crayons, but I didn’t officially enter the profession until I began my BA in Animation at the University of Southern California in 2004. I scored an internship in the Character FX department at PDI/DreamWorks the following summer. During the rest of my time at USC, I interned three more semesters at DreamWorks in Glendale, and also on King of the Hill at Film Roman. When I graduated in 2008, I became a Production Assistant on How to Train Your Dragon at DreamWorks.
Getting my acceptance letter to USC School of Cinematic Arts was a big one for me. I’ll never forget getting home from high school with my dad waiting eagerly next to a letter from USC. Inside the envelope was a packet that said, “You’re in” in huge letters on the cover. I just remember dropping to my knees and the rest is a blur. Finishing my Animated Thesis film Gallery Girl at USC was another milestone for me. After over a year of work, and countless caffeine-infused all-nighters, finally seeing the finished product on the big screen was both surreal and amazing. Since then, the film has taken on a life of its own. It has been accepted into 16 film festivals across the United States, and won Best Student Animation at the California International Animation Festival in 2008. That award was especially significant, because I won a copy of Storyboard!
Growing up, I would read any books about animation that I could find and watch every special feature on the DVD’s that I bought. I was always drawn to the section near the beginning that discussed this rough, brainstorming phase of the process called Storyboarding. I responded to the phase’s limitless creativity balanced with its careful structuring of the narrative. I began developing my storytelling skills through a rougher, bolder style in my artwork. While at USC, I focused most of all on the story and character development of my short films. My internships at DreamWorks and Film Roman exposed me to the studio Story process like never before (complete with hilarious brainstorming sessions, and the artists’ inspiring dedication to quality). After that, I was officially hooked.
I began using Storyboard on my own after I graduated from USC. It was incredibly intuitive and I learned how to use it quickly by just playing around with it. I had used Toon Boom Animate for my Animated Thesis at USC, so I already trusted Toon Boom and was accustomed to Storyboard’s similar interface.
Since most of the tools I need are right there, I usually just use Storyboard on my Cintiq.
If I’m cutting together my boards from Storyboard into an animatic, I usually edit with Adobe Premiere or After FX.
I use Premiere if I’m cutting together a simpler animatic with more straightforward transitions. I only use After FX if I want to add some optical FX or to include a multi-plane camera move. Both Premiere and After FX also allow me to include audio and music.
I have a Cintiq, so pairing that with Storyboard has made my workflow much more streamlined. However, I usually begin the traditional way by thumbnailing my boards in my sketchbook with a pencil. Once I’m happy with those, I rough them out using a blue pen in Storyboard. I then review that and insert any additional panels that I might need. After that, I create a separate layer in black and grey tone for the final boards. I export those as a PDF when I’m done. Or, if I’m creating an animatic, I import them as jpegs into Premiere or After FX to edit.
I love having the timeline at the bottom so that I can keep track of the panels in their proper order. I also love that I can insert, copy or delete panels with one click. The Auto Light Table tool is wonderful for continuity of poses and the registration of my characters on the background, and makes me feel like I’m using a real light table. The ability to select individual brush strokes and then rotate, scale, flip, copy and paste them has been a lifesaver. Another lifesaver is the multiple “undo” and “redo” feature, which, paired with limitless layers feature, has freed me up to experiment more.
I can separate my characters and backgrounds, as well as my rough and final passes using the multiple layer tool. If I need to add a panel or shot, I can easily insert them with the “insert panel” tool. Whenever I create a new storyboard project, I can distinguish the aspect ratio from the very beginning.
Absolutely, my storyboarding skill and efficiency has improved tremendously by using Storyboard. The combination of Storyboard with my Cintiq allows me to draw directly on the screen and into the software. I can easily edit, copy and paste my work, freeing me up to focus on the storytelling. With Storyboard, I can also scale my drawings and the size of my pen so that I can work on details that add dimension and clarity to my boards.
Since I had used Toon Boom Animate on my Animated Thesis film Gallery Girl at USC, I was already accustomed to Storyboard’s similar interface. I had also had extensive experience storyboarding with pencil and paper. But the Storyboard interface was incredibly intuitive and definitely has the artist’s needs in my mind, so I was able to pick it up rather quickly. But I know there are still plenty of fun shortcuts and effects yet to learn.
o Storyboard is a dream come true for Storyboard Artists. It offers an intuitive interface that is fun to use and also streamlines the process so that we can focus on what’s most important: the story. It frees me up to worry less about the process (and the paper that I’d be wasting), and more on my technique and the clarity of my storytelling.
All kinds, especially ones that make animated features and TV shows.
I use Storyboard on a Cintiq hooked up to my Mac Book Pro.
