Start animating faster thanks to Storyboard Pro

Gina Allnatt

Company
freelance

Occupation
Director, Animator, Illustrator

Location
London


Biography

Gina Allnatt is a 26 year old recent graduate who has just moved to London in order to pursue a career as an animator. She has been drawing since she was 4 and has been interested in becoming an animator since she was 12.

Going digital is a lot faster than drawing on paper, and less resources are wastedi.

How long have you been in this profession?

I’ve wanted to be an animator since I was twelve. I recently finished a degree in Animation at the North Wales School of Art and Design and have moved to London to pursue my career. I have some work experience lined up with a studio so I’m just getting my foot in the door really.

What are your most important accomplishments?

I recently got to exhibit work at the Aardman Animations New Talent exhibition. As for other accomplishments, I feel I have a lot more left to accomplish and I’m always happy learning new animation software and techniques.

What kind of projects do you create storyboards for?

So far it’s been personal projects and student projects.

History with Toon Boom Storyboard:

I’ve used Toon Boom Studio for a couple of years now. We were taught how to use the animation program at university. As for Toon Boom Storyboard Pro, I first encountered it during a trip to the Annecy Animation festival, where there were free workshops.

Do you create your storyboards using Toon Boom Storyboard only?

No. I also use Adobe Photoshop.

Why do you choose to combine these products?

Photoshop cannot give me the same workflow, so I prefer Toon Boom Storyboard Pro in that respect. I find I like the range of colours, shading and texture Photoshop can give me.

Please describe your workflow

First I listen to the soundtrack. In this case it’s a clip from the BBC radio comedy Old Harry’s Game. I asked the writer, Andy Hamilton if I could animate to it as a student project and he agreed. Next, I designed the characters. Once they were solid in my mind I started storyboarding and working out the timing. I drew each board directly into Toon Boom Storyboard Pro using a Wacom tablet.

What are your top five favorite features in Toon Boom Storyboard?

Playing back animatics in real time, the fact that it’s so easy to draw directly into it, exporting PDFs for print out, ease of use, and the ability to pan within an animatic.

What Toon Boom Storyboard features allow you to distinguish your storyboards and animatics?

I find the template gives me ease of use and better workflow.

Did you experience any productivity gains in using Toon Boom Storyboard?

It’s faster.

Are you more efficient today compared to your production toolset used previously?

Yes, going digital is a lot faster than drawing on paper, and less resources are wasted.

Is it possible to get the same results with other digital animation software?

Yes, but you need more programs and it takes longer to get the same results.

How do you feel about Toon Boom Storyboard?

I think it’s great and saves a lot of time so I can start on the animation itself.

Equipment used

Wacom Intuos 3, and a pencil and sketchbook to start off with.