Storyboarding for Computer Games

J.D. Frazer

Company
Quantum Charm Publishing Ltd.

Occupation
Cartoonist/Publisher

Location
Vancouver, B.C.


Biography

J. D. Frazer is the author of the acclaimed User Friendly the Comic Strip, a daily comic strip read on every continent (even Antarctica!) by over 1.5 million people, most of them working in an I.T. role. He is also the author of User Friendly (the dead tree version), which reached #8 on Amazon.com. J.D. Frazer has been named one of fifty most influential people in the Linux movement by Linux Magazine. He is a keynote and session speaker at over a hundred events in North America, Europe and Australia. Founder of Parasun Technologies Inc., the leading niche cable services provider in North America, and Condition30 Inc., a chaos engineering software firm, J.D. acts as CEO of Quantum Charm Publishing Ltd. He was a member of board of directors for various tech startup firms. In 2002, J.D. was a finalist in the Ad-Tech awards for Advertising Excellence. He has also designed and produced Dark Rain City, a browser-based MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game).

Storyboard has unquestionably made my storyboarding workflow more efficient, perhaps by an order of magnitude. Back Quote: Having specialized tools and functions all in one application has rescued me from the laborious process of integrating art, script and timing from three separate apps.

How long have you been in this profession? 

Over 10 years

What are your most important accomplishments?

• Creating an online community of over a million readers.
• Establishing a successful daily cartoon strip without the aid of syndicates.

What kind of projects do you create storyboards for?

Computer Games

History with Storyboard Pro

Do you create your storyboards using Toon Boom Storyboard Pro only?

Yes

Please describe your workflow

I write the storyline out first in shorthand, then break out the scenes into long form. I sketch out each scene and tie them together within the narrative.

What are your favorite features in Toon Boom Storyboard:

Three come to mind: adding/splitting panels to a shot, the light table, and the camera function.

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

Storyboard power features are a fantastic help in visualizing the narrative!

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

Yes, I’d say that TB Storyboard allows me to communicate the storyline at least an order of magnitude more efficiently to the rest of the team with its features. Also, the repetitive, grinding work normally involved in storyboarding is minimized.

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

Storyboard has unquestionably made my storyboarding workflow more efficient, perhaps by an order of magnitude. Having specialized tools and functions all in one application has rescued me from the laborious process of integrating art, script and timing from three separate apps. Additionally, the Storyboard "Export to PDF" function saves me even more time by integrating all of the elements and printing out industry-standard storyboard sheets. Fantastic!

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

Not that I’m aware of.

How do you feel about Toon Boom Storyboard?

Two thumbs up. Highly recommended.

Equipment used

PC, Cinema Display, Graphics Tablet