Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Q: What do you fi nd are the main obstacles you have to overcome
when you are storyboarding a scene?
Nathan:
A good thing to keep in mind is one new idea/action per drawing. Don't
have too much going on in one panel or you'll confuse people. Clear simple drawings
are a good thing.
Q: How would you describe the difference between storyboarding for
fi lm and other kinds of sequential artwork like comic topics or topic
illustration?
Nathan:
Comic books and storyboards are cousins—not brothers. I have learned a lot
of shorthand drawing tools from comics (rain, simple cityscapes, thunder and lightning,
blizzards, underwater or splashing effects, characters or objects moving very fast, outer
space sequences, etc.), but comics follow different rules from storyboards. The “camera”
jumps around a lot in comics. What works for a comic book story will not work for a
storyboarded sequence.
Q: Do you re-draw your panels many times?
Nathan:
Don't fall in love with your drawings and don't sweat over them—they need
to read clearly, but they are not the fi nal image you will see on the screen. Make sure
you are getting your sequences done on time—and make sure they read clearly.
Q: Do you think of yourself as actor, cameraman, editor, designer,
and/or all of these things in your job? Have I left anything out?
Nathan:
A storyboard artist is an actor, cameraman, editor, and designer—but you
also must remember you are a collaborator. You work with others.
Q: How important is presentation? Do you refi ne your drawings a lot
before they are presented to the bosses?
Nathan:
That depends on a number of factors. You might throw in a few clean draw-
ings if you've never worked with the director before—you want her to know what a
“fi nal” looks like. Rough is usually a good idea if you are exploring a sequence. Tighter,
prettier drawings will help sell your sequence—directors like nice drawings. Each case
is different—talk to your director to fi nd out what she is looking for. Look at the kind of
drawings the other artists are doing on their fi rst passes.
Q: Do you fi nd you have to overstate the action, acting, and so on in
order for it to read in the storyboard, or do you leave that problem to
be solved by the animator?
Nathan:
The more you “leave to the animator” or the layout artist or whoever—the less
you'll see “you” in the fi lm. You are making the blueprint of a building—if you don't design
