Storyboard Question

Hi. You're post sounded like it was addressed to someone like myself, so
I'll answer. I live in Wisconsin (U.S.) but have been freelancing storyboards
for many of the big LA animation studios for over 13 years now. I've worked with W/B, Fox, Klasky/Csupo, Adelaide (Sony), Film Roman, Nelvana, DIC, Sunbow, Hyperion and others...on shows like Rugrats, Family Guy, Baby Looney Tunes, Dragon Tales, Stuart Little, Rocket Power, Madline, Sonic the Hedgehog...etc.
Getting into boarding is HARD, and I don't believe you can go into it without a very good understanding of the entire animation process. In my case, I
ran a small independent animation studio for 15 years BEFORE I tried boarding, and that experience has helped a great deal. Also, I was lucky enough to work for some talented animation directors who took the time to give me some pointers as I worked on their shows.
Also, I got into boarding around 1990, when many more studios used freelance board artists than now. (Nowdays many studios want you in-house, or send boards overseas) I had to do board tests for different studios, but those tests were also a good learning device.
I hope this helps.

storyboarding is a complex animal. The few projects I've worked on were all handed my way via word of mouth.

First of all, you need to know the basics of storyboarding. I'm assuming since you're on this forum that you mean specifically boarding for animation. If that's the case I'd recommend Mark Simon's book and Don Bluth's Book. Storyboarding for Animation is a lot more involved than for a live action film, although basic principles are consistant between them. Animation Boarding generally requires much more information in them. With Live action things can be reshot over and over, restaged and in many cases set up completely differently with a fair amount of ease.

With Animation, what's in the final boards is what gets made. So as much information as possible needs to be conveyed. I've seen boards for animation that when put together on the Leica reel were small animations themselves.

You also need to know the differences in boarding for Feature Film animation, Boarding for TV animation and Boarding for Advertising. There are a lot of subtle differences, in fact, they may very from studio to studio just how they would approach any of those fields. With Video Games hitting big now, and becoming much more like the Film industry, there are a lot of jobs for boarding for games now.

As far as getting started it's hard to say. One of my old instructors used to say, go to the local colleges and volunteer your services by posting on the campus cork boards. A lot of film students would jump at a free storyboarder to help their film out. Plus you'd learn a lot about how films are made. For animation it's a bit different. I started off in the comics industry right out of high school, so I already had a good handle on visual storytelling and sequential layout. After moving to animation it was easy to merge information from teh two into the storyboarding jobs i've done.

After having said all that. I've you're good, reliable and able to make good relationships with your clients, there should be no reason that you wouldnt' have consistant work. Be versitile and try to work for any of the above mentioned industries. The more you know how to do, the more money you can make.

Lastly, there are some small issues with the Unions. The Animation Union (based in L.A.) will let you join if you're working on a project for any of the companies associated with the union. For Television and Live action, it's techincally different, you have to be grandfathered in. In other words, you can't just join the union so you can't work on union films. You have to work for a non-union film and hope the films goes union while you're attached to it, to become union. It's a crazy catch-22, but most people seem to find their way around it.

There are also agents available for people seeking work as Storyboarders. I haven't had a need for it, but some people think it's a good start. Personally, I hate giving people money just to find me work. I think I've had good enough fortune to find work for myself. other people think paying for the service is well worth it. Judge for yourself.

Hi,

I feel a bit like a broken record saying this, but it is something you should know.

I would not expect to get storyboards to do at your hom for quite some time, unless you are some kind of hotshot. Really... It is very risky for a studio to give someone with no experience a storyboard to do at home, as after 6 weeks, when the board is due, what are they going to get back? Generally, board artists are VERY experienced animators, as boarding is done much better by someone who knows what can be animated and what cannot. Many people ask the same question you did, but it is quite unrealisistic.

I have been doing storyboards, like Artmaw, from my home for about 14 years as well. I managed to get to this point because I proved my abilities to studios in house first, and then they had a certain level of trust in my work. They know I can deliver on time, and at a high level of quality, so they do not worry about me.

Be patient... Finish your schooling, and work as an animator first, to get your foot in the door. If an opportunity arises within the studio, in which they need someone to aid the director by helping with storyboard changes (corrections), then jump on that. It is there you will REALLY learn how to do a storyboard. You cannot know how to do a storyboard well only with a school education (generally speaking of course), and you need to learn from someone who knows what they are doing.

Another otion is to clean-up an experienced board artist's storyboards (and get paid for it, of course). I have taught many young board artists that way. That way, you can ask questionslike, "why did you do this?", or "why not like this?" (although that question may not be taken well by some board artists), and you will be explained some of the rules.

Good luck

I did. Once.

I remember it like it was yesterday...

(SFX:Harp)...(POV): Dreamy-blurry turns focused onto young rodent clean-up artist...
(Splatman) "Mr. Wade, did you think about perhaps doing this scene from this angle, sir?"
(Wade) "What the *&%#$ are you talking about, you $&^(*@! rat!!!"
(SFX:Harp)...

*sniff* And that's why I had to move out of Canada. ;)

Splatman :D

Mouhahahahahahahahaha!!!! I never once called you a rodent... Worm, yes... But never a rodent.

;)