Storyboards
Overview
We will be creating storyboard thumbnails. When working on an animation by yourself, this is usually all you need.
These will be drawn in Adobe Animate. This will give you an opportunity to get used to those drawing tools.
(1) Review this Storyboard Design Guide (Below)
Read all of the guidelines and use them as a checklist as you work on your project
Scene Structure
Your animation will be structured like this
(1) Intro with story title: Use an appropriate font, high contrast against the background.
(2) Establishing Shot: A far shot that shows us the world in which the story will be taking place. Correlate this with the first couple of lines after the intro.
(3) Body: The bulk of the story
(5) Moral: The wise advise at the end. Should be iconic.
(6) Credits: Your name plus the those mentioned in the credits audio file: Use the same font and mask technique as the intro.
Note: use only 1-2 background illustrations total.
Camera
Camera Location Affects Emotion
Camera Shot Reference Guide (external link)
Medium is neutral
Close is intimate
Far is isolating
Editing
Try to keep the focal point from the end of one shot to the beginning of the following shot in the same place (as often as you can).
Pay attention to the lines of action. For example if a character exits stage left, have the next character in the next shot or same shot enter stage right. In other words, make the eye movements for your audience smooth not jerky.
Visual Hierarchy and Caption Integration
Visual hierarchy
In animation, the viewer only has time to pay attention to one thing at a time. Optimize the visual hierarchy through the use of scale, position, and atmospheric perspective
Caption Integration
Keep the important text and imagery above 280 pixels from the bottom (800 from the top). That way, subtitles will not cover it. This is how we can design for sight-impaired persons.
Staging
Create a theatrical-style layout that farmaes the action with background elements.
By student Dan Neph
By student Owen Hurley
Composition
This example mark-up of this screen from Pixar's 'The Incredibles' by KCAD Alum., James Suhr, demonstrates how sight lines can affect visual hierarchy and tell the viewer where to look.
Inclusive Design
Body Types
Mix up your body types (be inclusive).
Inclusive Optics
Integrating physical, gender, ethnic, religious, racial, and age diversity allows media creators to beat the drum of inclusion.
Avoiding Implicit Bias
Examples of this can include unintended negative stereotyping based on gender, race, fashion choices, body types, etc.
Character Designs by Susan Bonner
(2) Review These Storyboard Thumb Examples
Michaela Barton
Uses one background and utilizing camera movement to make the most of it.
Hannah Vanderlaan
Uses one background and utilizing camera movement to make the most of it.
(3) Create Your Storyboard Thumbnails
(a) Open and review this Technical Example
This will open an Adobe Animate file for the Fable called "The Flying chicken".
(b) Watch Bill's Storyboard Thumbs Demo
If you are new to Adobe Animate, you might want to follow the drawing tools segment step by step and make a chicken with me as an exercise. If you want to import a sketch, watch that demo first.
(c) Make Your Own Storyboard Thumbs
Download and use this Storyboard thumb 16x template (external link).
The thumb sheet file will open in Animate and you must create your drawings there. This will provide you with an opportunity to get some practice using the tools.
You must use the pencil tool (not the brush)
Type the dialogue under the panels
Limit the individual background illustrations needed to 1 or 2
Include both intro and credits panels
(d) Upload Your File
Upload it to your Planning Google Drive folder and name the file: YourName-Thumbs.fla
Optional Illustrator Process
Open the template in Animate
Export > Export image (legacy) > SVG Image
Open the SVG in Illustrator