Storytelling and the art of being cost effective with your productions

Wikipedia describes storyboard artists very fluently: "A storyboard artist is able to visualize any stories using quick sketches on paper at any moment. A storyboard artist is also known as an illustrator or visualizer. They are mostly freelance artists, typically hired by art directors and film directors. Deadlines are always tight, and overnight working is very common."

An action sequence storyboard by Craig Gilmore. (Courtesy Film Shots Studio)

Storyboard artists are usually, but not always, experienced draftsmen and in a lot of cases such as mine, come from illustrating comic books professionally and also work in the traditional animation industries. The training that those environments provide translates extremely easily and smoothly into the storyboard arena. Other artists come from film production programs at various colleges where you might be introduced to storyboarding in classes.

On the job training is essential and the best experience you can possibly attain. We have to draw fast and efficiently to keep up with the demands that a real production environment requires. A good rate of production for storyboards is drawing around 30 panels or frames a day. I have done as much as 80 in a day, but that is not normal. We work lots of long and strange hours in order to make deadlines. There is no such thing as holidays in my profession, as you are often times called in at the last minute to visualize for a client. Some storyboard artists can get across information with only a stick figure however, being able to draw anything from any angle and in perspective is a huge benefit in being able to "simulate" what the camera will see and more efficiently communicate the ideas that the director wants to get across.

We as board artists can work remotely and with the internet, can send storyboards to the director in an instant for approvals/revisions. In situations like this, we will have conference calls to go over scenes and to make sure we are all on the same page. Other times the director wants us to be on location for more personal interaction/meetings. Both approaches have their pluses and minuses, but both are extremely effective.

Our role is to take the script and draw up panels that visually tell the rest of the crew the director's vision and what is happening at any given time. The finished boards go out to all members of the crew to use for reference in their various positions i.e. SFX, production design, cinematography, lighting and all the others. Boards are extremely useful in many different ways. Indy film directors generally have a problem with boards in that they just can't afford to hire the artist, and consider boards a luxury. I've taken projects where that was the case and then after having boards to work from the director told me they would never work without boards again.

Another storyboard from Craig. (Courtesy Film Shots Studio)

For instance, I was recently called in just to storyboard an action sequence for the TV show One Tree Hill. There was a sequence where a car was going to drive off of a bridge and overturn in the water. The director wanted me to board that sequence so that he could figure out where the cameras would need to be placed around the action. The scene was shot on location and not on a set, so it posed many problems as to where the cameras could be. The director emailed me location shots, and that job was completed remotely.

An on-location example is the feature film The Strangers recently shot in Florence, SC. I was called in early to board the script for director Brian Bertino. While there we had many meetings, and worked very closely on the shots and built a great rapport with each other.

Storyboarding is an extremely rewarding profession for those who are able to multitask with their art and juggle deadlines. Although, the demands of the job are sometimes harsh, my love of storytelling and drawing in general makes this the only job I could ever imagine practicing. As far as your productions, do yourself and crew a favor and try storyboards on your next project. You will be happy you did! It will make the whole process much more rewarding in the end.

Craig Gilmore is the founder and illustrator of Film Shots Studio in Hillsborough, NC. A veteran of 18 years production experience, his clients encompass the feature film, indie film, television, advertising, animation, video game, and comic book industries. His clients include Sony, Universal Pictures, CW Network, NBC television, Marvel Comics, DC Comics among many others. His official website is www.filmshotsstudio.com.