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This book offers a comprehensive and practical introduction to the fundamentals of storyboarding, making it an ideal resource for aspiring filmmakers, animators, and visual storytellers. It bridges the gap between written scripts and visual storytelling by demonstrating how scenes are translated into storyboard panels. Readers can see how scripts are broken down into individual shots, and how those shots are visually constructed on the page.
Each example includes detailed illustrations of storyboard panels that correspond to script excerpts, giving readers a clear sense of how to interpret narrative beats and visualize camera movement, composition, character blocking, and shot progression. The book explains key concepts in cinematic language-such as shot types (wide, close-up, over-the-shoulder, etc.), camera angles, and transitions-and shows how they are effectively employed in storyboarding.
By studying these examples, readers will gain a deeper understanding of the visual grammar of film. They'll learn not only how to recognize different shot types, but also how to purposefully select and apply them to enhance storytelling, create emotion, and guide the viewer's eye.
Whether you're a student or a working professional looking to sharpen your skills, this book serves as both an instructional manual and an applicable and visual reference guide.
List of contents
1. What is Storyboard?, 2. Set Up and Pay Off, 3. Clarity, 4. Color vs. Tonals, 5. Blocking, 6. Learning from the Classics, 7. Thumbnails, 8. Storyboards vs. Comic Books, 9. Beat Boards, 10. Live Action vs. Animation, 11. Perspective, 12. Staging, 13. Drawing Expressions in Storyboards, 14. The Shots, 15. Putting It All Together, 16. Last Words
About the author
Caroline Hu is a renowned character designer known for her work on several high-profile animated features and television shows. Caroline began her journey in character design at Warner Bros., where she worked on animated features such as "Quest for Camelot" and "Osmosis Jones", for which she was the sole character designer. Her talent for creating unique and memorable characters quickly made her a sought-after artist in the industry. In addition to her work on feature films, Caroline has also contributed to visual development for various projects and worked on popular TV shows like "Ozzy and Drix" and "Kangaroo Jack". She is a professor of animation at several universities in Los Angeles. She is also the author of
Mastering Character Design: Design with Intent and Purpose with CRC Press. She lives in California with her family, her two smokin' hot rods and her non-smokin' daily driver.
