Any tips on how to story board a animated pilot?
1yr
Dennis Yeary
Right now I teaching myself how to animate and want to do some fight scenes as practice. any advice or tips?
Fully agree with above pieces of advices, that storyboarding is the key and core technique you should master as first, when practicing to animate. Actually, there are common steps to go when animating the scenes and make a story. Reflecting it on to the fight scene, I’d suggest keeping of the following plan:
- Set the main Goal of your entire story/episode, i.e. piece of reel, and the intermediate goals for each of your scenes
- Check out existing similar videos, references and source ideas for your own
- Carefully describe storyline with the timeline
- Define key video scenes as much as possible detailed. Ideally write the script
- Break down all the scenes and sketch them out.
There was recently Proko - Storytelling Sketch Tour with Moderndayjames: https://www.proko.com/lesson/storytelling-sketch-tour-with-moderndayjames/notes . I’d recommend to look it through. Especially the video, where James perfectly commented the arts and explained techniques of shooting, showing perspectives and coloring aspects. It’s exciting!
Here is also a pretty detailed guide on how to make a storyboard (https://bluecarrot.io/blog/7-steps-of-how-to-make-a-storyboard-for-a-video-professional-tips-and-examples/ ) with a simple storyboard template. I use it in my practice as an universal hands-on check-list. Perchance, you’ll find more useful examples of animation, techniques and tips there as well.
When storyboarding an animated pilot, especially for fight scenes, focus on clarity and pacing. Sketch key frames to outline major movements and changes in perspective. Consider the flow of the action and how to visually lead the viewer's eye from one moment to the next. Also, study various fight choreography and animation to understand timing and impact. Break down complex movements into simpler, sequential parts to ensure fluidity and excitement in the final animation.
•
11mo
With a goal of storyboarding, especially action scenes, I'd say right now the biggest thing to focus on is figure drawing and perspective. Practice these as much as possible, through figure drawing sessions, sketching from observation (breaking down objects with a focus on their perspective, drawing people at a park/cafe/mall/etc., sketching animals at a zoo, etc.--really any opportunity to practice from life), and using photos to study environments with people.
Another practice you could do, and more storyboard oriented, in addition to that, is to take scenes from existing films/shows and sketch every shot within the scene. Draw it as if it were a storyboard, with gesture, emotion, and clarity as the main focus. This can help you continue your figure and perspective practice, while adding in the element of staging for the camera. I would recommend starting out with a more simple scene first, something like two people just talking in a room, and as you develop more skill, you can practice from more complex scenes like fight scenes, which adds the element of choreography. Studying how other filmmakers have arranged and composed fight scenes can really help you reach your goal.
Hope this helps!