A computer screen is inherently the wrong place to do that, because it can't show you all the drawings at once in one long, uninterrupted sweep, the way you see them on a corkboard.

An important function of a storyboard is to allow the viewer - be it an investor, producer, director or animator - to get a quick visual overview of the whole story. This would seem to argue against having any software specifically targeted at creating storyboards. It's the wrong place to interpose anything that could come between the artist and his or her inspiration. This is the place to minimize technology and maximize freedom. Let the artist work in his or her favored medium for this critical creative phase of animation. For others, it may be Flash, Illustrator or Photoshop. For many artists, that is pen or pencil and paper.

During storyboarding, artists should use the tools they're most comfortable with, the tools they can use without thinking about them. But the main thing is to let creativity flow, to give the characters life, expression and feeling. Yes, the storyboard artist does break the story into scenes and shots, thereby advancing the visual thinking process toward the final product. First, the main purpose of a storyboard is to tell a story with a minimum of fuss and bother, and a maximum of verve and expressiveness. When Toon Boom Storyboard came out in June 2006, I questioned the value of storyboarding software, for four basic reasons:Įxpressive Freedom.

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