Storyboarding For Film Video And Animation Short Course

Course description

A storyboard can be a work of art: a multi-layered piece of visual poetry that moves an audience. It can help ensure that an audience laughs, cries, screams and cheers in all the right places. It can be powerfully thought provoking, communicating complex ideas in an elegantly simple way and can improve other folks’ scripts tenfold, adding subtext, humour, pacing and more.

This short course aims to help you communicate your ideas and create engaging storyboards - be they for animation, live action, narrative-based content, factual, music videos, advertising or more abstract works.

It is designed to provide you with the foundational knowledge necessary to work in the industry and/or as an independent filmmaker, with bespoke advice and tuition tailored to your needs.

Each lesson will consist of lectures, (including a wide variety of in depth live-action and animation clip analysis), practical exercises and feedback. The tutor encourages a fun relaxed atmosphere and provides detailed handouts for each topic covered.

It will provide you with essential skills and knowledge, that not only will improve your work as a storyboard artist, but as a storyteller and director, too.

Course outcomes

By the end of the course, students will:

• Have a basic drawing and composition ‘toolkit’ to help you translate your ideas into pictures
• Have an insight into both animation and live action pipelines, processes and crew roles.
• Have experience of working with a professional script.
• Have foundational knowledge of screenwriting and storytelling principles.
• Have analysed a wide variety of professional storyboards.
• Developed your directing skills.
• Be able to emotionally manipulate your audience!
• Be able to avoid expensive and embarrassing common beginner mistakes!
• Understand how to add rhythm and pace to your storyboard.
• Have a deeper understanding of telling stories with pictures: how shot sizes, angles, camera moves and other filmic tools can add so much meaning to your work.
• Have a deeper understanding of film theory and grammar.
• Be able to annotate your storyboard with industry standard makings, terminology and abbreviations.

Who should take this course

Storyboarding suits generalists, and this course reflects that. It is essentially a filmmaking course, combined with some illustration and screenwriting lessons. It is designed for beginners but can accommodate those with a little experience.

Entry requirements

An interest in creating engaging live action and or animation. No drawing experience necessary. We will be working loosely on paper* and concentrating on honing storyboard direction skills.

Level: Beginners and those with some experience

Please note: This course is for students aged 18 and older

Clear, easy to understand lessons:

• Our tutors will explain things in easy to understand, accessible English. If they need to use any special terminology, they will make sure they explain what they mean.
• New methods will be shown to students through live demonstrations, in a way that’s crystal clear and easy to understand.

Experience life on campus:

• Study at Central Saint Martins, Granary Square a world-famous art and design college
• Network and share ideas with students from across the globe
• Access the technology and materials relevant to your discipline
• Ask questions of your tutor in real time
• Receive feedback and critique on your assignments
• Experience the many sights of London on your down time

A certificate of completion and a digital badge:

• You've put the work in so we want to make sure you have something to show for it!
• As long as you attend a minimum of 80% of your classes, we will provide you with a certificate of attendance.
• We always recommend you attend all of the classes so that you get the most out of the experience!
• Certificates and digital badges are great to compliment your cv.