Prepare to Board! Creating Story and Characters for Animated Features and Shorts

by Nancy Beiman

Successful storyboards and poignant characters have the power to make elusive thoughts and emotions tangible for audiences. Packed with illustrations that illuminate and a text that entertains and informs, Prepare to Board , 2 nd edition presents the methods and techniques of animation master, Nancy Beiman, with a focus on pre-production, story development and character design. As one of the only storyboard titles on the market that explores the intersection of creative character design and storyboard development, the second edition of Prepare to Board is an invaluable resource for beginner and intermediate artists. Animators and artists will be able to spot potential problems before they cost time and money. Learn how the animation storyboard differs from live action boards and how characters must be developed simultaneously with the story. Positive and negative examples of storyboard and character design are presented and analyzed to demonstrate successful problem-solving techniques, applicable to a variety of animation projects. Featuring in-depth interviews with leading animators and storyboard artists, artists and animators alike can adapt professional workflows, techniques and problem solving solutions and add them to their own creative toolkit. Of course, no book about storyboarding would be complete without a rundown of the basic concepts of cinematic storytelling: camera angles, lenses, and composition. Artwork from an international array of students and professionals supplement the author's own illustrations. New to this edition will be a fully developed companion website featuring video tutorials highlighting the creation of animatics, good and bad pitching techniques along with updated images and even more content driven techniques.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Writing

345 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2007

Reviews

[Benita Kvinlaug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Beiman has, in my opinion, formed a treasure map for success as an animation (and film in general) storyteller. This book combines the visual with the written, with your very own mind. Prepare to be blown away. Everything's explained in such an easy manner, presenting a direct, hands-on rarety for aspiring animators and/or storytellers. Should definately be on anyone's shelves!
The book also includes exercises, recomendations of books, films, artists, etc..., interviews with high profile people you'd nesrly kill to hear speak. And here you have them.

An amazing piece of work that has helped me more than any book ever has. Get it.

[Lycoris Radiatta · Rating 5 out of 5]

It´s a great guide which had exceed my expectations!!!

I was looking for some specific info. about why the storyboard is divided into 3 different booklets (A,B & C)? and I finally founded the answer here.

Answer:
• An “A” scene/sequence is an essential story point that must be in the film and cannot be eliminated.
• A “B” scene/sequence can be shortened or restaged if time and budget require it.
• A “C” scene/sequence is one that contains material that may be amusing but not essential. It can be cut without compromising the story.
i highly recommend it, don´t get tricked by the

It also covers essential points as:
-Show and Tell: Presenting Your Storyboards
-Even how to deal/work with other animators
-and more!

Don´t get tricked by the basic cover.
The title does not do justice to it, THIS BOOK has much more to offer!!

[Alec Longstreth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book I've read about storyboarding, and it is by far the best one! Beiman explains the process of storyboarding a film (and designing its characters) with straightforward clarity. It makes the daunting process seem approachable. There are great examples throughout drawn by herself, her students, and her colleagues. Recommended!

[Yonisalmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it a lot. Goes through the process of developing an animated film.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where this book excels is with its conversational tone and the author's personal insights into the industry. She breaks down the process of story boarding into its crucial components and thoroughly explores each phase with examples that are both helpful and accessible for beginners.

The book structure can be a little hard to follow and transitions from topic to topic are often awkward. It's worth forgiving these shortcomings to have access to the author's insights, but readers will need to supplement their storyboard learning with some other books.

[Shannon Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this one for storyboarding picture books even though it is geared towards animation. It is redunant at times but necessary because the instruction intertwines with different areas of the process. I apprecaite the number of fine illustrations and valuable tips this book offers.

[Herman Litt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful book, essential reading for anyone wanting to learn how to create stories, characters or storyboards for animation. 5/5.

[Maram]

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