Chapter on Storyboards

“Film Directing Shot by Shot” by Steven Katz

It was really useful to learn about drawing out the different shots on a storyboard. It’s a good way to document camera techniques such as the zoom shot, tracking shot, pan shot, etc. The storyboard samples from Citizen Kane and The Birds portrayed the pace and mood of the film very beautifully. Using storyboarding to vet out a scene is great for acquainting yourself with the perspective and capabilities of the camera. Sketching ability becomes very useful, since storyboarding becomes part of an oral process of developing the mechanics of a scene.

Using iStopMotion with DV camera connected by firewire

A comic book about comic books. I think McCloud chose a very appropriate medium to explain this underrated form of story telling. He takes us through several principles that comic artists use to convey time, space and emotion through text and pictures. Using strategic panel layouts to obtain closure from the reader, motion lines to indicate action and long panels to show passing of time are some of the tools available to the comic artist. Having McCloud explain how these techniques worked on a psychological level was very illuminating. He helped to clarify many visual devices which I have internalized and taken for granted during my years of reading comics. I also enjoyed his comparison of comics across different cultures, and his thoughts on how artistic differences came about. The Japanese comics I have read have a different flow from american ones, one I was never able to articulate until now.

McCloud conveys a rich explanation of comics mechanics in an easy to read format, and also inspires us about the power of human imagination. After reading this I’ll definitely be paying attention to comics in a new light.

Recommended Comics:

The System – Peter Kuper

The Sandman – Neil Gaiman

The Watchmen – Alan Moore

Preacher – Garth Ennis