Storyboard: a fundamental stage in making an anime
What better opportunity than Animé 100 and the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Japanese animation to learn a bit more about making an anime? Discover the storyboard, a primordial stage for the making of an anime.
Storyboard
The storyboard enables to shape the idea that you have of the finished anime. It is based on the scenario and shows through drawings and descriptions:
- camera angle,
- frame creation,
- scene organization,
- special effects,
- dialogue timing, etc.
It is in a way the overall plan of the piece of work as a whole. Not only is it aimed at developing the anime, the storyboard is also a primordial document which makes sharing information with the rest of the team possible.
The five main elements taken into account in the storyboard are the following:
- frame sketch
- scene number
- contents: it corresponds to the description of the scene of the scenario (togaki) and describes objectively the characters’ movements and the situation. Here are also specified the take and the method used for photography.
- dialogues
- numbers of needed seconds: it shows how many seconds are used for each cut. For an anime, single cut constitutes major efforts and costs. It is therefore necessary to indicate its duration as soon as the storyboard stage, in order to prevent any pointless effort during the process.
For the number of necessary seconds, one second is split in 24 pictures. One more picture or one less can greatly change the end result. The storyboard organization is made by timing each cut according to dialogues and action. It is necessary to have a significant experience to measure in your head 24 pictures per second. For a professional of animation, a second is likely to be way longer than what people think.
See you soon with more!
We’ll tackle the layout and next stages of making an anime.
Japanese animation is 100 years old: come celebrate with us!
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