On the final rotation, we were introduced to the importance of how a storyboard structures and finalises a story.
We’ve exercised and ran through different tasks focusing on how to understand this in both a traditional and digital standpoint.
The first task we explored was to quite literally create a 1 panel storyboard that was also meant to be done in a short time span under a particular brief. This was to help us highlight an important moment or action that would be represented in one panel, as well as trying to explore how that action would be represented shot-wise.
For my outcome, I chose to represent two characters, one of whom the other hasn’t seen in a long time and notices them from the crowd.
We also got onto working on a hands on drawing task where we had to illustrate the class in continuous line and move round to produce a somewhat interesting perspective. Being accurate in perspective wasn’t the main objective, rather that we just had to try and draw the whole class in a time frame. This has both strengthened my skillset in drawing from life, as well as loosening up and not worrying too much about making it look ‘good’, and being in a time constraint. I often struggle with time and taking too long, so having a time limit helped me focus on getting to the point and trying to finish the drawing.
I was quite content with the outcomes and didn’t expect it to, because I am not particularly skilled in perspective. Though it produced quite an interesting recurring style that made the outcome compelling and different.
For the next task, we went on a trip to the Tate to do life drawing. The difference was that we weren’t drawing a model posing for us, rather real life people that don’t know we’re drawing them, which is what made it the ultimate challenge. We also had try and find stories out of those people and whatever they were doing. We had to keep our eyes peeled and try to make sense of the details we often walked past by. I relatively enjoyed this, because it has helped not only with life drawing in general and improving on proportion, but also extreme yet unpredictable time constraints, because people can move, get up, walk away, or notice we are drawing them. I had to remain curious and try to find people I could draw, and situations I could try and interpret into my drawings.
Insert drawings.
For the second part of the task when we had to find a story from any of those people, and to try and capture it, I really struggled. So, I decided to go to a cafe later on, and capture more people and stories then. It was easier, because most of the time in a cafe, people are sat down, and aren’t paying attention. This led to a variety of more outcomes which I am quite content with.
3 panel storyboard
This outcome is based on a drawing I made of a couple smiling together in the cafe. The story is about a woman’s life who tries to find ‘the one’ assuming there is someone at the end of the red string. On the last panel, the string is no longer visible, because she let go of this constant search, and instead simply wanted to live presently, rather than in the time ahead. It is not known whether the man smiling with her could be the one, but he might as well could be. Time is far too fleeting to wonder.
Titled ‘The One’.
Final outcome
My concept to the outcome revolved around two existing characters I have created in the past that hold a significance to my journey through animation. My reason for choosing to begin with a personal idea in response to the task, is because I haven’t yet explored the notion of placing the characters in a situation and experiencing a conflict.
What we’ve been asked to do has helped me to refine my personal concept by understanding the characters more using storyboarding, and essentially bringing them to life. It has also brought new ideas I hadn’t yet thought of and will help a lot with future inspiration.
I believe I have been significantly successful in creating an impactful storyboard that holds an interesting conflict leaving the viewers to hope for what comes next. Despite the task asking to create a storyboard surrounding a conflict between two characters, I instead chose to have the characters be the ‘conflict’, in which they both relate to.
I have had to go through several drafts of the storyboard before refining it into the outcome. One way I could have improved on this rotation, was by working more efficiently within the time frame. Overall, I am relatively content with what I have created, and have learned a lot from this rotation, specifically, refining an idea into a clear and concise storyboard.