Storyboarding - Further Research

Recently I have been doing research into the storyboard artists and the sort of things they have to do in order to help make a production a success. Dan Miligan, storyboard artist of 300 is a good example of how using art can be the connection to a film doing well and a film losing itself or becoming overwhelmed during its earlier stages. Below are a couple of snaps from his storyboard for 300.

Zach Snyder, director of "300", "Dawn of the Dead" and "The Watchmen" had an interview with indymogul.com about the importance of the storyboard artist to the film industry:

"Storyboards play a vital part in my process long before I start sharing them with my team. I’ve always storyboarded my commercials and movies. It is a key part of my process for envisioning the entire film from beginning to end. In addition to using that drawing time to figure out blocking and action, it is also when I can begin to get a sense of whether the dialog and pacing are working. As you can see from these frames, my storyboards aren’t necessarily super-finished art pieces on their own. I often find that the frames that get the most detail are the ones where I’m stalling - thinking of the next shots. In contrast, if I already have a sequence sorted out in my head, the boards tend to be much sketchier. In the past, once I had completed my sketches, I would have a clean up pass done by an artist."

Other snippets from storyboards such as Sin City differ from that of 300, show a more before and after comparison of how they want the actors to behave and stand as well as what sort of shot the camera is filming at the time as shown below. Proving that storyboards are essential in pretty much all walks of media.