The art of storyboarding with Ridley Scott.

Summary

The speaker describes the process of creating a storyboard for film production, highlighting its role as the first visual draft of a film. They emphasize the importance of light, objects, and environments in shaping their artistic vision, drawing from their background in art school. The speaker shares how they use thumbnails and detailed drawings to refine scenes, collaborating with actors and storyboard artists. They mention influences from filmmakers like Hitchcock and discuss their preference for traditional methods over digital storyboarding tools, reflecting on critiques about their films being overly visual but choosing to stay true to their vision.

Takeaways

• 🎬 Storyboards offer the first visual preview of a film, helping to visualize scenes before filming.
• 🚗 The speaker enjoys observing light and landscapes while being driven, finding beauty even in industrial areas.
• 🎨 The speaker has a strong background in art, having spent seven years in art school, which deeply influences their work in filmmaking.
• 🖌️ Their artistic skills allow them to contribute to various aspects of filmmaking, including costume and set design.
• 📜 Reading the script often sparks vivid imagery in the speaker's mind, which informs location choices and scene direction.
• ✏️ Storyboarding starts with quick thumbnail sketches, allowing for fast visualization and adjustment before more detailed work.
• 🗣️ Collaborating with the storyboard artist helps the speaker solidify their vision and communicate clearly with the rest of the team.
• 🎭 Actors typically appreciate the speaker's scene suggestions, and the collaborative approach seems to work well on set.
• 📚 The speaker acknowledges that screenplays and storyboards are organic, often revisiting and improving them during the process.
• 💻 The speaker prefers traditional storyboarding over electronic methods, feeling that digital tools can be too time-consuming and unnecessary for their workflow.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of a storyboard according to the speaker?

The primary purpose of a storyboard is to serve as the first visual representation of the film. It allows the filmmaker to see the film in advance, as it provides a visual map of what is about to be filmed.

How does the speaker describe their experience with observing light on objects?

The speaker finds great enjoyment in observing the performance of light on objects, whether in industrial or beautiful areas. They are fascinated by the way light interacts with objects and have been captivated by this from an early age.

What was the speaker’s educational background, and how did it influence their career?

The speaker attended art school for seven years, which significantly shaped their approach to film. This training allowed them to engage with various departments related to art, such as costume and set design, and helped them develop a keen understanding of visual storytelling.

How does the speaker begin the storyboard process?

The speaker begins the storyboard process by reading the script and visualizing the scenes in their mind. They then create thumbnails or quick sketches to capture these ideas and decide if they will work for the film.

What is the role of the storyboard artist in the speaker's process?

The storyboard artist plays a crucial role in the speaker’s process by helping articulate and visualize the scenes. The collaboration with the artist allows the speaker to clarify their ideas and plan the scenes before arriving on set.

How does the speaker describe the relationship between storyboards and the filmmaking process?

The speaker describes storyboards as essential tools for planning and rehearsing scenes. By working through the storyboard, they are able to visualize and discuss the scenes, which ensures that they know exactly what they want to do when they arrive on set.

What does the speaker think of the use of electronic storyboards?

The speaker acknowledges that some people use electronic storyboards to map out scenes in detail, but they personally do not find it necessary. They believe it takes too long and prefer the traditional storyboard approach.

How does the speaker feel about critiques of their films being overly designed or visually focused?

The speaker initially felt discouraged by critiques that their films, like 'Duelists' or 'Blade Runner,' were overly designed or visually focused. However, they eventually decided to stick to their approach, believing in their method of blending strong visuals with storytelling.

What does the speaker mean by describing screenplays as 'organic'?

By describing screenplays as 'organic,' the speaker means that they are subject to change and growth during the filmmaking process. As new ideas arise, the script can evolve, and adjustments may be made to improve scenes or dialogue.

Why does the speaker sometimes make notations on the storyboard on the way to set?

The speaker sometimes makes notations on the storyboard on the way to set because they may have new ideas or insights. These notations help refine the plan for the day and ensure that any last-minute improvements are incorporated.

Outlines

00:00

🎬 The Storyboard: A Film’s First Visualization

The storyboard offers the first visual representation of a film, enabling directors to conceptualize how scenes will look. The speaker reflects on their early passion for observing light and objects, whether in nature or industrial landscapes, and how this fascination influenced their artistic approach. Their formal training in art, including seven years of study, allowed them to engage with various departments, from costume to set design, with a deep understanding of art. The storyboard process begins with reading the script, followed by mental imagery of locations and scenes. These ideas are quickly captured through thumbnails, which serve as visual notes, refined throughout the day or as new thoughts arise. The practice of working closely with storyboard artists helps the speaker clearly communicate their vision, leading to a smooth process on set with the actors and crew. This process echoes the tradition of renowned filmmakers, such as Alfred Hitchcock, who relied heavily on storyboards.

05:00

✍️ The Organic Process of Storyboarding and Writing

The speaker explains how the creation of storyboards mirrors the process of writing a screenplay, both of which are organic and subject to change. Writers often rework their drafts, coming back to 'massage' scenes to improve them, just as the speaker revisits thumbnails to explore new ideas during the storyboarding process. As they immerse themselves in visualizing scenes, they begin to suggest not only camera angles but also actor movements and script adjustments. This creative flow can lead to detailed, fully rendered frames, though they often return to simpler thumbnails to save time. Storyboards, like comic strips, aim to capture the dynamics of each scene, whether action-packed or dialogue-driven. Some filmmakers now use electronic storyboards to precisely plan out scenes, but the speaker prefers traditional methods, finding electronic processes too time-consuming.

Keywords

💡Storyboard

A storyboard is a visual representation of the film's scenes, often used by directors to pre-visualize the movie. It acts as the first tangible form of the film, helping the director and team to plan the sequences. In the video, the speaker emphasizes that the storyboard serves as a rehearsal for the director, allowing them to prepare for each scene in advance.

💡Thumbnail

A thumbnail is a small, quick sketch that helps map out the key components of a scene. The speaker describes using thumbnails to visualize ideas rapidly and refine them, often even on the way to set. This rough sketching process aids in making creative decisions without committing too much time to fine details early on.

💡Art School

The speaker mentions attending art school, where they spent seven years honing their skills. This education played a foundational role in shaping their ability to visualize scenes, discuss artistic departments like costume and set design, and contribute to the overall visual language of filmmaking. It reflects their formal training and deep connection to visual arts.

💡Performance of Light

The term 'performance of light' refers to the way light interacts with objects, creating moods and visual effects in the frame. The speaker highlights their fascination with how light transforms both natural and industrial landscapes, a sensitivity developed from a lifelong practice of painting and drawing.

💡Visualization

Visualization is the process of mentally picturing scenes while reading a script. The speaker explains that they often experience flashes of images and scenes in their head while reading, which helps in selecting locations and planning the shot. This early visualization process is essential to their creative workflow.

💡Rehearsal

In this context, rehearsal refers to the mental preparation the director undergoes by reviewing the storyboard and thumbnails. The speaker compares this to an actor preparing for a role, and it ensures that by the time they reach the set, they know exactly what they want to achieve. This rehearsal process is key to efficiently directing a scene.

💡Organic Screenplay

An 'organic screenplay' refers to the idea that a script is a living document that evolves throughout the filmmaking process. The speaker notes that screenwriters often return to 'massage' or improve scenes as the film progresses. Similarly, storyboards may also undergo changes as new ideas emerge during visualization and filming.

💡Electronic Storyboards

Electronic storyboards are digital versions of traditional storyboards, allowing for more complex pre-visualization, such as 3D rendering of environments and camera movements. The speaker expresses a preference for traditional methods but acknowledges that some filmmakers use this technology to plan intricate camera movements and scene dynamics.

💡Over-designed

The term 'over-designed' refers to criticism the speaker has received for putting too much emphasis on the visual aspects of their films, sometimes at the expense of other elements like characterization or story depth. Films like 'Blade Runner' and 'Alien' were noted for their highly stylized visuals, which some critics viewed as overshadowing narrative elements.

💡Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock is referenced as a pioneer of meticulous storyboarding. Hitchcock was known for planning every shot in detail before filming, and the speaker acknowledges this influence, explaining that they too rely heavily on storyboarding to guide their filmmaking. However, they also highlight the flexibility to deviate from the plan when something more interesting arises on set.

Highlights

A storyboard offers the first visual representation of a film, helping filmmakers see the movie unfold before it is shot.

The creator enjoys observing light on objects, even in industrial areas, which influences their approach to visual storytelling.

The artist's background in painting and art school shaped their ability to communicate with various departments on set, from costume to set design.

The storyboard begins in the mind while reading the script, with flashes of locations and scenes forming early visual ideas.

Quick thumbnail sketches help visualize scenes, acting as a rehearsal for what will be shot that day.

Articulating ideas to the storyboard artist helps the director become fully prepared, almost like rehearsing for the actual shoot.

During production, storyboards often serve as a guide but allow flexibility if something more interesting emerges on the day of shooting.

Storyboarding is similar to writing or painting in that the process evolves, with ideas constantly being reworked and improved upon.

The storyboard process can inform not only visuals but also performances, suggesting how actors might approach a scene.

The director occasionally becomes deeply immersed in drawing detailed frames, though thumbnail sketches are more practical.

Storyboards are compared to sophisticated comic strips, conveying the dynamics of a sequence visually.

Even for dialogue-heavy scenes, storyboards can make seemingly simple moments visually interesting.

Some directors use electronic storyboards for precise pre-visualization, but the director prefers traditional methods.

The director has been criticized for over-designing films, but they embrace this meticulous visual approach as part of their style.

Iconic films like 'Blade Runner' were initially criticized for their visual style, but the director now chooses to stick with their distinct aesthetic.

Transcripts

a storyboard is the it's the first look

at the film you know where you could

actually go down the board and see the

film so it's by definition it's it's

what is about to go onto celluloid

I found that I get great enjoyment out

of just sitting in a car and staring at

the landscape if I'm being driven and

whether I'm going through an industrial

area or a obviously beautiful area I'm

always fascinated by what I boiled down

to really the performance of light on

objects and even industrial is beautiful

right so I start to see that early on

when I was a kid because I've always

painted and drawn more than usual my

most informative years were art school

post grammar school I didn't really

enjoy school and I basically woke up

when I went to art school and spent

seven years at art school which is

fairly standard if you're heading

towards the teaching profession for

years provincial than three years it's

somewhere higher level which was the

happened to be the Royal College of Art

so yeah it's pretty I'm pretty highly

trained in that area and therefore I've

always been able to learn and lend my

hand to and be able to talk about with

pretty well every department which deals

with anything that would come under the

heading of art or like costume like set

design obviously and the stroke board

starts off in my mind because I'm

actually reading the script and I can

literally get flashes on the location of

which will very often actually give me a

reason to choose that particular

location because I start to see the

scene in the room or on the location or

whatever it is and I can literally get

images being being in their head and

then that gets put down I started a

thumbnail scribbled things thinking that

yeah this will work this is this is fine

you know thumbnails are awfully fast if

you know what you're doing and I'm a

draftsman so I can really thumb nail

something down as

the still at play for the day a literary

as I'm going there in the morning in a

car it's a real like a refresher course

and what you're about to do and

everybody finds their own way I think

whether you're an actor or whether

you're a director you find your own way

going there that morning so when you hit

the set you know exactly what you've got

a target and sometimes I don't leave it

that late sometimes it's it's done way

earlier and well if in which because I

just glanced through the boards and I

may have some new thoughts that morning

as I'm going in which case then there'll

be notations to the board or thumbnails

on the board to remind me that this may

be better or that may be better you know

it's like a rehearsal for me so I think

that's why very often when I hit the set

I know exactly what I wanted to do

because I've talked through it with the

storyboard artists in fact it's almost

like they're talking through with a

storyboard artist that has almost

prepared me totally to because you have

to articulate exactly what you're gonna

do and so when I hit the floor to do a

scene or whether it's you know whatever

it is I usually you know ask the actors

if they don't mind but should I just

suggest what we're going to do and

rarely do they say well you know why

we're doing it that way so it seems to

work out it seems to get distilled in

that discussion so they always seem to

be perfectly happy about saying it

sounds like good plan let's do it you

know this is nothing new what I'm

practicing it goes back to the great you

know filmmakers of the 20s 30s 40s 50s I

think Hitchcock was the one who was the

main

very much publicized a user of a

storyboard and he would stick to the

storyboard which doesn't mean that he

couldn't violation it if he saw

something more interesting on the day

doing a board which starts from a

thumbnail to a polish board I think is a

bit like being a writer they will start

you know in the left hand corner of the

canvas or page and work right through

they'll do a pass and just the the key

on painting is actually well I always

found for me get rid of the way get rid

of the white canvas guess something at

right across the canvas otherwise if you

don't you're always looking at that area

of white which is like a blank sheet and

so a writer I think right it's very

often like to bash you the script that's

why they don't like to hand in pages

because they like to rework and as Steve

the work them twice now he's a phrase I

like to come back and massage the page

and massage the script in areas because

very often you bash down the scene

because he doesn't want to spend time on

it I think is the way work gets it down

knowing it has to be there but I'll come

back and make it better because a

screenplay is organic right so something

may occur here but then occur there so

you want to come back later and deal

with that and change it or make it

better

same with storyboards you start off

through the thumbnails and then if I'm

getting really interested in the scene

think I've just seen when I draw I get

sucked into the scene that's when I'm

sucked into the scene I start to

visualize other opportunities which

aren't just pictures there may be

suggestions for actors the way the scene

can go how you can adjust and maybe even

finally how the words are used you know

so I when I do that I it's abstract

because in fact it's wasting time

because I'm sitting there and I'll start

to really finish a frame and then and I

sometimes just finish a frame so it's

really really drawn shaded dark lines

and get me but not to me right I

and then I'll move on with thumbnails

but in a funny kind of way it's like a

thumbprint for the storyboards to go

okay that's what it's like and then to

work with that you don't draw every

frame in every cut or if something gets

tricky our world diversity draw every

frame and every cut and you find it with

thumbnailing adding with big frames and

small frames so in fact the storyboard

becomes rather like a sophisticated

comic strip well in fact now comic

strips are very sophisticated and

ideally that's what a storyboard should

be because you're seeing the dynamics of

you know and if it's really well drawn

then you can follow dynamics of the

sequence and even if it's dialogue you

can always do something with a dialogue

scene it wasn't just two Talking Heads

but then of course two Talking Heads can

also be interesting you know so it's

annoying where to pull back other people

now go to great lengths of actually

doing electronic storyboards where I can

plant walking into this house walk into

this room circle the room and the camera

destroy the this the electronic process

will allow someone to see exactly what

you'll see in that room I don't need

that I don't like that but people do and

plan it that way you can either get it

in caged form on the computer or you can

go further and fill it in and color the

walls and put in the furniture you

literally go the whole hog if you want

but I don't need to do that fortunately

it takes too long

I think amusingly I've always been

accused of being over designed and over

thought-out with the visual aspects of

the film's I do and I used to take that

on board initially because I got rather

depressed about the fact that doulas was

classified as too beautiful and and

alien was a bit light on

characterization and all on dynamics and

Blade Runner was criticized peak I think

was as to having a simplistic story

albeit a very depressing story

set against this ever reigning ever you

know ever-growing darkness right and now

I think I'll just stay with the plan