5 Tips for Amazing Storyboards | Motion Design & Animation

Summary

This video offers valuable insights into creating effective storyboards for motion design projects. It outlines five key tips: working in passes (thumbnails, boards, style frames), starting with paper to focus on composition, experimenting with multiple ideas, adding detailed sketches to communicate the final look, and providing clear descriptions to avoid confusion. The importance of tools like Millernote for organizing and refining boards is emphasized, and the video encourages both beginners and professionals to spend time developing strong, clear storyboards for successful motion design.

Takeaways

• 😀 Storyboards are essential for clearly communicating ideas in motion design, whether for personal projects or large teams.
• 😀 Start with rough thumbnails to explore ideas quickly without worrying about design details, focusing on structure and pacing.
• 😀 Use three main passes in the process: thumbnails, storyboards, and style frames. Each step refines the idea for better clarity.
• 😀 Experiment with multiple ideas during the thumbnail phase, as it's the cheapest time to make mistakes and explore alternatives.
• 😀 Hand-drawing your thumbnails helps limit distractions and forces you to focus on the storytelling rather than design intricacies.
• 😀 Utilizing tools like MillerNote makes organizing, moving, and updating storyboards easy, improving collaboration and workflow.
• 😀 The level of detail in your storyboards should match the project's needs, especially when presenting to clients or collaborators.
• 😀 Be descriptive with your storyboards. Clear descriptions alongside visuals help clients and animators understand the final animation intentions.
• 😀 Detailed storyboards closer to the final design can help set clear client expectations and avoid misunderstandings later in production.
• 😀 Spend time upfront in the storyboarding phase, as changes here are easier and cheaper to implement than making adjustments during animation.
• 😀 Communication with clients is key. Talking through storyboards over the phone is often more effective than relying solely on email for feedback.

Q & A

What is the purpose of a storyboard in motion design?

A storyboard is used to communicate on paper or digital formats what will happen on screen. It ensures that everyone involved in production, whether it's a personal project or a team-based one, understands the visual flow of the project.

What are the three main passes to work through when storyboarding?

The three main passes are: 1) Thumbnails, which are rough and just for the creator; 2) Boards, which are refined storyboards for internal communication or client review; and 3) Style frames, which are the final designs or pauses that reflect the animation’s final look.

Why is it recommended to start storyboarding with paper?

Starting with paper limits distractions and helps focus on the story, structure, pacing, and composition. It's a more natural, low-pressure way to explore initial ideas without getting bogged down in design details.

How does Millernote help in the storyboarding process?

Millernote provides an interactive visual board that makes organizing, sketching, and collaborating easy. It allows for easy drag-and-drop of storyboard panels, making it more efficient than traditional software. It also has built-in commenting and sharing tools for team collaboration.

Why is experimentation important in the storyboarding process?

Experimentation in storyboarding allows you to explore alternative ideas and solutions cheaply. Mistakes can be corrected quickly during the thumbnail phase, while more time-consuming changes are more difficult to implement during production.

What role does the thumbnail phase play in storyboarding?

The thumbnail phase is where the roughest ideas are visualized. It’s a stage for quick exploration of concepts and helps define pacing and structure without getting distracted by the finer details of the design.

How can spending more time in the storyboarding phase help reduce risk during production?

Spending more time in the storyboarding phase can help ensure the project’s flow and key moments are solidified before production begins. This reduces the chances of client dissatisfaction later, as changes are easier to make at the storyboard stage than in the design or animation stages.

What is the benefit of adding detailed descriptions to storyboards?

Detailed descriptions help clarify the intended animation or scene for the client or team. It reduces misunderstandings and ensures everyone involved knows exactly what is expected, which can prevent costly revisions later in production.

How can you manage client expectations during the storyboarding phase?

By presenting more detailed and refined storyboards, especially those that resemble the final design, you ensure clients have a clearer understanding of the project's look. This reduces the chance of them projecting their own ideas of what the animation will look like.

Why is it important to communicate with the client over the phone during the storyboard review process?

Talking to the client over the phone while reviewing the storyboards allows for immediate clarification, reduces misunderstandings, and fosters a more collaborative atmosphere than relying solely on email communication.