Staging and Story boarding

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Staging and Story boarding

(Lesson notes):

Story boarding: the WHAT of everything?

This includes:

  • Style
  • Character
  • How may of them, environment, camera angle etc.

Style

  • Humanoid vs cartoon character
  • Real World Simulation vs Anime
  • 2D vs 3D
  • Laws of physics
  • Storyboard determines style, but style does not determines the login of your animation.

Storyboards can also determine how many frames or how much detail you want to show off a singular action.

Pose to pose- this is pretty much how story boarding frames work.

Note: Copy and paste the background if it is the same.

Note: If the focus of the shot is something smaller e.g. character action buying in a shop and leave out the city behind- only shop details.

Stage Appeal

Storyboard = Amount of appeal on your stage.

Proportion can also gives emotion and characteristics.

Dynamic design will boost the appeal of your entire stage.

Audience is easily drawn to towards shapes and colors, so sometimes details might not be easy to memorize.

Colour has meaning, even subconsciously. Think about what you want to tell the audience in terms of context of a scene, or personality of a character.

Storyboarding

Keep it simple! Form follows function/ function follows form. Design the storyboard and character with this in mind.

A storyboard should prioritise the subject matter in the shot. Such as, if the character is entering a shop then you do not need to draw the street behind in the storyboard panel. This saves time and effort for the most important elements.

12 Principles of Animation

Main principles of STAGING:

  • Camera angle and position
  • Timing
  • Acting
  • Setting

Camera

Camera controls the presentation and viewpoint. Different distance and angle of a cam position will have different outcomes based on what you wanted to communicate from the protagonist.

Camera Distance

Character:

  • Close up = details and facial expressions
  • Far = larger body gestures

Buildings:

  • Close up = details, functions or properties etc. (Shop, house)
  • Far = look at more scale, density , quantity etc. (City, skyscraper)

Don’t position your camera away from what is supposed to be focused on. UNLESS there’s a good reason for it, or you are planning something later. Switch camera view point base on what you are showing.

Camera Contrast/Focal Point

Things that you put within a scene bring in the consideration of focal point. Our attention will change if there is a distinct difference of: colours, animation, scale, size and lighting. As an artist, we need to consider what to put on the stage, work out the balance and make sure it delivered what you want to show.

Timing

Timing – Order

The actions of an event should have a sequence aligned with the story plot. Showing multiple things at the same time = losing the focus, or causing confusion. Let animation flow from one action to another, or let one finish before the other begins.

Timing – Pausing

Pausing slows the pace of the animation. Either refocusing the audiences eyes on a subject, or drawing attention to a subject. Pausing can add a comedic effect. The delay allows theme to absorb and digest what is happening.

Acting

Ask yourself what sort of acting is required to portray the narrative of your idea? The miss-en-scene is what makes the whole idea come together and translate to the audience, the character is part of this. The character’s acting and poses are important to tell the story even in still frames.

Acting – silhouette technique

With the correct angle of posing and camera, even when the character is stripped of detail and colour, a good character design will be understandable through silhouette.

Setting

Setting – Emotions, Characteristics and Themes

Happy – bright daylight, life, happy sound (birds, music, cheerful) = Yellow and Orange.

Sad – Raining, broken = Blue.

Lonely – isolated, dark, dim = Black and White.

Rich – Furnished, royal = Gold.

Poor – Broken, torn, worn = Grey.

Madness – Distorted (Colour Shift)

Mysterious – ??

Impossible Space – Breaking the convention, not align with nature and natural rules, unexpected, not following with common sense.

Setting – Props

Props are used by the character, so they should reflect the context and personality of the character.

For example, if the character is wealthy, then that will reflect in the items in their personal space. Those items, e.g. furniture, could will be stylishly decorated and clean. The opposite for a poorer character.

Setting – Detail Balancing

Give balance to the background and subject. Use the mise-en-scene to draw attention to the subject of focus and do not allow it to obscure the subject.