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story Storyboarding without artistic talent

DDK

DDK

Stick figures are beyond me. I can manage squiggles and that's about it.

So how do you go about storyboarding something when you seriously suck at art? I wouldn't even know where to start or how.
 
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Take digital photos of action figures or whatever and pose them and frame the shots as you would the storyboards.

You can even then photoshop these stills to black and white and make them look like storyboards...
 
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All these ideas are good-legos, action figures, heck even try using some modelling clay.

There's a program which I know some youngsters use called "pivot" which actually allows you to animate premade stick figures. Whether you want to animate or just do screen shots, you can do them simply by point and click :)

I think you'll find something :)
 
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Is this for something that you're directing? If so, I don't think it matters what your storyboard looks like. As long as you can see the shot in your head (and can communicate it to your DP, if you have one), that's all that matters. In that case, I think a storyboard is more just for planning and reminding yourself of what you saw in your head.
 
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video storyboard

A friend of mine did a video storyboard for her short film. She used her house and a few friends to stand in for the actors and locations she would be using in her film.

Example: an exterior shot of her house she labeled "EXT. Flower shop" and then had the her friend (in place of the main character/actor) walk in and interact with the supposed flower shop owner (another friend).

Any cheap video camera will do for this. you could also take pictures (still shots) of your friends standing in place of the actors and use them to create a more traditional storyboard. That way they don't have to deliver any lines.
 
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DDK said:
Stick figures are beyond me. I can manage squiggles and that's about it.

So how do you go about storyboarding something when you seriously suck at art? I wouldn't even know where to start or how.
Click to expand...

Another tool which I recently have started playing with is Google's Sketchup. It's free and has a HUGE warehouse of 3D figures, locations, and objects. Very easy to use.

You can import castles, houses, even walk the streets of major cities. Populate it. Take shots and even create animated walkthroughs or check camera angles.

It is easy to use and has several training videos on YouTube.

http://sketchup.google.com/ -- Site that has the FREE download and link to other resources
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse -- Site for all the 3D objects to create your scene

Because Google links it into its GoogleEarth, large cities worldwide have had massive 3D models created that allow you to actually be on the streets with photorealistic texturing. If you have other tools, you can actually greenscreen characters into the 3D worlds. So if you can't afford a castle backdrop, you can layout your props in a green room and then insert your scene into a generated castle.

But for a simple storyboard, it is a really nifty tool. While it has been used for movie and animation mock-ups professionally, I think it's strength is as a visualization tool. There are more sophisticated tools out there for realistic 3D modelling.

It can import/export Collada (.dae) files. So if you have other 3D software (3D Studio, Blender, Maya, etc.), save to DAE. The nice thing is that you can create new objects and places quickly, even fantasy worlds. If you have DAZ Studio, Bryce, etc., you can easily work between them. And combining it with other tools (AfterEffects, Wax2.0, Voodoo, etc.), you can create some sophisticated looking footage. Both for storyboards and actual filming.

But for a quick storyboard mock-up, check out Sketch-up from Google. It's free, easy to learn and use. It has a large support set of scenes, actors, and objects to choose from--modern, ancient, and fantasy.
 
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