COMD 3523 – D237 (49219) – Storyboard Concepts

Namm N-1118 Tuesdays 2:30-5:00 // Namm N-1120 Wednesdays 8:30-11:00

adj. Zbigniew Bzymek (zbzymek@citytech.cuny.edu)

Course Description

The storyboard is the visual version of the script. It consists of a number of panels that show the visual action of a sequence in a logical narrative. The storyboard is used as a tool for production or to assist in the selling of ideas to clients. The emphasis in this class is on story, idea and development. Students will design and present storyboards for topics including commercials, film and television titles and video presentations.

3 cl hrs, 3 cr

Prerequisites

ADV 2400 level courses or equivalent or department permission.

Suggested Text: Exploring Storyboarding Wendy Tumminello Thompson/ Delmar Learning ISBN-10: 1-4018-2715-2

ISBN-13: 978-1-4018-2715-1

Attendance (College) and Lateness (Department) Policies:

A class roster roll will be taken at the beginning of each class. Only two absences may be allowed. After two absences, a student may be withdrawn because of unsatisfactory attendance (code WU). Students arriving after the roll is taken will be marked “late.” Students may be notified at the earliest opportunity in class after they have been absent or late. After being absent two times or equivalent (2 lateness = 1 absence), a student may be asked to withdraw from the class (code W before the College drop deadline) or may be withdrawn from the class (code WU).

Academic Integrity Standards

You are responsible for reading, understanding and abiding by the NYC College of Technology Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities,” section “Academic Integrity Standards.” Academic dishonesty of any type, including cheating and plagiarism is unacceptable. “Cheating” is misrepresenting another student’s efforts/work as your own. “Plagiarism” is the representation of another person’s work, words or concepts as your own.

Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.

Grading

90% = Course projects/assignments

10% = Class preparation/participation/attendance CP/P/A 10%

Class Outline:

02.02.2016 Week 1: Visual Storytelling & Storyboards
How visual stories are told. Elements of a story. Explore industries that use storyboards. Review course syllabus. Examples of the difference between “showing” and “telling” discussed. Historical development of the storyboard. Where storyboards fit in the visual storytelling process.
Assignment: Research companies that use storyboard artists. What type of storyboards do these companies create? What is the role of the storyboard artist? E-mail me your reply by Feb 9. Create your first storyboard.

02.16.2016 Week 2: Fundamentals of the Shot
The difference between scenes and shots. How to visualize a scene in terms of framing, angles and movement. How to illustrate camera and character movement using directional arrows.
Project I: Storyboard a Day in the Park
Assignment: Take the scene basics presented in class and develop characters and location visually, using references if necessary. Make a list of the type of shots you intend to use to make the scene dynamic. E-mail your character descriptions & shot list by Feb.20th. Create one character sketch and thumbnails and send them to me by email by Feb. 20th.

Class Outline:

02.02.2016 Week 1: Visual Storytelling & Storyboards

How visual stories are told. Elements of a story. Explore industries that use storyboards. Review course syllabus. Examples of the difference between “showing” and “telling” discussed. Historical development of the storyboard. Where storyboards fit in the visual storytelling process.

Assignment: Research companies that use storyboard artists. What type of storyboards do these companies create? What is the role of the storyboard artist? E-mail me your reply by Feb 9. Create your first storyboard.

02.16.2016 Week 2: Fundamentals of the Shot

The difference between scenes and shots. How to visualize a scene in terms of framing, angles and movement. How to illustrate camera and character movement using directional arrows.

Project I: Storyboard a Day in the Park

Assignment: Take the scene basics presented in class and develop characters and location visually, using references if necessary. Make a list of the type of shots you intend to use to make the scene dynamic. E-mail your character descriptions & shot list by Feb.20th. Create one character sketch and thumbnails and send them to me by email by Feb. 20th.

02.23.2016 Week 3: From Script to final Storyboard

The function of the shooting script, shot list, and overhead diagram. Camera and character movement. Psychological impact of camera angles, framing, and movement. Define the storyboard approach from thumbnails to roughs to final storyboards. Assignment: Receive feedback on your shotlist and thumbnails. Based on comments create roughs. Email rough storyboards by Feb. 28th

03.01.2016 Week 4: Composition

How the elements of design affect shot arrangement. Expressing mood and intent of a story line with two-dimensional images. Applying the rule of thirds to storyboard panels. Assignment: Adjust roughs for composition. Final storyboards due by March 6th. Script for Project II due by e-mail March 6th.

03.08.2016 Week 5: Perspective

Presentation: Final Project I: Day in the Park Storyboard

Review one-point, two-point, and three-point perspective. Define horizon line, picture plane, and vanishing point. Describe bird’s-eye, worm’s-eye, high-angle, and low angle views.

Project II: Mystery & Suspense Storyboard Through the use of exciting camera angles

and mood lighting, create an exciting/suspenseful scene.

Assignment: Create a shot list from the script and start thumbnails. Email me thumbnails and shot list by March 12th.

03.15.2016 Week 6: Lighting

Difference between high-key and low-key lighting. How light changes the mood of a composition. How light direction affects composition. The meaning of color and how it affects mood.

Assignment: Review thumbnails for storyboards in class. Collect research and reference

materials. Start on roughs. Upload to ePortfolio and paste link in Assignment page by

March 19th.

03.22.2016 Week 7: Continuity

Basic rules of continuity. How shots are combined to create meaning. Explore non- continuous shots such as the montage and jump cut.

Assignment: Review roughs storyboards. Start Final Storyboards and upload to

ePortfolio paste link in Assignment page by March 26th.

03.29.2016 Week 8: Drawing the Human Form

Presentation: Final Project II: Mystery & Suspense Storyboard

Drawing the human figure without a model. Proportion and line of action in figure drawing. Rendering the figure in perspective. Drawing the figure in motion.

Assignment: Find a project or service you can passionately sell with original visuals and

story in 30 seconds. E-mail your choice by April 2nd. (Uniqueness better than major

brand?)

04.05.2016 Week 9: Commercials

Describe the advertising campaign process. Difference between presentation and production storyboards. Process of rendering storyboards from pencil sketches to presentation storyboards.

Project III: Television Commercial storyboard

This project will be in two parts:

1. Create a set of full-color presentation boards for client pitch

2. Create a set of B&W production boards for Director

In class: Review concepts for Television Commercial storyboard

Assignment: Research product and create a 30-second commercial script. E-mail script as well as product benefits, target audience variables and ad tone by April 10th.

04.12.2016 Week 10: Animation & Live Action

Difference between live action and animation storyboards. Relationship between storytelling and story art. Process of creating storyboards for television animation.

Assignment: Begin layouts for Presentation boards. Collect research and reference materials. Upload thumbnails to ePortfolio and post link, due by April 10th.

04.19.2016 Week 11: New Media

Explore storyboards for multimedia. Development of storyboard sequences for illustrating navigation options and graphic look. Elements of the game design document for storyboarding. Using the storyboard as a guide, to help lay out “scenes” in a manageable order.

Assignment: Implement changes and further refinement to Presentation boards, upload

B&W roughs to ePortfolio by April 16th.

05.03.2016. Week 12: Animatics

Explore kinetic experience of animatics. Animatics in the studio and its usage during on- site shoots. How to time a story for pacing, dialogue, and special effects shots. Assignment: Complete you roughs for you commercial idea. Upload to ePortfolio by May 10.

05.10.2016. Week 13: Present final un-inked roughs for in-class review

Presentation: Final un-inked roughs for Project III: television commercial. Assignment: Final changes and Ink storyboards and complete 1 production board. Upload production boards and final storyboards by May 17th to ePortfolio and paste link.

05.17.2016. Week 14: Final Presentations

Pitching your idea. Finding work, creating a resume & portfolio, delivering work and invoicing.

Project III: study for quiz.

Assignment: Upload final production boards and animatic to ePortfolio by May 24th and paste link.

05.24.2016. Week 15: Final Quiz

Bibliography