Teaching Down Under!

I've just returned from a 2 week trip to Melbourne, Australia to teach story-boarding to a select group of industry locals. They were a dedicated, hard working bunch eager to learn and absorbed my lessons and assignments with aplomb.The enterprise was arranged by veteran animation director and producers Peter Viska and Colin South with support from Film Victoria.

We had a whole day of gesture drawing exercises which was exhausting for all!

(Photos from Jacquie Nguyen's Instagram)

One evening I did a 'live story-boarding' demo for an invited group of Melbourne animation pros. I was given a page of script fro ma 'Fatal Attraction' type scenario and talked through my process as I drew.

. . . and, of course, mean caricatures ended the affair!

The team made this terrific thank you card for me

Storyboard Test

Almost three years ago, trying to find work at an American studio,  I did a story test for Dreamworks Animation. I was out of work at the time so I was able to devote myself to the task and threw myself into it.  I ultimately didn't get the gig but I had fun drawing those characters!

First of all I familiarized myself with the location of the sequence- Central Park Zoo.  I went through the first 'Madagascar' on dvd, freeze-framing the key locations and making layout studies & geographical notes.

Then reading through the script I start to jot down any thoughts, ideas for business and key images that strike me.

Then I thumb-nailed out the entire sequence-fleshing out the character business and camera angles

Lastly I worked it up on the 4x3 story board pads provided-I didn't get all the way through but had the end of the sequence covered in the thumbnails above.

The sequence as it exists here is not in the finished film although there is a climactic scene involving the animals being tranquilized.  (All characters are property of Dreamworks Animation.)