Storyboard Examples: Toy Story (x2)

Oooooh that quality though

I am clearly a Photoshop wizard.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, my apologies for the quality of these images. It's rather awkward trying to photograph a storyboard that is featured over two pages of a book.

Anyway...

Toy Story was another film that was featured at the exhibition I saw in Paris, and consequently was featured in the catalouge I purchased. I wanted to talk about these two storyboards that I found in the book in particular, not just because I think that they are good examples and explain the story clearly, but because of how different these two storyboards are even though they have been used for the same production. Kinda'. Well, same film series.

The one on the left is a storyboard for Toy Story 3 and was produced digitally by Erik Benson. Without trying to repeat myself too much, I like the range of camera angles he has used in this scene, and how he has shifted the focus of the camera with the use of colour. For instance, the white of the characters draws you away from the grey backgrounds, as well as the odd character (Eg. Woody) that is a dark grey, to show they are sat infront of the camera. Not only do I think that this makes the thumbnail more detailed and easier to follow, it clearly shows where the attention of the camera needs to be. Which is a lot different to the storyboard shown on the right. This one was produced by Joe Ranft (left half) and Bud Luckey (right half) in pencil and ink, and once again I think it is a great example. The pair have used arrows and short lines to help explain the action and movement of the characters, which I find is very helpful, and is actually something I did in my own storyboard. They have also shown where they want the camera focus to be by including more pen detail on the subject. A very different technique to Benson, yet just as effective. The art styles are also very different from one another, and I like this differentiation and how they were still able to communicate the story well, but I have to say that I love the way Benson has drawn his. It feels like quite a childish drawing which is a nice touch considering it is meant for a family film.