Storyboard Update

Hey, everybody. It’s May and spring is rolling on. Summer is right around the corner. You okay? Doing good, no complaints. Sometimes you just gotta breathe and take one step at a time. Clear your head and everything is cool.

Want to give a shout out and thanks to filmmaker Michelle Hoffmann for a post that she tagged me in on Linkedin, regarding a storyboard job I did for her film project. Had a great time working on the film and I enjoy collaborating with film directors, whether I am illustrating storyboards or recording/writing/producing music/sync music for film. I am a fan of film and to get a script and try to visualize the scenes by drawing storyboards, gives me a chance to see what visual ideas I can come up with. Looking forward to seeing Michelle’s film when it comes out. Wish her and her team and cast, much success.

I guess it comes down to a few things regarding storyboards. Storyboards don’t have to be rendered perfectly. Just get the ideas on paper for the director and the cinematographer for them to have and to look at. If you look at Martin Scorsese’s boards or even Akira Kurosawa’s, they are both two different drawing/painting styles, but it channels the visual ideas that they want to express. As I mentioned in the last newsletter, Ridley Scott’s boards, known as Ridleygrams, are tops. I dig both his drawing and filmmaking styles. All these film directors I mention have different drawing skills, but just as inspiring as the comic book artists, such as Jack Kirby, Wally Wood and Joe Kubert, to name a few.

The second thing regarding boards: watch tons of films and study the visual styles of film directors. Notice the color scheme, black and white /positive and negative spaces, the angle shots, the compositions, the lighting, and how each shot transitions from scene to scene. Filmmakers, like artists and musicians, have different styles/approaches to their art. Each person is different in terms of how they compose scenes and how these scenes transition from shot to shot. Editing is another key factor, creating a tempo to the film, a rhythm to the transition of shots. Some shots can linger for a few beats or other shots can have rapid cuts, similar to music that builds towards a crescendo. The climatic ending with the tight close ups in Sergio Leone’s THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, is an example of how the music, the acting, directing and editing builds up to a dramatic climax. Another film to look at: THE GODFATHER by Francis Ford Coppola. In the ending of that film, the editing, cutting back and forth from various scenes of the film, the pacing/tempo/rhythm of the edits, the music, the acting, and the lighting and the composition of the shots, builds up the tension in the film to its climax. Both masterpieces, with two different styles of filmmaking, and visual storytelling at its zenith.

And we can’t forget cinematographers. Greg Toland, James Wong Howe, Roger Deakins, Vittorio Storaro. A few names associated with such film classics as CITIZEN KANE, AIR FORCE, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and APOCALYPSE NOW. Check out their lighting styles that gives each film a visual quality/aesthetic look, tones and textures.

Anything else? A client got in touch with me regarding a fashion/customized job project. Sent a proposal to the client regarding the job, so we’ll see where that goes, and hope to get the gig. Another project coming in, see where that goes too. Apart from that, drawing a few pages, doing a few mixes, and taking a few steps each day.

A few films I caught, recently. THE BLUE DAHLIA. A great film noir masterpiece, starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake, and directed by George Marshall, it also features William Bendix, Howard Silva and Hugh Beaumont, who was known for playing Ward Cleaver on LEAVE IT TO BEAVER. Haven’t seen Spielberg’s version of WAR OF THE WORLDS in many years, but saw it recently, and I give it a thumbs up. Another great version of the H.G. Wells classic. I will always enjoy the 1953 film version, but Spielberg’s version holds up as well. Highly recommend both films.

Have also been looking at the work of the great comic book artist, Alex Toth. His work for Warren is amazing. Have a collection of the work he did on their publication, CREEPY. Observing at all the stories he did, he was always growing as an artist, changing his layouts/panel designs, angle shots, rendering/drawing skills, his sense of composition/design, never repeating the same formula. I highly recommend you check out the work he did for Warren. All black and white. An incredible display of visual storytelling in the comic book medium that reaches incredible heights. He set the bar really high and all you can do is get inspired and do the best you can, if you want to draw comic books. Keep aiming high.

Guess that’s about it. Gotta knock out a few panels before the end of the night and work on my music chops too. Have a good night, everyone. Drop a line and talk to you soon.