Who helped Cameron Crowe to visualize how he’d shoot the scenes for his latest movie ‘Elizabethtown’? Neil Paddison speaks to Alex Hillkurtz, the storyboard artist behind Crowe’s latest fi lm. ITH TEN YEARS experience a pile of storyboards in your hand, as a storyboard artist, work- you’re really prepared. Wing on movies as diverse as Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky and Lost How do you start work on a new in Space, Alex Hillkurtz is the ideal per- project? son to answer questions about what must be one of the most enviable jobs Usually I’ll meet with the director for in the fi lm industry. two or three hours at a time and we’ll go through one scene like this one [the Having just completed work on Eliza- bethtown, which will be released in Because when ‘Usually I’ll meet with the director for Australia this October, Hillkurtz took you’re working time out in January this year to talk on a fi lm there two or three hours at a time and we’ll about his work as a storyboard artist. are hundreds of go through one scene like this one different people So, what attracted you to the job? involved. Every- [the Vanilla Sky car crash]’ body needs to be ISSUE 39 I’ve been a fan of movies forever, and making the same movie; otherwise it’ll Vanilla Sky car crash, see pictures on SCREEN EDU I’ve always drawn, so when I learnt be just mass chaos. And fi lm produc- right]. We’ll spend a couple of hours that I could combine these two things tion is such an expensive thing to do talking about different angles. We’ll by drawing for the movies, I thought, – an average sort of Hollywood fi lm look at other movies to pull references C ATION ‘That’s not bad, and you get paid for can cost about £100,000 (A$240,000) from other car chases that we’ve seen it too!’ per hour. So, as a director, you want or whatever and then I’ll go away to walk in to a set in the morning and and I’ll draw it. I’ll take a day or two 24 Why is a storyboard important? know what you’re doing. If you’ve got and bring it back and talk again. In ISSUE 39 SCREEN EDUCATION 25 ‘I worked on Con Air a few years ago and that film has an insane amount of action: explosions, car chases, aeroplanes and army guys running along, and it’s just mayhem all the time!’ the computer allows me some amaz- ing choices. I can draw in layers, so a background can be replaced with the click of a button, and elements can last few years or so, I’ve been draw- be shifted around or scaled differently ing directly into the computer, which within the frame. It’s also great to have I’ve grown to love because of the thick black ink that I can erase if I options it gives me. I use a Wacom make a mistake. tablet connected to my Mac laptop. With the tablet I can draw directly onto Do you have to do a lot of redrafting? the pressure sensitive screen. The software I use is Corel Painter, which On an average film I’ll end up with replicates all the traditional tools I grew about a thousand drawings. But to get up with: pencils, pens, airbrushes and to that point, I will have drawn about that time, he may have thought of paints. It’s really an incredible program, three or four thousand drawings. Half something to add, and maybe I’ll have and I’ve found tools within Painter that of your job is revising what you did first thrown in a couple of shots that I think give the results that I’m after, without time around. may be good. creating that ‘computer’ look. ISSUE 39 What’s the most difficult film you’ve SCREEN EDU What equipment do you use to pro- It’s always a good idea for me to go ever had to storyboard? duce your storyboards? back to drawing on real paper with real tools so I don’t forget the basics, but I worked on Con Air a few years ago C ATION Technically the only equipment needed to produce storyboards is a pencil PREVIOUS PAGE: PHOTOS AND STORYBOARD DRAWINGS FROM VANILLA SKY THIS PAGE FROM TOP: and some paper, and there are plenty STORYBOARD DRAWINGS FROM 50 FIRST DATES; CON AIR; 50 FIRST DATES. RIGHT PAGE CLOCKWISE 26 of people who use just this. In the FROM TOP LEFT: ALMOST FAMOUS; VANILLA SKY; 50 FIRST DATES; LOST IN SPACE ‘Vanilla Sky is this intense sort of drama, whereas Adam Sandler movies are just kooky! The mood of the crew takes on the character of the film, so on an Adam Sandler film everyone’s sort of relaxed and joking around’ In Vanilla Sky, Tom Cruise ends up on Times Square in New York City and it’s completely deserted. He ends up sort of freaking out and running down the middle of this completely empty street. As I was drawing I was thinking, ‘This is the most expensive shot I’ve ever drawn!’ It was kind of cool because you think they’re going to have to shut down a hundred streets. I think they and that film has an insane amount of movies are just kooky! The mood of had probably one hundred and fifty action: explosions, car chases, aero- the crew takes on the character of cops just blocking off intersections. planes and army guys running along, the film, so on an Adam Sandler film and it’s just mayhem all the time! It was everyone’s sort of relaxed and joking Some of your drawings are pictures a lot of fun, but it was really in-depth around – there’s a much more down- of entire sets, rather than story- and there was so much detail that had to-earth feel. boards – do you have to do those to be thrown in. too? Do you have to take the potential Which film did you most enjoy work- cost of making the film into account I’ll probably do one per scene, instead ing on? when you plan your storyboards? of twenty or thirty storyboards. They tell you about the colouring and how ISSUE 39 I’d say Almost Famous. We had a re- You really just throw all your ideas the lighting is going to be, how many ally good bunch of people and a good on the page and try not to think too extras, and so on. It’s a more moody SCREEN EDU director. I really liked the story – it was much about the costs, within reason. I drawing that gives a feeling of how it’s a lot of fun to do. Vanilla Sky was fun, mean, you’re not going to start from a going to look, whereas storyboards C too. I got to go to New York to do that. shot in outer space and zoom in, but are really a sequential, editing, camera ATION Also, 50 First Dates. Each film is really that’s your first pass, because drawing angle sort of tool. different – Vanilla Sky is this intense is relatively inexpensive in the grand sort of drama, whereas Adam Sandler scheme of things. 27 ‘Almost Famous [...] had a really good bunch of people and a good director. I really liked the story – it was a lot of fun to do’ Do you get sent to locations? A lot of times nothing has been of- ficially decided because I’m hired onto a project so early. They don’t know where they’re going to film, so I’ll draw out a scene and then they’ll find a lo- cation and I’ll have to redraw the scene you sort of build up a little group of what’s going to happen and how it’s because it’ll change. people who you recommend if you’re going to happen. busy and who recommend you if (Flicks through portfolio) This is Vanilla they’re busy. Have you worked on any animated Sky, where poor Tom Cruise gets in a films? car and ends up going over a bridge. Are you the only person to work on I’d seen this location before I drew the storyboard for each movie? I did work on a movie that never got that, so I knew really specifically what made. It was so frustrating, but I that bridge was going to look like and A lot of times there’s only one story- worked on it for almost a year – it was I had all sorts of photos to reference board artist per film – it depends on going to star Jim Carrey and it was that, which was a huge help. the film. We were talking about Spider- going to be mostly animated. It starts man earlier and I think they had six out just regular and throughout the How do you get work – do directors guys working on that movie. The entire course of the movie he actually turns call you? movie needed to be drawn because it’s into a fish and spends the rest of the so action-heavy and there are so many film swimming around the ocean, and ISSUE 39 Yeah. I’ve got to a point where I’ve visual effects.