New York City College of Technology The City University of New York

School of Technology and Design Department of Communication Design

COMD 3523 – Storyboard Concepts

Course Description Storyboards, which are tools for production and are used to assist in the communication of ideas to clients, are designed and presented. The end product could be a commercial, film or television title, and/or video presentation.

2 cls hrs, 2 lab hrs, 3 cr.

Prerequisites COMD 1233 or MTEC 3125

Course Objectives INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES ASSESSMENT

For the successful completion of this Evaluation methods and criteria: course, students should be able to:

Understand the role of the storyboard artist, Students will demonstrate competency functions, expected talents, and developing by creating several storyboards for film, markets. advertising, websites and multimedia.

Understand how visual stories are told, identify Students will demonstrate competency by a concept statement, and create a script for researching different sources of inspiration, storyboard. identifying their elements and creating stories from them.

Understand, recognize and apply the Students will demonstrate competency by creating conventions of the storyboard craft. images applying the concepts of framing, camera angles, and movement.

Understand, recognize and apply the concepts Students will display competency by creating of staging, composition and continuity. images using concepts of shape, contrast, perspective, and lighting.

General Education Outcomes

General Education Outcome: How the outcome is covered:

Oral Communication Evaluate through class discussion, critique, Speaking: The student will demonstrate the ability and/or written tests if students use appropriate to articulate himself or herself using relevant nomenclature to defend creative, critical and industry-specific language technical decisions in project concepts and development.

Thinking Critically Evaluate through class critique to determine The student will demonstrate the ability to evaluate how well students were able to advance their evidence and apply reasoning to make valid project concepts by applying evidence and inferences. using logic to make decisions.

Application Evaluate how well students absorbed and Ability to successfully apply concepts into both in- consequently applied the learning through oral class and long-term assignments critiques of projects.

Teaching/Learning Methods · Lectures and readings · Discussion and critiques · Demonstration · Class and individual projects

Recommended Text Storyboards/ Motion in Art Mark Simon Focal Press ISBN-10: 0-240-80805-3 ISBN-13: 978-0-0240-80805-5

Required Materials Notebook External drive or dropbox account

Grading Plan The following grade scale is recommended for use in this course. The exact distribution of percentages will be determined by the individual section instructor. 100% = Course projects/assignments Project 1 30% Project 2 30% Project 3 40% (part A & part B, 20% each)

Attendance (College) and Lateness (Department) Policies: Attendance is taken and is important to success in this class. Both absences and arrival more than 15 minutes after the start of class will be marked. If excessive, the instructor will alert the student that he or she may be in danger of not meeting the course objectives and participation expectations, which could lead to a lower grade.

Academic Integrity Standards 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.

Course Schedule WEEK LECTURE TOPIC LABORATORY TOPIC ASSIGNMENT

1 Visual Storytelling & Assignment 1: Storyboards - Review course -Research companies that - How visual stories are told. syllabus. use storyboard artists. - Elements of a story. - Examples of the -What type of storyboards -Explore industries that use difference between do these companies storyboards. “showing” and “telling” create? discussed. -What is the role of the storyboard artist?

2 Origins of Storyboards & Project I: Project I: Aspect Ratios Storyboard a Memory Storyboard a Memory - Historical development of -Search for a problem - Write a scene based on the storyboard. with which your the concept developed in - Where storyboards fit in audience can identify. class that illustrates the the visual storytelling -Write a few sentences principles of showing process. summarizing the story. versus telling. -History of aspect ratios and -Present Concept. how to calculate them. -Difference between pan & scan and letterboxing. WEEK LECTURE TOPIC LABORATORY TOPIC ASSIGNMENT

3 Fundamentals of the Shot Project I: Project I: - The difference between Storyboard a Memory Storyboard a Memory scenes and shots. -Create thumbnails for - Continue development - How to visualize a scene storyboard. of storyboards for Memory in terms of framing, angles -Begin layouts for script. and movement. storyboards of Memory -How to illustrate camera script. and character movement using directional arrows.

4 From Script to final Project I: Project I: Storyboard Storyboard a Memory Storyboard a Memory - The function of the - Continue - Final storyboards due shooting script, shot list, and development of next week. overhead diagram. storyboards for -Camera and character Memory script. movement. - Psychological impact of camera angles, framing, and movement. -Define the storyboard approach from thumbnails to roughs to final storyboards.

Drawing the Human Form - 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. WEEK LECTURE TOPIC LABORATORY TOPIC ASSIGNMENT

5 Composition Project I: Project II: Storyboard a Memory Mystery & Suspense - How the elements of -Final storyboard Storyboard design affect shot presentation. -Create a visual script for arrangement. story. -Expressing mood and Project II: -Determine how to make intent of a storyline with two- Mystery & Suspense the mysterious figure dimensional images. Storyboard mysterious. -Applying the rule of thirds - Through the use of -Are there any cutaways to storyboard panels exciting camera angles that would help tell your and mood lighting, story? create an -Reaction from victim or exciting/suspenseful bystanders? scene with a mysterious figure as protagonist.

6 Perspective Project II: Project II: - Review one-point, two- Mystery & Suspense Mystery & Suspense point, and three-point Storyboard Storyboard perspective. -Define horizon line, picture -Present Concepts -Begin layouts for plane, and vanishing point. - Continue Storyboards. -Describe bird’s-eye, development of script -Collect research and worm’s-eye, high-angle, and and create thumbnails reference materials. low angle views. for storyboards.

7 Lighting Project II: Project II: - Difference between high- Mystery & Suspense Mystery & Suspense key and low-key lighting. Storyboard Storyboard -How light changes the - Continue mood of a composition. development of the - Implement changes and -How light direction affects storyboards working further refinement to composition. from collected storyboards. -The meaning of color and reference. . how it affects mood.

8 Continuity Project II: Project II: - Basic rules of continuity. Mystery & Suspense Mystery & Suspense -How shots are combined to Storyboard Storyboard create meaning. - Continue -Final storyboards due -Explore non-continuous development of the next week. shots such as the montage storyboards. and jump cut. WEEK LECTURE TOPIC LABORATORY TOPIC ASSIGNMENT

9 Animation & Live Action Project II: Project III: - Difference between live Mystery & Suspense Television Commercial action and animation Storyboard storyboard storyboards. -Final storyboard -This projects will be in -Relationship between presentation. two parts: storytelling and story art. 1. Create a set of full-color -Process of creating Project III: presentation boards. storyboards for television Television 2. Create a set of B&W animation. Commercial production boards. storyboard -Research product and -Create a 30-second create a 30-second television commercial. commercial script. -Presentation Boards for client pitch. -Production Boards for Director.

10 Commercials Project III: Project III: - Describe the advertising Television Television Commercial campaign process. Commercial storyboard -Difference between storyboard presentation and production -Begin layouts for storyboards. -Present Concepts Presentation boards. -Process of rendering -Continue development -Collect research and storyboards from pencil of script and create reference materials. sketches to presentation thumbnails for part storyboards. 1/Presentation boards.

11 New Media Project III: Project III: Television Television Commercial - Explore storyboards for Commercial storyboard multimedia. Storyboard -Development of storyboard - Continue - Implement changes and sequences for illustrating development of the further refinement to navigation options and Presentation boards Presentation boards. graphic look. working from collected -Elements of the game reference. design document for storyboarding. -Using the storyboard as a guide, to help lay out “scenes” in a manageable order. WEEK LECTURE TOPIC LABORATORY TOPIC ASSIGNMENT

12 Animatics Project III: Project III: - Explore kinetic experience Television Television Commercial of animatics. Commercial Storyboard -Animatics in the studio and storyboard its usage during on-site - Continue development of shoots. -Final Presentation of the Production boards. -How to time a story for pitch boards. pacing, dialogue, and - Continue special effects shots. development of the Production boards.

13 Review Pitch Boards. Project III: Project III: Television Television Commercial Commercial Storyboard storyboard - Continue development of -Final Presentation of the Production boards. pitch boards. - Continue development of the Production boards.

14 Final project meetings Project III: Project III: Review pitch-to- Television Television Commercial presentation boards. Commercial storyboard Storyboard - Continue -Final Production boards development of the due next week. Production boards

15 Final presentations. Project III: Television Commercial storyboard - Final presentations & critique