Films aren’t always plotted from start to finish. In animated films, teams of artists often develop scenes and stories that are then performed to show how the rhythm and visuals will fit in the completed film. This is the ‘pitch’ and it’s an integral part of storyboarding. Because of the close relationship between story, pacing and drawing, storyboard artists need to be performers, storytellers and visual artists.
Conrad Vernon was a storyboard artist on Shrek (2001) and co-director on Shrek 2 (2004), as well as the voice of the Gingerbread Man in the series. In this scene from Shrek, Lord Farquaad ruthlessly (and hilariously) interrogates Gingerbread Man to find the whereabouts of Duloc’s exiled fairytale creatures.
Tom McGrath was a storyboard artist, writer and co-director on the Madagascar trilogy, as well the voice of Skipper in the series. In this scene from Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008), the zoo animals take off in a rickety plane with high hopes of it returning them safely to New York City.
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