Prepare to Board! Creating Story and Characters for Animated Features and Shorts (Paperback)

by Nancy Beiman (Author)
Key Phrases: turnover session, rough character designs, silhouette value, Papa Bear, Brittney Lee, Sherlock Holmes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'Nancy Beiman has done an excellent job explaining the story development and boarding process, and I am certain this book will be a useful tool to all animation students and schools.'
Brian P. McEntee, Art Director 'Beauty and the Beast' and Production Designer 'Ice Age'

'No one knows more about designing characters and creating story for animation than Nancy Beiman. Lavishly illustrated and expertly written, she draws on all her experience as a teacher, an artist and an animation industry veteran. A must-have for anyone who wants to make an animated film.'
Jerry Beck, Animation Historian, www.cartoonbrew.com

'In the library of motion picture how/to books, one topic that has not been adequately explained is the art of storyboarding. Internationally known animator Nancy Beiman draws upon her experience to create for the first time a definitive manual for the art. Lavishly illustrated and highly readable, it is essential reading for anyone serious about learning how to create stories, characters and storyboards for film.'
Tom Sito, animator, author of Drawing the Line: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson.

'At long last we have a comprehensive new book covering the not always fully-understood areas of the animated film production processes of story and character development, and their care and feeding. Nancy Beiman, a seasoned Producer, Writer, Teacher, Story Artist, and former Disney Animator who has worked all over the globe, has authored a book which I predict will become a textbook in animation programs everywhere.'
Bill Matthews
Animation Professor

'Nancy Beiman knows that storyboards are about more than continuity and cutting; they're about character and conflict. A good storyboard has the power to make things as elusive as thoughts and emotions tangible for audiences. Prepare To Board fulfills the promise of its title by supplying readers with solid advice and illustrated examples that will help them make successful animated films.'

Mark Mayerson, Professor of Animation, Sheridan College

'Nancy Beiman has written an excellent book on
animation...Beiman is a natural for writing about storyboarding.'

AWN.com

"The author has a breezy, anecdote-packed style that makes reading about the craft a real pleasure. Beiman, who teaches animation at the Rochester Institute of Technology, is the kind of guiding force you wish you could have by your side at all times. Reading her book is the next best thing." -Ramin Zahed, Animation Magazine

Book Description
It's all about the story--and how the characters express it. Learn the how to's of animation story and character design from an internationally known artist, designer, and teacher.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 1st edition (March 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240808207
• ISBN-13: 978-0240808208
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,648 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, November 6, 2007

By	Grant Beaudette (Missoula, MT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Prepare to Board" covers most pre-production aspects of an animation project, but focuses mostly on storyboarding and character design. This book does a better job on both these subjects than most other books can manage on just one.

A lot of storyboarding books out there focus on the live action or advertising methods where boards are used to illustrate an existing script a sell a rough concept to non-creative executives. The methods Nancy Beiman shows are far better suited to animation's use of storyboards to create the story itself.

Along with guidelines on how to increase the cinematic storytelling power of your boards, there are also plenty of tips on how to get that power across when presenting boards to others.

When it comes to character design, "Prepare to Board" is up there with Tom Bancroft's "Creating Characters with Personality: For Film, TV, Animation, Video Games, and Graphic Novels" as one of the few indispensable resources on the subject. All of her advice is aimed at making your character designs more functional for animation & storytelling (the most important asset of any character) as well as being unique individuals rather than stock characters.

The lessons Beiman shares in this book are exactly what you need to build a strong foundation for any animated project.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable resource, September 15, 2007

By	M. Furniss - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Nancy Beiman is a well-known figure within the world of animation, having been a long-time animator at Disney, Warner Bros. and elsewhere, and also having taught in a variety of contexts, including her current position at Rochester Institute of Technology. Anyone who knows Nancy fairly well understands three things about her: she is a very gifted artist, she has high expectations of excellence for her students, and she is very broadly knowledgeable about the arts, traditions of humor, and animation itself. Combine these characteristics with the fact that Beiman is one of the most accomplished female animators within the US industry, and you can understand why I was eager to see this book come to life.
Over the last year, I finally completed work on a production-related book, and during that time I consulted with Nancy on various topics. She told me about her own book and, knowing about her ecclectic background and broad knowledge base, I was eager to see how her project would be realized. What I found is pretty much what I expected, a book that introduces essential concepts, but enhances them with discussion of aesthetic issues and is grounded in an appreciation for the history of classical Hollywood animation, with breadth in examples from other animation practices.
So many animation students struggle with story and developing the cinematic aspects of their work, in order to tell their story visually. Beiman's book offers instruction in chapters devoted to the development of story, storyboarding, types of stories (situation driven, character driven, ways to manipulate the `real'), character development and design, scale and location. As the book's title suggests, a large portion of the text is devoted to storyboarding in various respects: sketches and working out roughs; story beats, sequences, and pacing; and visualizing a script, among other topics. She also focuses on refining characters and art direction, including the use of color. Finally, she addresses topics related to the presentation of storyboards and their use in the production process.
Beiman's writing will appeal to anyone from the beginning artist on up, as she writes in a colorful manner and uses a range of examples drawn from her own experience and her analysis of many films. Included in the appendix are interviews she conducted with A. Kendall O'Connor, T. Hee, and Ken Anderson, and the book itself is filled with quotations and short Q and As with the likes of Tex Avery and other well-known figures. Many illustrations--both instructive and humorous--enhance the book, adding extra appeal for the reader. A number of these images come from students Beiman has worked with through the years, attesting to her influence on many young artists.
Prepare to Board is highly recommended for libraries at institutions where production is taught, particularly at the high school and undergraduate levels, and for all artists wishing to learn more about character development, story, and boarding.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceeds Expectations, October 16, 2007

By	Sharvonique "www.sharvonique.com" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

Wow! This book contains a wealth of knowledge about storyboarding and character design that is essential reading for anyone who desires to work in the animation industry. Prepare to Board! is a surprisingly easy, clear and fun read with plenty of pictures to support the text.

Nancy Beiman explains the differences between live-action and animation storyboards, offers professional techniques for designing lively and interesting characters, and demonstrates how to properly pose, stage and compose a storyboard. She illustrates the basics to lay a strong foundation, then continues to build upon that information to push your work beyond the mediocre. More importantly, she ties in how story structure and character development work hand-in-hand to create believable and entertaining films. The interviews in the back of the book are also very insightful.

The great thing about this book is that everyone will learn something regardless of skill level- from inexperienced beginners to seasoned pros. The material in this book will definitely give you an edge in the industry and is an invaluable resource. There's a reason why Prepare to Board! has so many 5 star reviews!