and get the basic story beat out onto cards that can be thumbtacked to a wall. Next the
creator or a writer may write a detailed outline and revise it, maybe several times. Then
thumbnail sketches might flesh out the outline before it’s boarded, perhaps with the help of
storyboard assistants. After the board is done, the creator might make more revisions, punch-
ing up dialogue and making cuts before the board is sent to the network for final approval.
There might be many meetings along the way. The creator could do the work herself or farm
it out to other writers or artists. If she outsources some of the work, she’ll have to approve
each step. A writer/artist going directly to storyboard can save money. If the board is a team
effort, the finished work may be better and require fewer retakes at a later date. Many say
that gag-driven cartoons of twelve minutes or less are so visual that boarding a cartoon
directly makes for a funnier cartoon. Traditionally, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon have
been more likely to go directly to board than studios like Warner Bros.
My own experience is that writers may create scripted stories with better, tighter plots;
artists might create cartoons that are visual with more and funnier gags. Of course, it all
depends on the strengths of the individual who is telling the story.
An animated cartoon is always a team effort, and the storyboard person looks forward
to plussingthe story, contributing his talent to making the finished product better. When
there’s an initial script, most producer/directors still allow the board artist to add gags and
sometimes substantially change scenes and even dialogue if the changes improve the show.
Exactly how much the board artist contributes to a scripted show depends on the studio, the
producer/director in charge, the amount of time that the board man has to finish his work,
and so forth.
Unfortunately, much can go wrong to sabotage the ideal story situation. Writer and
artist may be in different locations. Even with a complete script, a whole team of story-
board artists and revisionists might be working on one board. Writers and artists may
be struggling to meet the deadlines and much too busy to communicate with each other.
And inexperience can make any situation more difficult. Writers sometimes complain
that artists add things that are extraneous to the plot or change dialogue that has been
carefully constructed to sound just right. But writers must learn the animation process
so that the stories are practical for television animation: no crowds, lots of visual action
that actually works, and so forth. Writers must also be very clear on the page to avoid
miscommunication. And they should avoid situations that make the storyboard person’s
job more difficult, like missed deadlines, overwriting, and rewriting after the board has
been started. Sometimes even in the best of situations, one man’s improvement is another
man’s disaster; but the producer/director is the person that’s responsible for making the final
call.
Of course, the cheapest, most efficient way to end up with a good visual story is to
do each step once, getting it right before progressing on to the next. A finished script
goes to one experienced board artist, who completes the project. Or a writer/artist does
a detailed outline and boards it himself with perhaps one assistant cleaning it up for
production.
Storyboarding for a small-screen TV or computer requires broader strokes. Subtleties
in expression will be lost. The viewing room is probably not dark, and viewers are less likely
to be as focused on the story as they are in a theater. In fact, viewers may well be reading,
working, playing, or talking as they watch. So clarity is very important for instant recogni-
tion and understanding.
154 Animation Writing and Development