The Symbiotic Relationship of Screenplay and Storyboard: Arguing For the Crucial Role of Screenplay in Animation
Disciplines
Art and Design | Screenwriting
Abstract (300 words maximum)
This presentation will focus on the relationship between screenplay and storyboard, the importance of each in pre-production of animated features, and the reasons behind a recent decline in usage of screenplays in the greater animation industry. When writing action into a screenplay, there is an importance to allow freedom and interpretation for the director and actors where reasonable. In film, this concept inspires gray area, but in the world of screenplays for animation, that area is even wider. How does one write for an actor who is fictitious? How specific is too specific for a medium in which everything on-screen is specified?
The animation medium is based in meticulous attention to visuals, controllable by its very nature in contrast to live action. This is why storyboards are often, if not always, used for animated productions. What information should the storyboard artist be expected to infer and what should they be given? In animated television, there is a rising movement away from “script-based” production in favor of “board-based” production, or writing within the storyboard process without a screenplay. While this has not yet been adopted in film, it does present the question: what function does a screenplay serve for animation versus a storyboard, and how can we write our screenplays to better serve that function for such a visual medium? This presentation will outline why a screenplay remains important to animation. In addition, the symbiotic relationship involving screenplays and their abilities to elevate or devalue animated visuals will be discussed.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - English
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Anna Weinstein
The Symbiotic Relationship of Screenplay and Storyboard: Arguing For the Crucial Role of Screenplay in Animation
This presentation will focus on the relationship between screenplay and storyboard, the importance of each in pre-production of animated features, and the reasons behind a recent decline in usage of screenplays in the greater animation industry. When writing action into a screenplay, there is an importance to allow freedom and interpretation for the director and actors where reasonable. In film, this concept inspires gray area, but in the world of screenplays for animation, that area is even wider. How does one write for an actor who is fictitious? How specific is too specific for a medium in which everything on-screen is specified?
The animation medium is based in meticulous attention to visuals, controllable by its very nature in contrast to live action. This is why storyboards are often, if not always, used for animated productions. What information should the storyboard artist be expected to infer and what should they be given? In animated television, there is a rising movement away from “script-based” production in favor of “board-based” production, or writing within the storyboard process without a screenplay. While this has not yet been adopted in film, it does present the question: what function does a screenplay serve for animation versus a storyboard, and how can we write our screenplays to better serve that function for such a visual medium? This presentation will outline why a screenplay remains important to animation. In addition, the symbiotic relationship involving screenplays and their abilities to elevate or devalue animated visuals will be discussed.