Claymation at PWC
Storyboarding

Claymations from 2003

Claymations from 2002

Comments from Students

“Storyboarding” usually means arranging a sequence of images for a film, commercial or animation.

It is important to storyboard an animation for several reasons.

1. You can save countless hours of unnecessary editing by doing a storyboard. It is especially important in animation. Unlike live-action filming where the filmmaker shoots tons of footage and then edits it later, an animator wants to throw away as little of his/her work as possible because it is more work to animate a scene than it is to film it in live action. If you plan it all out in advance you don't have to worry about wasting time animating scenes that you'll never use.
2. Another reason why a storyboard is important is because it is a way to uncover problems and to fix them while they are still easy to fix.
3. In a storyboard you're not only describing the plot but all information that's important to your scene such as the mood, the setting and anything else that you think will help the audience understand your story.
4. To create a storyboard, you should follow three basic steps. First is analysis which is breaking down your story into its component parts. Second is evaluation which is judging and choosing what shots angles and frame sizes you will put in your project, and third is synthesis which is the process of actually developing and putting your project together.

For images of students storyboards they created for their projects visit the "Preparations" section.