Storyboarding and the filmmaking process

This is the best book to have on storyboarding. As Chair of the Digital Media dept. at Otis College of Art and Design, I read and review tons of books to see if they would be of use for our undergrads and graduates. Though there are several books that cover storyboarding, none are as effective nor as useful. This goes beyond a mere lesson in the formatting of a storyboard. There is a deep understanding of the subject because Marcie is a long-time professional feature film storyboard artist. The book does cover the feel and look of a storyboard, yet it goes beyond that by providing examples from the grand history of film. Just one of the nice features of the book is the excellent list of DVDs that contain storyboard examples and visualization documents. Marcie tells you what a storyboard is for, how to make one, how to make them effective and then even how to get a gig as a storyboard artist. It is all here for you.

12 of 13 found the following review helpful:


Interested in learning storyboarding? START HERE!  Jan 18, 2002 By CHRISTIAN
I am teaching an advanced motion graphics course at a California University, and for my students I needed a good book on storyboarding. I looked at about half a dozen of them (in-print and out-of-print). This book is by far the best. It is systematic, it is clearly and concisely written, and it uses reproductions of real storyboards of real films. It is adequate for the beginner and useful for moderately experienced graphic artists and illustrators looking to repurpose their skills for the field of storyboarding.

6 of 7 found the following review helpful:


not much here  Jun 11, 2007 By p. n. avakian
All of what this book says could have been said in 5 or 6 pages. There are a few basic concepts the book covers that are worthwhile, but I found it to be heavily padded and very basic. A much better book is Profores' Film Directing Fundamentals, which comes at storyboarding and other visualization tools from a director's viewpoint, rather than an illustrator's.

5 of 6 found the following review helpful:


A Must Have!  Feb 28, 2005 By Richard Bennett
Marcie's book is an excellent, concise, and very well organized compendium for how to approach visual storytelling. Furthermore, this volume is supported with still images, drawings, and illustrations from classics in film history.
I would highly recommend it as a textbook for both beginning artists as well as established professionals. Also, please pay special attention to the chapter dealing with composition, as it will allow you to enjoy, and hopefully design, films in whole new way.
A must have!

5 of 6 found the following review helpful:


Best I've read!  Jul 06, 2002 By V. Mortensen "funny_guy"
I have been through the pre-production process more than a few times and have always struggled to accurately transfer my ideas to paper. I was looking to increase my skills in this area and a friend suggested I pick up this book... WOW!, was I blown away. This book walks you through the entire process of getting the ideas swimming around in your head onto the paper with such clarity and ease that I was actually shocked. If I had to recommend a learning tool to a filmmaker, be they director or a member of the art department, I would not hesitate to recommend Ms. Begleiter's book.

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