the Switch

I am changing my focus in school from Animator to Storyboard Artist/ PreVis. The process of making a film in a very rough nutshell:

1. First there is a Writer who writes a Script.
2. Then there is a Storyboard Artist (or Story Artist) who takes the script and stages it into visual sequences.
3. Then it gets passed on to the Actors or Animators who put the performance into the scene

In between 2 and 3 is a rising discipline called PreVis which is someone who creates 3D animatics. Animatics are animated storyboards. It provides not only camera angle and staging but also timing as well.

Also in animation, the Story Artists work in the Story Dept and are essentially the Writers. Storyboard Artists can go on to direct their own feature or short feature.

I felt pretty torn about this decision since I really enjoy animation. But I think Story is where I really want to be.