Storyboard References: Brave

Not only did I choose to look at the storyboards of Disney Pixar's Brave because I'm totally obsessed with the film, but also because I feel that they so beautifully tell the story through the storyboards alone. I really like how the attention of each thumbnail is on the action of the character rather than the detail in the background. Whilst there's an indication of what the background should contain and what not, it lacks detail so as to give the main action the dominant position within the sketch. This allows for a great deal of clarity and understanding and is definitely something I want to try and use next time I make a storyboard.

Not only is the drawing style and technique very clear but the way each frame is drawn is also extremely clear, so clear in fact that camera directions aren't even used. This is also something I really want to try particularly in more detailed scenes, as it means I'd be able to get more detail in the action of the character without having to put arrows everywhere. I also really like the use of colour in the second example. I feel that it helps to portray that, that particular shot is a close up of Merida's face and it also draws the attention to Merida in this scene, which I think is necessary as there is another character in the background (I could be totally wrong though). I also really like the way the frames are shaded and the way they jump between colour, marker and simply pencil. I feel that switching materials within a storyboard could help point out the extremely important shots from the plain important ones and make it easier to read particularly in a long, detailed storyboard.

Another thing I really like about the storyboards of Brave is the digitally rendered (is rendered the right word here?) versions. Again, I love the shading within these frames and the way that the lines have been used to draw attention away from the background and to the characters instead. This has made me think about rendering my storyboards in various other materials and techniques to see how each one effects how the story is told. It has also reminded me that the same effects can be achieved through more than one material.

Overall, although I am quite biased towards this work (because the film is just amazing), I chose this series of storyboards of Brave simply because I think they are a great example of a storyboard. They contain various camera angles and shots and they tell the story in such a clear yet detailed way.