Storyboard Video: How Many Poses?

One of the most commonly asked questions about storyboarding is "How many poses do I need to draw?" The answer usually depends on how important the action is in the telling of your story.


For example, let's say a character is tying a tie. If this action is just a little bit of business, not an important part of the story, you could probably do it in just two poses: in the first pose, the character has his hands on the knot -- and then in the second pose, the tie is tied.

But if you are storyboarding an instructional video about how to tie a tie, you may need a couple dozen poses. That's a pretty extreme example, but it gives you a good idea about how to think about how many poses you need to draw.


This is the first of three videos that look at how much to pose out an action. Since there are always a number of different things going on in any storyboard drawing, there are also many other topics covered: staging, silhouettes, using the cutaway shot to advance a gag or story point.

This scene stands out for me as one of the most fun sequences I've ever had the chance to draw... sometimes it's a lot of fun just to get silly. It's also the best example of using a great vocal performance to fuel the drawings; Amy Poehler was on fire when she recorded the track for this episode!


If you missed any of the previous posts, here are the links:

3 comments:

  1. Hey Sherm. Just wondering, but since you mentioned that Mighty B used scripts in the video, what's easier for you to work from when you're storyboarding an episode of a TV cartoon: an actual, dialog-driven script or just a basic outline from the cartoonists explaining the main actions and gags? Do you often have to do more when you're handed a script?

    These videos continue to be very helpful and most of all, awesome. Keep it up!

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  2. Wow this is great thanks!

    I don't go to a school where they teach these kinda things so it's really wonderful you share this with the rest of the world.

    Do you first get a script of the episode? What is the best way to start an cartoon. Im asking because I want to make an own cartoon and have some trouble where I should start.

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  3. GREAT BUILD-UP.. The daily inspiration kick, has set in

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