The storyboard artist A guide to freelancing in film, TV, and advertising

Any student studying film production has heard, "You must storyboard!" but most curricula gloss over instruction. Film production freelancer Cristiano reveals the sense behind storyboards-cinematographic visualizations and breakdowns of shot composition that directors can use to conceptualize the story before the shoot. Savvy producers and crews can similarly use them to plan setup tools, stage a scene, and even approximate a budget. There is not a formally accepted structured curriculum or directed career path-often storyboarding is a professional sidestep taken by those trained to be artists or directors-so books on the topic tend to be a mashup of studies including drawing, cinematography, script analysis, visual writing, and directing. Cristiano effectively communicates a route in an organized and career-sensible manner: storyboarding definitions, equipment guide, how to draw (techniques), storyboarding in advertising, working with directors and producers, and the business side (contracts, bookkeeping, promotion, and freelance). VERDICT A practical guide that is, like its subject, a conceptual and physical tool for saving time and money. Recommended for film students looking for illumination of all corners of the filmmaking process (and possibly to discover a niche) and freelance artists seeking a change.-Ben Malczewski, Ypsilanti Dist. Lib., MI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.