Common MISTAKES beginning storyboard artists make for animation

[@JakeTheBlueFox]

“By the way, Raid Shadow Legends is a game. Bye.” 𝓷𝓸.

[@jonphipps7438]

best part xD

[@procrastinatingcartoonstm5130]

yes

[@gammaerra3087]

I don't think ever I've ever moved my cursor to the trackbar that fast before. I think I just hit warp 8 getting trolled.

[@DisrespectfulBastard]

wish more youtubers did this LMFAO

[@y5gc]

@@JakeTheBlueFox well their being sponsored, which gives them money, they have to credit the game in return lol.

[@rainpooper7088]

„Mom, Toniko is releasing oddly relevant videos again!“

[@crustykeycap5670]

I’m not gonna lie its kind of creepy

[@scaryeric]

Yup. Exactly what I need right now

[@FarahDoddle]

Not gonna lie,im in making animatic now so i just stumbled this and see ur comment,i admit i quite scared after reading ur comment

[@untunguntung9473]

P

[@lvbboi9]

"Raid Shadow Legends is a game" *press X to doubt*

[@mf--]

Pressing F for the respect he gave us.

[@lioedevon4275]

lmao yes, I am so sick of seeing it advertised everywhere, when its only one tiny step above most mobile trash

[@TimothyMasucci]

Oh wow a quick time event comment! Tha'ts more gameplay than Raid Shadow Legends has!

[@procrastinatingcartoonstm5130]

yes

[@procrastinatingcartoonstm5130]

mirl

[@nesser52]

Sending massive respect to the all storyboard artists from a screenwriter, this shit looks complex af

[@dominogaming4745]

Same

[@aaronschmit]

The first time I ever learned about bad jump cuts was when I watched the movie Eagle Eye. I was a teen and didn't understand film editing very well then, but I at least knew that no single cut in that movie lasted longer than 2-3 seconds, and the shots were INCREDIBLY rapid and disorienting. Like, legit! If anyone here wants to feel overwhelmed by shots, watch Eagle Eye and count how long every cut lasts. Guaranteed you'll feel how hectic the edit job was for that film.

[@Deliveredmean42]

That is s till a common problem with a few films, the excessive cuts really feels like they are rushing things. And oh boy when film editors tries the Michael bay approach in cuts is really bad. Especially true in a fighting scene.

[@maxis2k]

My big eye opener were the Lord of the Rings films. Yes, everyone loves them. But the action scenes hurt my eyes. Endless shaking of the camera. Zooming into the face so far, the weapon they're swinging isn't even visible in the shot. And yes, jump cuts everywhere. Many scenes I couldn't recognize what was even going on until I had seen the movies 2-3 times. Aragorn swatting an arrow out of the sky? Couldn't tell because the scene goes from a super zoom in of his face to a long shot of him swinging his sword, then a zoomed in shot of the Urukai's reaction. And it's all in like 20 frames. Of course, things got worse as time went on. With guys like JJ Abrams, Kurtzman and Michael Bay as someone mentioned. Star Trek Discovery might as well be called "Star Trek Jumpcuts."

[@BatBitesTheBat]

Same with cocomelon LOL

[@KRUSH-R]

how can cut be long? Isn't it just a snap between one scene and another?

[@adlirez]

As someone whose action movie experience was mainly through Hong Kong cinema, I was never cursed with the knowledge of bad jump cuts until I saw a clip of Mulan 2020. It was the chicken chase scene. There was so much going on that I was consistently confused and dizzy from the action

[@Dijeouni]

I'm dying 🤣 "Raid Shadow Legends is a Game. Bye."

[@johnc4783]

lmao

[@yumerothetaleteller]

😂

[@zadayaz]

a way i saw someone explain cutting between shots once is that they should always have a motivation or reason behind them, similar to how every larger scene should have a reason for why it exists. Like cutting in close shouldn’t happen just for the sake of it, it should be used when you want to do something like emphasize a characters emotion or reaction, or draw the viewers attention to something specific. this is a such a useful video, gonna look out for a lot of this in my own work!

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

That's so true! I've also heard that a tip for deciding cuts can be done at the script stage. Any time there is a complete thought, that's a shot. Any time there's a "and" in a sentence, that can be another cut. It's just like how we explain one main idea at a time when talking, visual language can focus on one main idea per shot.

[@gingerhoof2157]

Yeah, my teachers in editing always said “You need to earn a cut”

[@icecreamhero2375]

1:45 One thing that helps me remember that is characters don't move until their legs move. Also never move the camera arbitrarily always have a story reason for every camera shot/ movement. A character has a zit. Extreme close up.

[@choongfetti2685]

The zit popped. Camera angle from the side to show the oozing ew lol

[@BlueTheCartoonAddict]

Me, an aspiring animator: WRITE THAT DOWN WRITE THAT DOWN!

[@BlueTheCartoonAddict]

@@nadiantix1882 aww thanks!

[@xusux]

Ye same

[@tonykhang1984]

same

[@eri7169]

Same

[@captainmustacheio7493]

We can do it!

[@averybuffington7274]

I love how "btw raid shadow legends is a game" is enough to count as a paid promo

[@corasundae]

It doesn't say it's a paid promotion. I think it was just a joke.

[@galenpemberton4382]

Considering Raid Shadow Legends can be "played" on a autoloop without input from the player, that game statement might be a stretch

[@icechan3128]

This came out just when I'm storyboarding for a project! Impeccable timing!!

[@princessthyemis]

I'm about to begin mine too! I'm almost done with my script 😁

[@crisptomato9495]

Same!

[@BaronKrool]

That Taken scene is legendarily bad and every teacher should bring it up. Thank you.

[@voidpriestess42]

dude... im looking at your storyboards and animation is so friggin magical. like, with a few lines and some grayscale you can make a world. crazy. i love animation.

[@GerritTime]

i was actually gonna create my first storyboard, and this is some really helpful advice, thank you for this

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

Gotta love youtube. It's a like a free college education.

[@Atsuoru]

Oh my, thank you so much dude!! I wasn't able to find a good video actually showing and talking about these things that are so important! I am a self-taught animator and I highly appreciate you creating content like this which helps people like me to learn this more in depth, thank you dearly

[@princessthyemis]

I'm teaching myself too! I just started learning about walk cycles and I'm writing a script for a personal short film project that I hope to make when I'm good enough. Learning about how to do storyboarding is so helpful!!!! He's wonderfully specific!!!!

[@AdventureHusky]

I just don't find these helpful for soley storyboard artists or animators, but writers as well working in film. It's always important to know the technical sides of story telling as well to really sell your idea to audiences and I love learning about this kind of stuff. You animators and artists have talents beyond me and its exciting to watch.

[@kamikeserpentail3778]

That's the best advertisement for Raid Shadow Legends I've seen. I have no plans to get into the animation industry. But I love learning about different things, this was interesting. Main take away seems to be, think about why you're doing the things you're doing, make sure they have a purpose. I tell people that in games all the time... >.>

[@BsoisosMan]

I'm currently working on a storyboard for an upcoming MAP I'm making, and I cannot thank you enough for this video! It was so helpful, I think you just make my scenes 100 times better :D

[@jujhar.]

Good luck

[@BsoisosMan]

@@jujhar. Thanks! :)

[@judearuffin7921]

I hope you know how great you are as an influencer, as you are an animator. you teach us all of these animation methods, techniques, ect, and delivered them splendidly. Your animations are well thought of, smooth, and the color schemes are wonderful. I cant stop thinking about that tiger and the orange... If that even is an orange. I just wanna let you know that your viewers, like me, are thankful, and appreciate everything you've done on this channel. Which is why I am subscribing. Thank you so much.

[@abberistired]

the issue I've been finding myself having is I don't "animate" (if you could really even call it that) very often, only a couple of times a year to make things for my friend for her birthday/christmas, but I'm so worried about what I make being boring despite the fact they're usually like 1-2 minute long animatic type videos set to a song kind of like an amv :')

[@francoeurvalparaiso]

At least you do 2 minutes, I barely had done 2 animations of 40 seconds. Is ok to do amv stuff like, helps you with timing, conveying emotion, and even lypsinc.

[@abberistired]

@@francoeurvalparaiso thank you ;; I know I shouldn't worry about it but it can be hard lol

[@francoeurvalparaiso]

@@abberistired I know it's hard, I'm dealing with it now xd Have a great week!

[@abberistired]

@@francoeurvalparaiso you too! and good luck with whatever you go through :'D

[@masterreece1098]

seeing this really motivates me to expand my animating skills and use animatics as examples more.

[@Yuyukatanz]

You are totally right! When I did my first sequence for my very first storyboard job I also got a comment about how I switch staging inconsistency so I had to learn how to storyboard properly from the beginning before I continued my second sequence😅 Your contents are always so useful and practical! tksm!!

[@Wafflesordeath]

That was the best advertising I’ve ever heard at the beginning

[@InitiaLeo]

The Raid: Shadow Legends is a 2049 Indonesian action crime film written, directed and edited by the Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans. It is the sequel to the 2014 film The Raid 2: Berandal and stars Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusadewo, Alex Abbad, Julie Estelle, Ryuhei Matsuda, Kenichi Endō, Kazuki Kitamura, Toniko Pantoja, and Yo Mama.

[@blendyboi5023]

Nooo

[@RatusMax]

I heard someone accidentally moved the story board around and that's how the movie "Arrival" was formed.

[@Muted_Marcus]

This is so informative! I just hope for the best whenever I try storyboarding, but now I actually have things to take note of.

[@Whatieie]

1. **Staging Inconsistency**: Avoid breaking the 180-degree line in storyboards, as it can cause confusion about character positions. Plan your shots and maintain consistency to keep the audience oriented. 2. **Lack of Establishing Shots**: Use establishing shots to ground characters in their environment and provide context. This helps the audience understand the setting and spatial relationships. 3. **Excessive Cuts and Jump Cuts**: Avoid overusing cuts which can make sequences feel chaotic. Use cuts purposefully and vary shot compositions to maintain clarity and engagement. 4. **Lack of Variety in Shots**: Incorporate different shot angles and compositions to emphasize story elements and character emotions. Avoid repetitive shot types and aim for dynamic yet purposeful variations. 5. **Lack of Acting**: Develop characters’ acting skills in storyboards by capturing a range of emotions and expressions. Use references or act out scenes yourself to improve character portrayal. 6. **Pinpointing the Overall Point**: Ensure each sequence has a clear focus, whether it’s drama, comedy, or action. Avoid overloading sequences with too many elements, which can dilute their impact.

[@kennethalvaro6499]

is it ok to think that storyboarding is like creating comic panels?

[@pinktrash2720]

I think so yeah, though it depends on the scene since it's another art when it comes to panelling, especially if you're really inspired from manga. You should check out line in motion's video on manga panelling to give you some other ideas how you can construct scenes

[@kennethalvaro6499]

@@pinktrash2720 thanks for the advice

[@MaryArts]

The only thing I would avoid, is making many close ups. Comics and especially Manga shave many close ups that good Animations don't/shouldn't have

[@noellerutledge8789]

In many ways, it is! It's just important to remember what the end product is going to be when creating these boards, cause they're the foundation that you're going to build your animation on; don't forget that those shots will be animated

[@franciscobello1519]

Some key distinctions though... comics storytelling is also about page layout, positioning of text, shifting sizes of frames. The eye can pause, linger on an image. Art can be far more detailed. The comic page is the destination! Not so in boards... the aspect ratio remains same shit to shot, images are meant to read fast, page layout between individual frames isnt a story factor, and the destination is the screen, which deals with TIME in a very different way than comics! What they have in common is visual, SEQUENTIAL storytelling. If u wanna do a deep dive in what makes comics storytelling unique from pov of FORM, check out YT channel Strip Panel Naked.

[@LmaoMeowz]

Tbh half the reason i watch these videos is for the expert advice but part of it is for the puppy at the beginning

[@LmaoMeowz]

Me realizing i dont do any of these except for the first one (and i dont do very _dramatic_ dynamic shots very often but i do use them occasionally)

[@alipacc]

This was super helpful! I've been trying to figure out an efficient and pleasing-to-the-eye way to show my stories! Thank you!

[@TayaTerumi]

I'm not a storyboard artist, never have I ever planned to become a storyboard artist, and yet this video has been oddly informative. Thank you!

[@mattwcook9127]

As an animator who focuses on surrealism, I often forget that the fundamentals of storyboarding still apply to me. Re-watching this was a good reminder

[@TheNewMiracunini]

Oo for character acting you should take drama class for those still in school.

[@ivythealiencat]

Everyone else: its for art study's Me: I draw animation meme

[@djthunderheart]

Funnily enough, all of these things apply to web comics as well. I do both and I find myself being very conscious of all of these things.

[@bleachedout805]

You addressed all of my pet peeves. I don't like shot changes or lack of establishing shots. This is something I see in a lot of TV shows too.

[@Alex2_113]

"By the way, raid shadow legends is a game! Bye." Thats genius. Don't give them time to skip the sponsorship. This video is really helpful, by the way! I'll certainley use these tips for my animations!

[@senior_sakuga]

Well this'll be a great vid to keep coming back to

[@Avid_Listener]

The Dynamic shot choices section had me cracking up

[@VentiVonOsterreich]

I 100% at the beginning expected that Taken 3 fence climb scene when you started mentioning excessive cuts

[@BBWahoo]

Aw fudge yeah, I'm doing storyboarding for directiorial stuff, so this is good learning. As always, appreciated!~

[@APersonTM]

Also if you want some great examples of jump cuts, Avatar The Last Airbender has some great ones because a few of their jump cuts are used as juxtaposition for what a character says or does (usually for a comedy sense but also for some dramatic senses which works great for the story that they are telling)

[@abigailnorton1548]

this is so ironic im struggling to do my first animatic rn!! thank u so much! this was really helpful! :D

[@SkyeBlu]

Woah! Did you work on The Owl House? I haven't seen that scene on the show yet

[@TonikoPantoja]

I did not!

[@AngeloFalls]

Nah he didn't work for the show, he only did a test for it

[@DarthBiomech]

@@TonikoPantoja Aw. Well, it's their loss.

[@gachaakiememes3255]

Ooooo

[@BBWahoo]

@@TonikoPantoja not is my favorite character from the owl house!!

[@ashesfrombones]

BEST AD SAG WAY EVER!

[@closertothefutureme8469]

I frequently joke that when a movie angle changes crazy fast and unnecessarily that the the scene needs Ritalin. This was a great tutorial ♡

[@weirdsqueakytoyinstrumentcover]

This video is very insightful! I'm trying to make my own webseries and I realized I made a lot of mistakes in my storyboard. And now I can improve it :)

[@owmpsession]

1:33 I love how no ones gon talk about this ddz reference [skull emoji]

[@artblob]

I had no clue you worked on the owl house. literally squeaked when i saw the scenes. SOOO COOOOOL, I ADOOOORE THE SHOW

[@TonikoPantoja]

I did not work on owl house

[@Marshulartzz]

I now feel like I have a great understanding of the process and what others are looking for. Thank you for this detailed explanation. I took a lot of notes and made sure to read them over to myself so I can begin remembering things.

[@avabeyva]

It's awesome seeing this, I've been taking my time considering professional Animation/Storyboarding again due to needing to explore my Love for Art ❤

[@kevinsupreme_ph36yearsago59]

Learning cinematography techniques also helps.

[@_sofie]

I’m not an animator or even a drawer but these tips were so so so good. So specific and supplemented with examples. 10/10 sir.

[@XhanAnimations]

the story for the ending of the video looks so cute and sad, you got me invested while also trying to listen for storyboarding tips 😅

[@zahrazohour1]

Thanks mr toniko for an other helpful video . you're the best teacher ever . شكرا سيد تونيكو هذا الفيديو المفيد . أنت أفضل معلم على الإطلاق

[@BethNu]

This is really great! Thanks for posting this for us rookie storyboard artists. It's super helpful.

[@b.w.dragon63]

This couldn't have came to me at a more appropriate time, I'm just rushing to finish up my storyboard animatic assignment 😂

[@pinkiepurplez]

*Raid Shadow Legends. It's a game!* Everyone in the room: Well yes, but actually no.

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

Really solid and concise overview of storyboarding tips.

[@VerdesArt]

Very usefull video, thank you! Animation is rather my hobby but I love getting better at it, this video made me realise how much I don't know yet and how much I have to work on my skills~

[@ธนาเดชศุภนัทนพร]

Surprisingly works even if you write rather than animate

[@shayziekaizie]

This is really helpful. I’m working on my storyboard demo reel so I could get into animation and this advice is really helpful for someone like me first starting out.

[@Shimamon27]

I noticed that trying to storyboard my current animation hurts my head. I really can't do it... I don't like knowing what comes next 😅 I find joy in having no idea where things will lead, and my mind generates random nonsense as I go along, I find it fun! I have a general key idea about where things start, where things end, some key encounters... And the rest I fill with imagination.

[@TheMediaMage]

As a DMP Student considering dipping my toes into Storyboarding as a possible career to pursue, this was really eye opening and useful to watch! I'll definitely be keeping all this in mind when I begin putting together a proper Storyboarding Reel. :)

[@NameNik223]

This all is applied not just to animation but also to the whole cinematography

[@DarthBiomech]

There are currently no people that didn't like this video. I feel kinda bad about saying this, though, because now That One Asshole™ will definitely show up.

[@EyeTea]

Apparently that’s the best thing they’re good at.

[@daninboutwell1274]

@@EyeTea its literally one at this point in time

[@BlueTheCartoonAddict]

And now two 😑

[@zennyfieldster4220]

We need a movie about that last story board section! It looks good.

[@jilliancrawford7577]

I appreciate the examples that show how something is done well versus incorrectly. It makes it much easier ad more effective to learn from and make improvements! Also, I've heard horror stories where the storyboards were directly used for the animation due to time limits or not enough budget, resulting in poor results like High Guardian Spice (opinions of the show aren't applicable here, I'm just using it as an example) suposedly had to do. I could imagine how this puts pressure on a storyboard artist to make something more polished than topically necessary and end up storyboarding based on what they themselves can draw versus what the animators and background artists can do (and are taught how to do).

[@insectoid_creature]

I’m not an animator, I’m not a storyboarder, I have no intention of being a storboarder, why am I watching this? And why am I so invested?

[@haydenrfroehlich7081]

I want to see that last board sequence as a feature film soooo much

[@AngeloFalls]

You stay releasing relevant (to me) videos at the right time!! Your timing is impecable I swear 💖💖

[@TheSecondLaughingSoldier]

Me, who just doesnt do story boarding: Yeah, this is interesting.

[@electrothecat07]

Thanks. This will help me when I start doing animating

[@crasherverse3134]

Thanks Toniko, Trying to put together a Storyboard portfolio. and this has been very helpful. Might as well add that as a foreigner trying to break into Storyboarding in Animation your videos have been a big resource point. Thank you!

[@user-nw3ol7fk1i]

This is really good advice and all but I feel like my main takeaway from this was how funny it could be to deliberately mess up shots lmao Like, imagine 3:06 where they're pointing the guns and trembling... and then camera zooms out and they're back to back and shooting at two practice targets

[@CryoSleepFilms]

Guys this is of wealth of knowledge video. Promise

[@Ramenko1]

This was amazing. Thank you for sharing, friend.

[@Icycreamyfrapp]

Thank you! I don't know how tf to story board, but this helped a lot.

[@drenamilton9425]

Does anyone even teach storyboarding? I can only think of an old Don Bluth book about it.

[@SparkyMK3]

Nancy Beimen put out a book called "Prepare to board"!

[@KendallFalk]

LOL that was the best sponsor I’ve ever seen!

[@crispybunnzer2462]

ok but why is no one talking about the supposed storyboard shot of Bruce and Alfred holding each other at gunpoint. And dont tell me that doesnt look like them, we've all seen BMTAS, fanart, and what Alfred's mustache looks like. PS. this helped sm ty

[@Yahnart]

Pretty pleased to find that animation story boarding is similar to comic thumbnailing. Also, both are hard and not fun in the beginning. But lol that "establishing shot". Now I have a better name for it when I thumbnail my comics cause I would call it the "Remind the viewers" which sounds soo unprofessional. 😂but it's soo crucial other wise it just feels like characters don't exist in a specific space and they don't have feet lol

[@puckbryn3583]

released 3 days ago. 1 dislike. seems right even the bots can’t deny this amount of information, positivity and quality

[@Smieska_13]

great video, I had a storyboard clean up (and revisionist??? literally got blobs as thumbnails so I was the one having to make the poses and expressions, backgrounds and sometimes have to change a panel because the composition was off etc) but I find the no 1 problem I have is speed - having to keep up with the workload. I would literally work for over 24 hours straight to get a scene done and it was so disheartening to see that I couldn't get it finished any faster. I would ask for help from the people on my team, but nothing seemed to work. In the end, I got dropped because I just wasn't fast enough, it was extremely discouraging for me. I know all the storyboard pro shortcuts and what have you, reusing mine and others work, etc. The impression I got from that job was that there is no time for adjustments, no time for training to catch up to the more experienced artists, just ..plug and go. It puzzles me then when they say there's a shortage of storyboard artists when people like me are kind of given the sink or swim treatment, which is the opposite of how I learn/work. Any advice on something like this? :(

[@zigzaq]

i don’t have any advice but that sucks!! i hope you’re able to find new work soon :(

[@ayaneagano6059]

This is really helpful, I needed a video like this!

[@starmars5]

man, you always hit with your videos. This is good stuff, man.

[@perisos3891]

Never heard of this Rainbow shadow legends, might check it out😮

[@lazycookies]

I’m not a storyboard artist nor wanna be one but this is super cool, plus I just like learning about animation lmao

[@llynhunter]

Great suggestions. You are fantastic at putting a lot of good information into a short time.

[@Bumble._.Jellybottom]

i dont know why, but for some reason the part where you started talking about too many dynamic shots was funny and then the overly dynamic shots on the 2 characters having a regular conversation 😭

[@princessthyemis]

Thank you so much for being so specific with everything I love this!!!!!!!

[@stickwashere5248]

yooo!! thanks :D this was really cool and informative and i am indeed an aspiring artist, will definitely stick around for more content :]

[@worldofandrew8685]

Thank you for making this video

[@RaminNom2]

Thanks for ur advice.. But what software should i use for making storyboard for newbie?

[@harimenui-forever2036]

Great video, now lemme just... I will make the shot at 8:00 work. Now this is a culmination of the story so far, a turning point, the character hates their job, but for various reasons quitting it would change everything or perhaps we're trying to show the mental state they are in. Let's say this is the culmination of all the frustrations and this scene is the cherry on top. The camera is slowly spinning clockwise, getting closer. Intercut with quick shots of people doing office things (usually hands, pens, computer keys) very close, very uncomfortable. Loud and yet so quiet, because the character can't process what's going on. The background blurs at the edges, it's claustrophobic. THEY WANT OUT. Ends with the character finally snapping as we get a wide shot from above of the whole office. Yes, this is a classic trick and not original, but it gets the job done and we can make it better later on. I've never actually storyboarded anything, I have some thumbnails for animatics and lots of ideas with a lot of thought put into them. I don't think I have the skill (drawing), but I want to try one day... Anyway if you've read this far... *thank u* Also the point about excessive cuts combined with the jump cuts, like, that bothers me so much when I see it sometimes, because you can have a framing of a scene that serves more than one purpose. You can have one character admiring the sunrise in the foreground, happy and elated, bathing in the warmth, while at the same time have a different character in the background behind him, trapped by the framing itself as no sunshine reaches him. And you can make the cut longer to show the triumph, the emotion of one and the unease the other feels. You can put the camera elsewhere to switch the pov, to emphasize a different emotion, to focus on the unease and uncertainty more while not omitting parts of the story, keeping both of the characters nuanced while taking a side in a way... (if you know this scene I love u)

[@Scarlet.Octopi]

I think Bungou stray dogs is a good example of nice paced shots (also for dialogue and round characters)

[@villayuun9667]

This is incredibly useful, thank you very much!

[@zigzaq]

you know it’s a good video when there are 1.6k likes and no dislikes

[@MrGaurishankarbehera]

thanks lot for your tips.