Storyboard Artist LA

A storyboard artist provides visual illustrations to map out an effective production blueprint for TV shows, films, and commercials.

The storyboard artist’s job is to provide a visual representation prior to the filming of a feature film or television production. Taking the script or teleplay, the storyboard artist will interpret the objective, whether it is to tell an effective story or represent a product for sale and deliver a storyboard: a collection of visual scenes which will show the director how he/she may be able to shoot the project. The storyboard can represent angles for shooting, lighting themes, color, clothing, and motion/blocking set-ups.

While the director will probably have their own ideas about how a production should look, a storyboard provides an easy-to-interpret breakdown of all included scenes and may give the production staff further ideas on how to develop the production. Often in advertising, the storyboard can take precedent as a key production source ahead of the original screenplay for highly visual projects. The storyboard artist must be able to produce hand-drawn or computer-generated storyboards quickly, and must often be prepared to adapt them “on spec” with very short notice.
Salary
At the top end of the scale, electronic illustrators working for major production houses in the US can expect to receive a salary of up to $100,000 (£63,410); this figure comes up time and again during online research on various industry source websites, and so would seem to represent the upper end of what is practically achievable for experienced storyboard artists.

Many storyboard illustrators work on a freelance basis, so the rates of pay in this instance can range from around £150 per storyboard for a locally-produced advertisement video, up to £2500-£3000 per storyboard for an internationally-funded commercial project.
Responsibilities

• Understand and interpret requirements from the film/advertising concept
• Study the script to understand the required mood and overall theme
• Consider camera angles and lighting to be used in the storyboard presentation
• Compose wireframe drawings from which the more detailed illustrations will be developed
• Complete colour or monochrome storyboards in full for use by production staff
• Edit storyboards and make changes as per the request of the director or production team

Qualifications
There are no formal qualifications required to be a storyboard artist, although an academic background in Art and Design (for example, A-level) can be beneficial. Most artists who develop the love for visual representation or artistic expression tend to do so at a young age, and so intrinsically they are drawn to the more artistic areas of study at school. This could be art, design, drama, or media production. Art remains a popular study area at university also, but the demand is for storyboard artists who can convey themes, concepts, and “blocking” (practical pre-planning of producible scenes) in an easy-to-understand way; this means that a four-year study period at Art College or university is not required. Some candidates choose to enter this career as an alternative to graphic design, which some artists find quite limited in terms of creative freedom. Storyboard artists who will be rendering storyboards on the computer will need an appropriate collegiate background.
Skills

• An ability to understand complex or ambiguous production instructions given to the artist in the initial meeting
• A creative mind which can conjure new perspectives
• A sympathetic approach to the time constraints of media production
• Strong artistic ability, and knowledge of how to present visuals in a convincing way
• Willingness to consider and learn different/new artistic styles outside the “comfort zone”
• Strong understanding of computer design software suites, where appropriate

Working Conditions
The biggest pressure that comes with this job is being able to turn around concepts and visualizations in a small number of hours. Work for TV commercials is particularly pressured because of the high daily costs involved for producers, which subsequently result in very tight production schedules. Often, the storyboard artist will be asked to return designs within a day, which is particularly hair-raising for new entrants. It is also part of the buzz of drawing professionally in a creative field.
Experience
New entrants often begin by providing storyboards for no-budget indie films or low-budget corporate jobs. It is essential that the artist starting out builds a portfolio, which means taking some jobs which don’t offer a lot in the way of cash. Things often get easier after the first big corporate job, for example, storyboarding for an internationally recognized company. This then equips the candidate to pitch for work on other covetable creative jobs.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Contract, Internship

Pay: $10.00 – $30.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Schedule:

• 10 hour shift
• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday
• On call
• Weekend availability

Supplemental Pay:

• Commission pay

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Los Angeles, CA 90031: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Work Location: One location