A Few Announcements and Processing the Process

Lookie! New stuff in the sidebar!

(If you’re reading this in a feed reader, head on over here and take a peek.)

I’m starting a little club.

The Storyboard Club.

At this point, it’s just a free mailing list. But it will turn into more.

With this list, I will occasionally keep in touch with you by email. I might send out a monthly ‘blog round-up’ of the month’s posts with some extra insights. Or a newsletter-ish thingy. Or give you a link to something cool I won’t necessarily post on the blog.

When I make an eBook or host a webinar, you will hear about it first. And you will get it for less money than the general public. First dibs, baby.

Because when you’re part of my ‘club’, you’re all special and stuff.

If this appeals to you at all, I’d love you to sign up!

To top it off, you get a cool free thing when you do. A big ol’ Storyboard Template Pack and Short Film Tip Sheet.

If you like the free templates I already offer, you will love this thing. Head on over to the Download Page for all the juicy details.

Then fill in the sign-up form in the sidebar and you’re golden.

(UPDATE: There was a glitch that came to my attention. Apparently the sign-up form wasn’t showing up in all browsers. It should be *beneath* the template image in the sidebar. I have changed the code and hope it’s working. If you can’t see it, please let me know in the comments. I’d really appreciate it.)

A note to email subscribers: I will not automatically include you in the Storyboard Club Mailing List. That would be kinda sleazy, because maybe you don’t want to be on the list. So if you do, just opt-in and you’ll still get blog updates and the Storyboard Club emails. I really hope you do!

Yay! Exciting.

Next thing.

I had a great couple of questions in the ‘Why You Hiding‘ comments a couple of weeks ago. It was from Djordje (I haven’t a clue how to pronounce that) and was as follows:

I’ve had a question on my mind and have to ask, how do you go about analyzing animation/live action from a storyboard artists perspective? What do you exactly look for? Is it a combination of composition, staging, rule of thirds, depth and shot choice for individual frames and scenes? Then would you look at how the scenes cut together and flow?

It was a little too much to tackle in the comment section and I thought it would make a great post or series of posts. I still do, and I will do that.

But when I started to think about it, I had a hard time wondering how I would explain it.

I mean sure, I could get all technical and analytical and stuff (bor-ing), but I was trying to find the real ‘heart’ of it. How do I go about critiquing a story? What am I looking for?

Not to tell you how to do it, but how do I do it?

The only thing that kept coming up for me, was that it’s ‘just a feeling‘.

Really helpful, huh?

I believe people are born with certain talents and abilities. Yes, you can learn almost anything. You can even learn to be pretty damn good at something.

Then there are some things you’re just born with.

I can draw. I always have drawn. I get better when I draw more. I’m pretty good and make a living at it. But I see other people’s amazing work and just know I could never do that. Hell, I don’t have the drive to do that.

You can tell they live and breath it and were born with that ‘extra something’.

It’s the same for music.

I learned to play the bass way back when. I loved it. I was pretty good at it. But it wasn’t because I was a born musician. It was because I was a good student, I practiced and I have a really good sense of timing.

But I could never do a solo. I could never write music. Because I am no musician. And never will be.

And that’s OK. It didn’t make me love it any less.

We’ve all seen those people who are born to play music. Who are born to dance. Who are born to make amazing, original art. You may be one of them. Cool.

Over the years of doing what I do, I think I’ve come to the realization that although I make my living drawing, I am really a ‘teller of stories‘.

Other people’s stories.

That’s why I’ve kept doing what I’ve been doing. I get off finding that ‘feeling‘ of the right beat, the good gag, the great reveal, the satisfying ending.

I dig it.

I get a sense of when something isn’t working. I get this little nagging feeling when a story is missing something. I get an ahhh feeling through me when it flows smoothly. I just know it works.

Because I think I have that ‘born thing’ when it comes to visual storytelling.

That’s why I’m shifting my career path.

Yes, I’ll still storyboard when I have to. It pays the bills and I’m good at it.

But I really want to be a story consultant and storyboard mentor to help other people tell their stories.

There. I said it.

So in celebration of that, I’ve reworked my ‘Work With Karen’ pages. It now has One-On-One Storyboard Consultations and the brand spanking new Mini Storyboard Critiques.

Different options for different needs and different budgets.

Check them out if you have that ‘feeling‘ you have a story to tell.

And if you need some guidance and feedback, let me help you.

I’ll dig it.

How do I know?

Just a feeling. : )

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