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Design · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Storyboarding & Visual Narrative

This course focuses on the art of visual storytelling, the essential pre-production step for animation, film, and video games. Students will learn to translate scripts into visual sequences, acting as the “director” on paper. The curriculum covers cinematography, camera language, pacing, and the creation of animatics to test the timing and flow of a narrative before production begins.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Analyze scripts to identify key beats and visual potential
  2. Master cinematographic language (Camera angles, shots, and movement)
  3. Draw effective storyboards that communicate action and emotion clearly
  4. Create "Animatics" (video storyboards with sound) to test pacing
  5. Pitch story sequences effectively to directors and production teams
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01Introduction to Visual Storytelling & Aspect Ratios
  2. 02Film Language: Shot Types & Terminology
  3. 03Composition & Staging for the Screen
  4. 04Script Analysis & Breakdown
  5. 05Thumb-nailing & Rough Sketching
  6. 06Camera Movement: Pan, Tilt, Dolly, Zoom
  7. 07Character Acting & Expressions in Boards
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Continuity: The 180-Degree Rule
  10. 10Action Sequences: Pacing & Clarity
  11. 11Comedy vs. Drama: Timing Differences
  12. 12Drawing for Animation vs. Live Action
  13. 13Introduction to Animatics (Premiere/After Effects)
  14. 14Sound Design for Animatics
  15. 15The Art of the Pitch
  16. 16Final Project: The Animatics Sequence

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Animatics Sequence

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen by Steven Katz
  2. Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers by Marcos Mateu-Mestre
  3. The Five C's of Cinematography by Joseph V. Mascelli
  4. Directing the Story by Francis Glebas
  5. Perspective! For Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea
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