NEGATIVE SPACE
Storyboarding tools
Jacob John 2014
Using negative space to add value to the storyboard...
Below are some examples/ individual frames from storyboards…
Frame01 shows the main character / an engineer, busy using a spanner on a pipeline.
On the right side is a rendering of the content of this frame as silhouette.. or the negative space of the characters...
What the main character is doing is hidden by the bulk of his body, and another mistake in the drawing is that the character in the left has been posed in a dramatic manner. The function of the secondary character is to show that there are more people working in the vicinity of the main character, but instead its rendering/posing here is distracting the audience away from the main character…
In a series of drawings which carry a storyline, such a distraction would easily derail the narrative.
Frame02, below, is the same frame , but the characters are posed in a better manner...
This frame makes a clear representation of the action and also, places the secondary character in such as way that
it supports and compliments the main character. The rendering of the negative space is READABLE and dramatic also.
When making drawings this knowledge serves the artist well, by saving time and energy.Therefore it is better to work out details like these in the rough framing before starting work on the final rendering of the frames.
In the art of storyboarding, the framing or composition of each frame is probably the most important part of the job (besides making readable drawings… which is equally important). Each frame is part of a chain on frames that narrate a storyline visually and each needs to do its job in carrying the narrative in the most effective fashion.
FRAME 01
FRAME 02
FRAME 03
FRAME 04
EXAMPLE 01
EXAMPLE 02
In the below frame (Frame 03), the scene shows Dad and kids coming into the kitchen, happily waving their hands, expecting a grand supper.
And Mom is happily waving back a welcome to them.
Both Frame 03 and 04 are similar and aim to serve the same purpose.
But Frame04 seems to do the job better... The reason is explained below.
The below frame ,(Frame 05), is a rendering of the negative space of the characters in Frame 03. Notice the overlap of the little girl's hand on the arms of the mother and how all the people in the frame seem to fuse into a mass. This makes the actions difficult to read, and thats the last thing any passing frame in a storyboard wants. For this reason Frame04 does a better job!
FRAME 05
EXAMPLE 03
In the below example, the pipeline is an important part of the composition. The activity arround the pipeline is not hindered by the present layout of the elements, namely the working men and machinery. Also there is a good deal of open sky , which is infact acts as the negative space for the important elements.
EXAMPLE 04
The below frame shows another option for framing the pipeline and acitivty arround it, so that there is still enough negative space arround each element ( men and machinery) , so that the action and acitivity is readable and clear.
* * *
Jacob John 2014