Submerged in Storyboarding – An interview with Tyrell Robinson

Jumping in

If you’re looking to be a part of the filming industry and have an interest in creating stories, then Digital Story Development (DIG 2430) is right up your alley! You can learn and understand the process behind the scenes of making a movie, cartoon, and even a video game in this class! Tyrell Robinson, a 19-year-old sophomore at Gulfcoast who aims to become a photographer, is studying the course. Brittany Parsons has interviewed him to find out more information and his experience so far!

The Interview

What is a storyboard? What is it used for?

“A storyboard is a sequence of drawings that are used as blueprints when creating things like films. They give the director and the crew an idea of the story and what they will need to be doing during each scene.”

What is your favorite thing about storyboarding so far? Why?

“My favorite thing about storyboarding so far is planning out what the scene will be. I also enjoy it because of the creative freedom since I can design exactly how I imagine a scene taking place!”

What made you decide to take this class? 

“Besides the fact that I am required to take this class for my major, I have found the class interesting and an experience. I can take skills from this class that I wouldn’t be able to learn about anywhere else and use those skills for future projects. In summary, I wanted to learn something new and different!”

What have you learned?  

“So far in the class, I have learned about using different camera angles like the dolly shot, (the camera moves towards, away from, or alongside your subject) the medium shot, (Shows the character from head to chest or shoulders) and the zoom. (camera zooms close in to the subject that is being focused on)”

Would you recommend this class to other students? Why or why not?

“I would only recommend this class to students aiming to be in the film industry or try something new. All are still welcome to join, but it’s focused on people who want to go into something film-related.”

Would you consider this a type of art class? Why?

“Yes, I consider this a type of art class because it involves creative thinking and requires a type of artistic skill.”
 
What projects have you worked on? What inspired you to make it? Did you like how it turned out? Would you change anything about the final product? Why?

“In class, we were given a project, and the prompt was a bank robbery with at least five robbers and a getaway van. It took me a while to come up with an idea that really stuck. I decided to go with a simple bank robbery that would take place in Chicago. The robbers would rob a bank and then go into a high-speed chase over the city. In the end, they would escape via boat! Looking back on it, I  wish I had explained more of what was happening in each scene. Examples would be explaining in more detail what the lighting placement was and more detail on how each robber looked. I am still proud of how it turned out since it was the first storyboard I ever created.”

Above are some storyboards from Tyrells bank robbery project.

Do you agree with Tyrell that storyboarding is a type of art? Why?

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