Why are Storybords used - Miss Miller

It is widely accepted that storyboards are a valuable tool in creating animations. However, if you're just getting started in the area, this part of the process may seem an unnecessary diversion when you want to get on with creating your animated works. Neglecting to spend time on storyboards can have a negative impact on an entire project. Storyboards are designed to create a more successful animation process and end product, in terms of quality and efficiency

Efficiency

 

Taking time to create and use storyboards will save you time in the long run. As Catherine Winder and Zahra Dowlatabadi noted on the Animation World Network website in 2001, if you jump straight in and start creating your animations, you are increasing the likelihood of wasting time on work that ends up not being used. Storyboards help to pin down exactly what it is you're trying to create, giving you a constant reference to check your work against as you go along. Skipping the storyboard stage is a false economy, and having a cost effective approach is vital with the labor-intensive process of animation.

 

Quality

 

Animations produced using storyboards generally tend to exhibit a higher level of quality than those that do not,  Having the storyboard as a reference point throughout the animation process results in something that is clearer and more faithful to the aim of a particular project. The best creative projects in any medium tend to be started with thorough preparation, a fact that has been borne out by success full projects again and again. Storyboarding increases the accuracy with which an animation represents its original brief, whatever that happens to be. 

 

Improved Development Process

 

The clarity provided by having a storyboard results in a smoother, more successful and ultimately satisfying animation development process,  Whether you're working on an animation project on your own or as part of a team, the activity of creating the animation will involve less stress, friction and potential conflict if you create a decent storyboard before the work begins. Starting any development process without adequate preparation can make the experience frustrating and tense, and this is particularly the case with animation, since the task at hand is so detailed and intense.

 

Refinement

 

The act of creating a storyboard helps to identify flaws and issues within the concept or story concerned. Ieas expressed in writing are just the beginning when it comes to any moving image medium. You only really get a sense of an animation when you start to see it represented in visual form. Still images bridge the gap between a written script or story, and the final moving images. A storyboard helps to explore an idea visually, giving you the opportunity to make changes and refinements before any animation work has begun.