From Premise to Pitch!
Storyboarding Fundamentals with Stu Livingston

Get ready for a fun-packed evening at FabCafe Tokyo as we roll out an exciting storyboard workshop with the one and only animation maestro, Stu Livingston!

With an impressive portfolio that includes contributions to globally recognized animation shows such as Steven Universe (Cartoon Network), Futurama (Rough Draft Studios), The Loud House (Nickelodeon), or The Owl House (Disney), Stu will take us on a journey through the art of storyboarding, providing valuable perspectives from his extensive career in the animation industry.

Typically arranged chronologically, storyboards serve as a visual guide for filmmakers, animators, and directors to pre-visualize and plan the structure of a film, animation, or any visual narrative. Each frame in a storyboard depicts a specific moment or shot, and together they convey the flow and pacing of the story. In a word, they are the backbone of animation!

Screenshot and Dance Sequence from “Enchanting Grom Fright,” first aired August 8, 2020, in the series The Owl House. Stu contributed as storyboard artist and episode director. © Disney, All Rights Reserved.

Storyboarding is a vibrant and dynamic process that requires artists to skillfully navigate the realms of image, movement, story, pacing, and mood. Artists must think critically about how to convey emotions, actions, and narrative beats through static images, fostering a continuous exercise in creative problem-solving. Great storyboard professionals maintain precision and detail within tight time constraints, adapting to script or creative changes. They also excel at striking a balance between individual creativity and consistency with the project’s overall vision.

All of this makes storyboarding a challenging discipline, but also one of the most encompassing and gratifying in the creative realm!

Storyboarding for Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie (Nickelodeon), for which Stu worked as co-director. © Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Storyboarding for The Loud House © Nickelodeon Animation Studio All Rights Reserved.

Delve into the fascinating world of storytelling through visuals, as Stu takes you on a journey from the inception of an idea to its compelling pitch. This workshop is your chance to learn from one of the industry’s more seasoned professionals in a casual and fun session where everybody will contribute.

Professionals from all kinds of creative fields, as well as people with no prior experience in storyboarding, are welcome to join!

Workshop timeline

Hour One

1- Introduction + Biography

2- Storyboarding Theory: Presented as a mini-lecture with examples, Stu will quickly breakdown his process, and what are some important things to focus on in telling your own stories.

Hour Two

1- From Premise…: As a group, we’ll come up with a sentence-long premise for a simple story, with characters and action. Then, all together, we’ll each draw our own ten-panel storyboards from the same premise.

2- …To Pitch!: One-by-one, participants will be invited to pitch their storyboards themselves (describing the action, doing voices + sound effects).

3- Q&A and Closing

Needed material

• FabCafe Tokyo will provide notecards and markers for this workshop. Participants are invited to bring their notebooks and sketchbooks too.