Question 1

What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?

Douglas Einar Olsen · Accepted Answer

“Research your interests hard and explore those themes in your work.”

Question 2

What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?

Douglas Einar Olsen · Accepted Answer

“Loading up your portfolio with too much stuff. Don’t include every project you’ve ever done. Be specific; if you’ve zeroed in on storyboarding, include storyboards and maybe some animation samples as the main event, not everything you did at school. A laser-focused portfolio shows me that person is serious.”

Question 3

What is the question people should ask about this career but rarely do?

Douglas Einar Olsen · Accepted Answer

“It can take a long time to find your way in, often years. It’s imperative that you don’t give up — continue to make work and study the craft while finding other ways to survive. This can be the real challenge — do you have the patience and dedication for that?”

Question 4

If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?

Douglas Einar Olsen · Accepted Answer

“Perseverance.”

Question 5

What is a Storyboard Artist do?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

The job of a Storyboard Artist is to realize the vision of a Director, Cinematographer, or Producer in terms of how they want a film to visually unfold. This means creating either by hand or through computer imagery a depiction of how each scene will progress from shot to shot through a series of panels.

Question 6

What is a Storyboard Artist salary?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

Multiple factors impact what a Storyboard Artist can make in a given year. On average, they make just over $90,000 annually, but it’s important to keep in mind that this figure can fluctuate depending on their experience, union status, and type of gigs they are hired for.

Question 7

Is being a Storyboard Artist hard?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

Perhaps the most challenging part of being a Storyboard Artist is being able to translate from words to images what a Director or Cinematographer is describing for a scene. Some creatives may find it difficult to understand this vision if the person articulating it lacks the ability to be detailed and vivid in their descriptions. Productions tend to evolve drastically during the pre-production stage as well, which might mean multiple revisions to the storyboards. All that being said, the professional life of a Storyboard Artist can be a highly rewarding one.

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