From Word to Image: Storyboarding and the Filmmaking Process was published in 2001 and is a best selling title on storyboarding used by professionals and in film schools here, in Europe and Asia. A second edition including a new chapter on the use of color in storytelling, interviews with top directors and designers in new media and completely revised appendices was released in January, 2010.
"From Word to Image" is used a textbook and recommended text in film, animation and graphic design programs around the world, including these schools:
Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA
Otis College of Design, Los Angeles
American Film Institute, Hollywood
Yale University, School of Art
Rhode Island College, Providence
University of Technology, Sydney
University of Baltimore
American University
Lock Haven University
University of Washington
UNC - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Skidmore College, New York
CUNY, Brooklyn, New York
International Film School, Cologne, Germany
Film Akademie, Ludwigsburg, Germany
University of Sussex, England
University of Lincoln, England
Mid-Sweden Unversity (Mittuniversitetet), Sweden
DePaul University
University College for the Creative Arts, England
Honk Kong University, Academy of Film
University of West England, Bristol
University of Kent, England
Arts University College, Bournemouth
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An excerpt from the introduction and the TOC are below ~ Ordering information is at the bottom of this page.
Introduction
When From Word to Image was released on September 12, 2001, the world was entering a new era. Since that time our culture, media, and the methods we use to express ourselves have changed with a speed that is impressive and at times hard to track.
I decided to write an expanded edition of what has become a widely used text about visualization in order to support new research into narrative image making. Simply said, we are telling thousands of stories through media that did not even exist eight short years ago. On the home front, entry-level HD recorders mean that even beginning students have access to low-cost, professional-quality imagemaking. GarageBand offers music studio features to score your project and YouTube affords access to a worldwide audience. Never have so many visual storytellers been able to say so much with so little to so many.
On the professional front, there has been significant movement on screens large and small. Digital projection for feature films is quickly becoming the norm, especially for films that have been created using digital technology. Analogue signals for broadcast television are scheduled to be turned off in February of ’09, and this event will push our culture even further down the digital road.
And video gaming has become a larger industry than film, judging by capital investment and money spent on the ever growing library of titles.
All of this activity means that the ability to become a content creator has shifted, in a significant manner, from the classic centralization of studio production to alternative systems sited in home offices, media classrooms, and the streets.
That being the case, a comprehensive chapter on the use of color seemed in line with the expanded reach of the industry as well as the goals of this text. The pervasive use of color in most contemporary projects by filmmakers and other graphic storytellers leads to an expanded conversation about the narrative possibilities of this non-verbal area of communication. Through a combination of historical research and practical experience, this material offers an approach to the analysis of existing material as well as defining a scope of inquiry for making informed decisions on projects in process.
In thinking about new content for this edition, I focused on working with industry professionals who are currently developing projects in live action, digital animation, and on-line media that offer cross-platform projects — such as the Platinum Studio model of film/comic books/on-line community content — interesting case studies in interdisciplinary processes and distribution.
So inside you will find new material presented in the form of case studies on pre-viz for animation, game design, and multi-platform content development. The appendices are full of new DVD titles, which include design-based supplementary content such as storyboards, animatics, concept illustrations, and scene-to-storyboard comparisons. The website list has been updated and the bibliography has some exciting new additions as well.
My intention with this new material is to offer both an appreciation of a developing aesthetic as well as information on new processes and techniques. The information is intended to support both educational and professional projects, and I hope it will find a place on your bookshelf among other words and images that seek to support a healthy and playful creative process.
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