COOL STUFF

Zack Snyder Discusses Watchmen Storyboards

by Alex Billington
January 18, 2008
Source: Official Watchmen Blog

Although almost all of Hollywood is situated in Park City, Utah partying every night at Sundance, director Zack Snyder is still hard at work up in Vancouver, BC filming Watchmen, due out in March of 2009. His latest update on the official blog features a lengthy discussion on storyboards, and how integral they are every day on the set. Zack says that “although it takes me a tremendous amount of time during pre-production to draw each and every frame,” it still pays off, adding, “in the end, the shooting boards become one of my most useful tools.” With Watchmen, he has drawn over 2,581 frames, and let’s us take peek at 2 of these simple works of art.

If you’re not too familiar with the filmmaking process, storyboards are (typically) hand drawn examples of each and every scene to take place in the film. They’re used as a visual guide for almost everyone involved in the film, specifically the director and cinematographer, and as Zack continues to describe, are an incredibly integral piece of the puzzle with Watchmen. “Alongside the graphic novel, I always keep a copy of my storyboards with me on set. Storyboards are without a doubt, the most efficient way to communicate what’s in my head to all the departments throughout the project.”

Zack writes a great introspective on the importance of storyboards and how they’re used in every aspect of Watchmen.

Once completed, the boards play a key role throughout pre-production, mapping out every frame that I intend to shoot. Visually presenting the what, where, why, who, when, etc. of every frame. This gives us a starting point for discussions. As we break down each frame, department by department, they help clarify everyone’s responsibilities, needs and expectations. The boards often spur discussions that raise important questions. Many times the answers to these questions are crucial to a successful shoot. Once we finish pre-production and start shooting, mini storyboard sides are distributed to the crew at the beginning of each day. Many of us refer back to them countless times on any given day.

I’d also suggest you go read the full article on the blog if you’re interested in finding out more about Watchmen and the update from Zack Snyder.

Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, 300), will arrive in theaters on March 6th, 2009. Stay tuned for more Watchmen coverage, photos, and more right here at FS.net!

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