Drawing
A quick, loose form of sketching that involves capturing the feeling, action, form, and pose of a subject
Gesture
A type of shot or camera framing where the subject is framed from the knees up
Medium Wide Shot (MWS) (a.k.a. Medium Full Shot, Medium Long Shot)
The distance (in millimeters) between the optical center of the lens and the camera's sensor, which tells the angle of view and magnification of the lens
Focal length
A series of images/rough illustrations used as a visual representation for a film/animation sequence
Storyboards
The proportional relationship between an image’s width and height (ex: 16:9, 1.85:1)
Aspect ratio
A way of simplifying a character/drawing into its most essential basic shapes or recognizable traits in order to animate or storyboard quickly, often used in the first/rough pass
Shorthand
The way elements of a scene are arranged within the frame. Guides such as the Rule of Thirds or Golden Ratio assist in using this
Composition
Name for a camera move where the camera stays at a fixed position but rotates left or right
Pan left/right
A series of images/rough illustrations used to pitch a story in more concise panels; visual story beats that cover just the main points of action in the story
Beatboards
A cognitive event in which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation
Kuleshov Effect
An imaginary line extending through the main action of a figure that an artist can use to help strengthen the dramatic effect of a pose by structuring the figure along these lines
Line of Action
Maintaining consistency between shots. Can refer to placement of props, time of day/weather, left/right movement of characters, screen direction, story details, etc.
Continuity
A camera lens with a short focal length (typically 35mm or less)
Wide lens
Specific term for a series of rough drawings that describes every shot and every beat in each shot of a film/animation from the point of view of the camera
Shooting boards (a.k.a. Continuity boards)
Series of storyboard images edited together in a video sequence, often timed out to music, sound effects, and/or dialogue. Essentially an animated storyboard
Animatic
A method of creating the illusion of depth in a 2D artwork in which all parallel lines will converge to one or several vanishing points on the composition’s horizon line
Linear perspective
Series of frames that are shot uninterrupted from the moment the camera starts rolling until it stops
Shot
Name for a camera move where the camera moves towards or away from the subject
Dolly in/out (a.k.a. Push in/out)
Referring to the connection between shots in how the action or pose at the end of one shot should match with the starting action of the following shot in order to preserve continuity, indicating that no time has passed between shots
Hookups
Top-down schematic of camera and actor placement, meant to help block out complex scenes in one image
Camera blocking
A method of creating the illusion of depth in a 2D artwork by adjusting the color or shading of objects to simulate the effect the atmosphere has on distant objects
Atmospheric perspective
A guideline in filmmaking that sets an imaginary line drawn between two characters (or between a character and another subject) and states that the camera should stay on one side of the line in order to preserve visual consistency and keep the spatial relationship of the characters consistent
180 Degree Rule
Name for a camera move where the camera physically moves left or right
Truck left/right
A type of show where board artists often work from just a rough outline of the plot and need to act as writer, writing all the dialogue, jokes, and specific character action of the scene while also drawing out the visuals
Board-driven show
Term coined by Walt Disney that means making a good idea even better. Even if an artist thinks they've nailed the drawings, they (or another artist) can still iterate on those drawings to improve the quality
"Plussing"