Chapter 9: Verbal Storyboarding Leaves the Entire Art Department Stunned
Chapter 9: Oral Storyboarding Leaves the Art Department Stunned
Everyone was dumbfounded, thinking they must have misheard, whispering among themselves.
“What?! Describe all the storyboards orally?”
“A film has over a thousand shots, sometimes even more. How could he possibly describe them all? Does he think he’s Superman?”
“This is impossible! The film hasn’t even started shooting. Some shots can only be decided by the director and cinematographer!”
“Exactly… this isn’t an animation where the director shoots strictly according to storyboards.”
“I doubt even Spielberg would rigidly follow the storyboard shots… Are we supposed to finish all the drawings only to scrap them later and redo everything? That’s absurd!”
“Who does this Qin Feng think he is, being so confident...”
“Yeah! Acting like he’s the director!”
“...”
The debate grew louder and more intense.
In previous films, even when storyboards were involved, the artists would draw them themselves before submitting for the director’s approval. And the volume was never this large.
Oss stood up and raised his hand to quiet everyone. “Please, hold on. Let’s hear what Mr. Qin has to say first.”
The chatter ceased, and all eyes turned toward Qin Feng, filled with disbelief and skepticism.
Qin Feng had anticipated this reaction. With a faint smile, he began, “Colleagues, please don’t rush to judgment.”
“I am the screenwriter for this film. Every plot point and shot has been played countless times in my mind. All you need to do is draw the storyboards based on my descriptions. There will also be animated previews.”
“I guarantee that the images I describe will achieve the best effect! On this point, I can communicate directly with the director.”
“This method is the only way to save time during shooting and post-production.”
Murmurs broke out again.
Qin Feng glanced at Oss. Oss nodded knowingly and asked an animator to prepare the camera.
Soon, the camera was set up, aimed at Qin Feng, and a microphone was handed to him.
The room fell into a hush. Everyone wanted to see how this oral storyboard description would work.
After all, no one with years of experience in art had ever seen anything like this.
The animator gave an “OK” sign.
Qin Feng picked up the microphone and cleared his throat.
He recalled scenes from the film, slowing his mental replay.
“First shot: medium shot, rainy night, in the forest, leaves rustling.”
“Second shot: close-up, a worker wearing a safety helmet staring intently beyond the leaves, expression tense.”
“Third shot: medium shot again, leaves swaying, something seemingly hidden behind.”
“Fourth shot: close-up slowly pushing in, a soldier with a gun nervously watching beyond the trees.”
“Next shot…”
Qin Feng spoke steadily and clearly, with confidence.
---
In just two minutes, everyone there had shifted from confusion to doubt, and finally to utter amazement.
Oh my God!!
They couldn’t believe their ears.
Not only did this man have his script memorized perfectly, but he was intimately familiar with every shot type, every image, how to film it, even camera movements!
He recited every detail!
Listening to his descriptions was like watching the film unfold right before their eyes.
How could one person possibly hold so much information in their mind?
Everyone was stunned, hanging on his every word.
Even Oss was captivated, too engrossed to take notes.
He finally understood why Qin Feng had them prepare the camera.
Because no one could possibly remember all this information otherwise!
Minutes stretched into hours.
Qin Feng kept going.
“...”
“Next shot: close-up, the Tyrannosaurus’s eyes darting, growling fiercely at the people inside the vehicle.”
“Next shot: the camera pushes from outside the vehicle to inside, a child named Rix screaming in panic, held for three seconds.”
“Next shot: medium shot, the T-Rex’s jaws suddenly crush the vehicle’s roof glass, causing it to cave in!”
“...”
Oss swallowed hard.
He glanced at his watch. Two hours had passed, and apart from a brief sip of water, Qin Feng was still describing.
He marveled at the man’s memory.
This guy must be a film fanatic!
He had dissected the entire movie into fragments, piece by piece, and stored it all in his mind.
Terrifying!
He wondered if his idol Spielberg could do the same.
Surely only a genius could manage this!
The narration continued.
Everyone was overwhelmed.
No one could count how many shots Qin Feng had described — surely over a thousand!
No one doubted his talent or understanding of the film anymore.
“The final shot.”
Qin Feng’s eyes sparkled with enchanting light.
It was as if everyone present were sitting in a movie theater audience.
He raised his voice, full of infectious passion.
“Background music swells, wide shot, the Tyrannosaurus stands in the center of the hall, roaring skyward!”
“A banner slowly drifts down, floating in front of the camera.”
---
“End of the film!”
He finished, took a long drink of water, and looked at everyone.
Speaking the film straight through felt exhilarating, aside from a bit of thirst!
“Eh~”
He noticed everyone staring at him blankly.
“Ah, sorry for keeping you all seated so long.”
Applause broke out.
Oss led the clapping.
Others quickly joined in.
Clap, clap, clap…
The animator turned off the camera, shaking his head in amazement while clapping.
Everyone stood, their eyes shining with enthusiasm.
At that moment, they all understood:
No matter what challenges the film faced, it was already on solid ground!
Because a genius had joined the team, presenting every shot in advance.
“Oh~ you’re incredible, Mr. Qin.”
“I’m ashamed for doubting you at first. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“This is unbelievable! It’s the first time I’ve seen someone narrate a film entirely through storyboards.”
“You really are a genius! A genius!!”
“...”
Qin Feng smiled and nodded, feeling their respect and understanding.
He bowed slightly.
“Next, please distribute the video we just recorded. The art department has tight deadlines and heavy workloads.”
“I’m counting on everyone!”
---
Afterward,
Oss assigned the tasks.
The art department members were responsible for three things:
First, early concept art, including characters, dinosaurs, and environments.
Second, creating the film’s storyboards.
Third, producing preview animations—only for the dinosaur scenes to save time.
Thanks to Qin Feng’s oral storyboard, tasks two and three were far more efficient, practically serving as an extremely detailed script outline.
From the next day onward,
Everyone busily set to work.
Everything was moving in a positive direction.
(End of chapter)