Animatics

Animatics are animated video storyboards. We add motion, camera moves and audio to bring storyboards to life – and we do it in real-time as we draw. No longer do you have to wait as an artist and editor use 4 different softwares to create cool animatics. We do it all in one master software, Storyboard Pro. Directors love it – they can instantly get a feel for the flow and the edit. There is no better way to work. We have even changed the way they previz the hit series The Walking Dead.

Bondsman Chainsaw Comparison

Mark Simon storyboarded the entire first season of Kevin Bacon’s The Bondsman on Amazon Prime. Bacon’s character, Hub, hunts demons for the devil. When he kills them, they burst into flame. In this sequence he fights 2 demons, and his ex-wife’s new boyfriend, all in his underwear. You can see how close my boards are to the director’s, Loren Woldstein’s, vision.

YOU Storyboard Comparison

Mark Simon storyboarded the final season of the hit Netflix series YOU. Joe just escaped his own cage and fights with his wife, as her sister is about to burn the bookstore, with him in it. Extensive use of set plans and photos helped Mark capture director Marcos Siega’s vision.

Bad Monkey Storyboard Comparison

Mark Simon storyboarded the entire first season of Bad Monkey, starring Vince Vaughn. This brief comparison is from a trailer for the show.

Father Of The Bride Oner Storyboard Comparison

Mark Simon storyboarded the remake of Father Of The Bride, starring Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan. The director, Gary Alazraki, wanted a few oners, long single shots, in the movie. The biggest oner was the setup and ceremony of the wedding. It started in front of the house, circled around in the house and wound around the backyard until we find the ceremony. It was a huge sequence to storyboard and the final product is extremely close, as you will see in this video. This shows how close Mark can capture the director’s vision.

Waterfront Storyboard Comparison

Mark Simon storyboarded the entire first season of Waterfront on Netflix, created by Kevin Williamson (creator of the Scream franchise, which Mark also storyboarded on). This brutal scene, directed by Liz Friedlander, shows how brutal and insane the lead villain is. Fun to draw.

Snowfall Tiger Storyboard Comparison

On ep 506, there was a tiger in the script. The budget only allowed for 5 shots of the tiger. The director wanted 10 shots, as shown in my boards. The producers and network loved the animatic so much, they came up with the extra money for the additional shots, which were created at ILM. Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan

Mr and Mrs Smith Storyboard Comparison

We shot a few of the Mr and Mrs Smith episodes in Italy. Episode 105 included a huge chase through the narrow streets of Lake Como. I spent a lot of time location scouting with director Karena Evans to plan every step of the chase. This animatic includes a number of photo backgrounds of the actual locations to make it easier for production to know where each section of the chase needed to be shot. You can see how close my storyboards and animatic are to the final edit, which also helped the director determine the best way to shoot the sequence.

Dexter: New Blood Storyboard Comparison

There was a big truck crash sequence in the latest version of Dexter. We worked over this sequence many times in the planning. I even added 3D elements (all in our master software, Storyboard Pro) to best showcase what we wanted the final shots to look like. The end result is a near perfect match to the final cut.

Stranger Things 405 Prison storyboard comparison

In addition to creating storyboards for the massive Stranger Things Season 4, Mark Simon also created animatics of not only his storyboards, but also from the storyboards of the other artists. These animatics helped the director best envision what he wanted for his episodes which saved production precious time and money.

The Walking Dead storyboard comparison

The Walking Dead is the biggest drama on TV. It’s a worldwide sensation. Mark Simon has brought animatics to the production for the first time. This helps the directors perfect their shots before a frame of film (we still shoot on film) is shot. The comparison will show you how close our storyboards are to director Greg Nicotero’s vision. That’s our goal. Illustrate the director’s vision quickly.”