This was a fun but challenging project! I was asked by John Barrett to create a storyboard for a music video for a song that he had written and recorded. When I listened to the track, I quickly realized that this couldn't be a regular storyboard for a live-action shoot as one of the lead characters is a mermaid and the main action takes place underwater! We discussed our options and decided I would storyboard the project and then draw individual 'finished' illustrations for each scene. It would be financially impractical to fully animate the project so I suggested an 'animatic' as an alternative. I contacted Morgan Matthews, a film editor and animator, and explained the concept. I timed out the lyrics second-by-second and sketched out thumbnails and then the storyboard. As I completed a batch of 'finished' illustrations for each scene, I forwarded them to Morgan who brought them to life in the form of an animatic. I think the resulting video captures the sweet whimsy of the song. Here are some of the thumbnails, two of the storyboard pages and some of the finished illustrations that Morgan turned into the animatic. Watch the "Cool Blue Water" music video at YouTube here.
Watch the music video at YouTube here.