Returning students receive 10% off all review services.
Your Deep Dive into Feature Animation Storyboarding
Two Levels for the Same Course
Get personalized advice and guidance based on your goals and skill level to make clear and confident decisions - all in a 30-45 minute chat.
If after this consultation you decide to enroll in any of the courses or mentorship programs, this fee will be applied towards those services.
Discovery Consultation
All students, both Audit and Full Review levels, attend the same Feature Animation Storyboarding class and receive the same course content, but the Audit Level is ideal for those students who don’t have the time to work on the course storyboard project, but still want to learn all about the foundational building blocks of storyboarding and storytelling, and how to use them effectively in telling stories through their boards. This is everything that I know and have learned in my over 30 years as a story artist working on animated features.
Audit Level
Invite to RPBS class Discord Server.
In-depth visual storytelling documents, both written and illustrated.
Essential in-depth “how to” storyboard process videos.
All live Zoom classes & recordings.
For 1 week.
Includes:
$200
Audit
Access to All Student Video Reviews.
Option to have up to two one hour live one-one-one project reviews in stead of the recorded video reviews.
2 In-depth director’s level recorded feedback videos on student’s storyboard project.
Course storyboard project.
Everything from Audit, plus:
$850
Full Review
Most Popular
This level emulates what it’s like to be a story artist on a feature animated movie. I’ll be your director and all participating Full Review students will make up the story artist team. The goal is to learn how to effectively put into action all the essential building blocks of visual storytelling to storyboard a short story and bring the characters to life, but most importantly, to make the audience care about the characters through how well we tell the story.
Full Review Level
So, what are these essential building blocks of visual storytelling that you’ll learn how to use?
Full Review Level
Construction
A story is only as good as its structure, so knowing how stories are constructed will help you understand the needs of the stories you work on.
You’ll learn:
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the three act structure
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the inciting incident and why it’s important
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about the need for conflict and how it drives all stories forward
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the character’s wants vs needs and how that informs your character’s motivations
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how to make the audience care about the character’s journey
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how both a gag and scare are constructed the same way
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the set-up and pay-off and when to add them to your boards to complete an idea
Character
They’re the very reason why we’re watching movies, so we need to know how to create strong and clear character performances that hook our audience and make them care.
You’ll learn how to:
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tell the story through the character’s perspective
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use reactions shots
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make your characters emote clear and powerful emotions
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break down the character’s dialogue to find the right amount of poses as well as the right
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acting to help create powerful performances
Cutting
Movies are made up of shots, and most movies have over 1000--each one stitched together by a cut--so knowing how and when to cut from shot-to-shot with purpose is essential to great visual storytelling.
You’ll learn:
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how to cut with intention so that every shot advances the storytelling rather than just guessing when you need to cut
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how to use cut-aways to gauge how other characters are doing and feeling
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about jump cuts and when to use them to tell the story
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how to use contrasting shot lengths to help make an important section of storytelling resonate
Camera and Composition
Even if we have great characters, if we don’t know how to frame our shots, a powerful piece of storytelling can be lost due to a poorly staged composition.
You’ll learn:
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about screen direction and the 180-degree rule
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perspective so you can draw both the characters and sets from any angle you can imagine.
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how to use the 8 main camera angles to effectively tell the story
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how and when to use camera moves to help make story moments stand out
Continuity
The best storyboards have cuts that cut with clarity, so that each successive shot shows the action uninterrupted with no missing gaps of time or action. But when the action, from shot-to-shot, looks like we just missed something important, it can take the audience out of the storytelling, and that’s never good.
You’ll learn:
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how to create clear character acting and posing from shot-to-shot so there’s no interruption in the action
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when breaking the 180-degree rule works and doesn’t work
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when continuity isn’t important in the storytelling
Your Creativity
If the goal is to tell engaging and entertaining stories about characters we want our audience to care about, then it’s how we take everything we’ve learned about visual storytelling and structure to find creative ways to not only tell the story clearly, but to elevate it.
You’ll learn how to:
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read the script pages to help focus on what’s really important and what’s not
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stage your shots so that one idea will organically transition to the next without cutting
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create emotional beats or character-driven comedy to give a story moment the emotional weight or laugh it needs.
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how to pace out a story idea so that you’re creating suspense and intrigue when needed
The storyboard pitch is like a right of passage, and every story artist on a film pitches their work-in-progress boards to the director/s, producer as well as a production assistant or manager (and sometimes editors and story crew) on a weekly basis.
Pitching your sequence helps you to hear how the sequence is performing, since pitching out loud—as you cycle through your panels—is the best way to see and hear how well the dialogue and timing is flowing.
So all students, to qualify for a video review, are expected to pitch their sequences, either in class or via a video recording. And I’m not talking about phoning it in and just describing half-heartedly what’s going on as you click from one panel to the next…I’m talking about putting your heart-and-soul into the pitch! Act it out! Pitch your sequence in the cadence and speed in how you envision it playing on the big (or small) screen. Let the director feel the storytelling through your pitch and, most importantly, don’t worry about making mistakes :)
Pitching Your Sequence
Full Review Level
And similar to how a director gives feedback and notes after reviewing a storyboard sequence on an animated movie, each student will get up to two detailed video reviews of their storyboard sequence, ranging from fifteen minutes to one hour, and often times with drawing demos. This is where the real learning and growth comes in. Re-boarding is the heart-and-soul of storyboarding. It’s how we learn to find other ways to tell the story that are more focused and more on-point, maybe funnier, maybe more dramatic, maybe more action-packed. It’s having to dive back into your sequence to think critically and to problem-solve your way to implementing the feedback so that your sequence is told clearly, effectively, and with an emotional tug on the audience’s hearts to keep them engaged.
Boarding is Re-boarding
Full Review Level
* Note: If your sequence is based on your own original story, and the story itself lacks clarity or structure, the review may focus more on the writing and foundational storytelling than the drawings themselves. The writing is the most important part of the boarding process—and part of the value of this review.
** Each storyboard portfolio review is for one storyboard sequence only. **
Best for original projects or creators seeking big-picture help.
Personalized guidance to clarify your story and unlock stronger writing.
In-depth critique on character arcs, act structure, narrative beats, visual choices.
Multiple drawing demos + 5 pages of story/structure notes.
60 – 90+ min video review.
A full director-level breakdown with structural insights and detailed feedback.
$700
The Deep Dive
Ideal for artists ready to improve storytelling clarity and visual execution.
Includes prep & planning time behind the scenes.
Focus on staging, cutting, posing, structure, and performance.
Targeted drawing demos or 2 pages of written notes.
1-hour video review.
Stronger visual guidance and sharper story notes to help level up your boards.
$400
Below the Surface
Great for beginners or quick feedback.
1 page of written notes.
If story issues are key.
Big-picture feedback on clarity, composition, staging, and storytelling.
1-hour recorded video review.
A top-level “pulse check” to spot what’s working—and what’s not.
$250
Surface Scan
Storyboard Portfolio Review Options
Not all reviews are created equal. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for director-level feedback, I offer three levels of portfolio storyboard review designed to meet you where you are—and help you level up from there.
You can switch to the Audit Tier and receive a refund of the difference, but only during Week 1. After that, you’re locked into Full Review—so do what you can, turn in your boards, and make the most of the spot you signed up for!
What if I sign up for the Full Review Tier but realize I don’t have time for the project—can I switch to the Audit Tier?
Full refunds are available up to the day before the course begins. Once we start, refunds aren’t available—but we can talk about options like deferring to a future session.
What if I need to drop out—can I get a refund?
Yes—as long as there’s still space in the Full Review Tier. If so, you’ll just pay the difference (not prorated based on how many weeks you’ve attended).
Can I upgrade from the Audit Tier to the Full Review Tier mid-course?
Yes! You can split payments into 3–4 installments. We’ll work out the scheduletogether.
Do you offer payment plans?
Frequently Asked Questions
Here’s what students have asked in the past. Check it out, maybe you can find the answer to your question below.