Script writer to storyboard artist
A script writer already meets 38% of what the storyboard artist role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
62.9/ 100
1 How much of what a storyboard artist is expected to do is already part of a script writer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the storyboard artist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A storyboard artist role treats 8 of its required skills as things a script writer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- consult with motion picture producer
- consult with production director
- copyright legislation
- develop creative ideas
- familiarise with personal directing styles
- film production process
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A storyboard artist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a script writer background worth leading with.
- already held consult with motion picture producer communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held familiarise with personal directing styles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held consult with production director communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage feedback communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held film production process arts and humanities
- already held develop creative ideas communication, collaboration and creativity
All 8 carried skills, including the 8 the storyboard artist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn adapt to type of media required
- still to learn analyse a script required
- still to learn present storyboard required
- still to learn select illustration styles required
- still to learn use storyboards required
- optional, not held create animated narratives optional
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held create sketches optional
- optional, not held develop animations optional
- optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held work with playwrights optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held create digital images optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- still to learn graphic design required
- optional, not held cameras optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held photography optional
- still to learn study media sources required
- optional, not held apply 3D imaging techniques optional
- optional, not held digital content creation optional
- optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a storyboard artist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt to type of media practise this
- 02 analyse a script practise this
- 03 present storyboard practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 8 skills that carry over
- already held consult with motion picture producer skill
- already held consult with production director skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop creative ideas skill
- already held familiarise with personal directing styles skill
- already held film production process knowledge
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held manage feedback skill
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held apply 3D imaging techniques optional
- optional, not held create animated narratives optional
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held create sketches optional
- optional, not held develop animations optional
- optional, not held digital content creation optional
- optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held work with playwrights optional
- optional, not held cameras optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held create digital images optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
- optional, not held photography optional
25 held skills the storyboard artist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt a script skill
- not needed by the target role attend read-through skill
- not needed by the target role computer equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult information sources skill
- not needed by the target role consult with editor skill
- not needed by the target role create a shooting script skill
- not needed by the target role deliver a sales pitch skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role develop script bible skill
- not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
- not needed by the target role give live presentation skill
- not needed by the target role literature knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage writing administration skill
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role promote one's writings skill
- not needed by the target role screenwriting theories knowledge
- not needed by the target role study topics skill
- not needed by the target role summarise stories skill
- not needed by the target role types of literature genres knowledge
- not needed by the target role use specific writing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role write dialogues skill
- not needed by the target role write storylines skill
- not needed by the target role write voice-overs skill
- not needed by the target role writing techniques knowledge
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn graphic design required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held cameras optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held photography optional
Common questions about this move
Can a script writer become a storyboard artist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A script writer already covers 38% of what a storyboard artist is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 8 of which the storyboard artist role treats as required.
What skills does a script writer need to become a storyboard artist?
7 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is adapt to type of media.
How hard is the move from script writer to storyboard artist?
Its learning distance is 62.9 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.