Special effects artist to storyboard artist
A special effects artist already meets 44% of what the storyboard artist role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.5/ 100
1 How much of what a storyboard artist is expected to do is already part of a special effects artist’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 special effects artist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to type of media
- analyse a script
- consult with production director
- copyright legislation
- follow work schedule
- graphic design
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 12 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 special effects artist background worth leading with.
- already held develop animations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held study media sources information skills
- already held design graphics communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held consult with production director communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage feedback communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held adapt to type of media communication, collaboration and creativity
All 12 carried skills, including the 8 the storyboard artist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 4 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 consult with motion picture producer required
- still to learn familiarise with personal directing styles required
- still to learn present storyboard required
- still to learn select illustration styles required
- still to learn use storyboards required
- still to learn develop creative ideas required
- optional, not held create animated narratives optional
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held create sketches 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
- still to learn film production process required
- optional, not held cameras optional
- optional, not held photography optional
- 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 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 consult with motion picture producer practise this
- 02 familiarise with personal directing styles practise this
- 03 film production process study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held analyse a script skill
- already held consult with production director skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held graphic design knowledge
- already held manage feedback skill
- already held study media sources skill
- already held ICT software specifications knowledge
- already held design graphics skill
- already held develop animations skill
- already held multimedia systems knowledge
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- 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 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 manage budgets optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
- optional, not held photography optional
23 held skills the storyboard artist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D lighting knowledge
- not needed by the target role Adobe Illustrator knowledge
- not needed by the target role Adobe Photoshop knowledge
- not needed by the target role GIMP (graphics editor software) knowledge
- not needed by the target role Microsoft Visio knowledge
- not needed by the target role SketchBook Pro knowledge
- not needed by the target role Synfig knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer graphics knowledge
- not needed by the target role convert into animated object skill
- not needed by the target role create moving images skill
- not needed by the target role digital arts knowledge
- not needed by the target role digital compositing knowledge
- not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
- not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
- not needed by the target role graphics editor software knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage portfolio skill
- not needed by the target role motion capture knowledge
- not needed by the target role motion graphics knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate 3D computer graphics software skill
- not needed by the target role provide multimedia content skill
- not needed by the target role receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples skill
- not needed by the target role render 3D images skill
3 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 film production process required
- optional, not held cameras optional
- optional, not held photography optional
Other moves recorded from special effects artist
Common questions about this move
Can a special effects artist become a storyboard artist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A special effects artist already covers 44% of what a storyboard artist is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 8 of which the storyboard artist role treats as required.
What skills does a special effects artist need to become a storyboard artist?
7 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is consult with motion picture producer.
How hard is the move from special effects artist to storyboard artist?
Its learning distance is 57.5 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.