DAVID RUSSELL

     "Every film is based on a script.  In the production process of a film, however, these words must be translated into moving pictures. This process demands a storyboard. David Russell calls the process "directing on paper". He enjoys the trust of many directors, and key sequences bear his handwriting. Director Martin Campbell often complained jokingly to David Russell that he could never make his films as exciting as the artist's storyboards.
     Storyboard illustrators must be at home in two media:  in addition to drawing talent, they must possess precise knowledge of set design, special effects, composition, lighting, storytelling, costume design, camera and, of course, dramatization.   
     The storyboard is indispensable as a decision-making aid for both artistic and economic reasons.  Even today, when films are broadly digitalized, it is advisable to plan carefully to avoid spending additional hundreds of thousands of dollars on post-production.  Alfred Hitchcock claimed that his films were finished before production began, which is why he rarely looked through the camera on the set."