Working mainly by hand, Burgard's pen and ink drawings help the director and others visualize key scenes in the film. This 25-year veteran of film agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to do a quick email interview about the film Rise of the Planet of the Apes and other work.
A storyboard is a visual blueprint of how a film is going to be seen on screen, drawn almost like a comic strip.
Q: You most recently worked on Rise of the Planet of the Apes. What was it like storyboarding the film?
Working on a project this unusual was very exciting. I enjoy drawing animals and apes, having been a Tarzan fan all my life..
Q: Was a particular scene you looked forward to seeing come to life in the film?
Absolutely the Golden Gate sequence.
Q: How did it feel helping to reboot one of the most successful franchises in movie history: Planet of the Apes?
I didn't feel any nostalgia at the time because this project is so different from the Ape movies I saw as a kid.
A progression from drawing comic books to animation merging into boarding commercials and finally feature films. Occasionally games and other stuff.
Q: What's the most surprising way that working on comic books has helped you draw storyboards?
Nothing surprising. I just applied basic storytelling from print media when I learned to work in film.
Q: You've worked on fourteen theme parks. What's the connection between storyboarding, comic books and theme parks?
Drawing skill.
Q: Tim Burton is known for drawing many illustrations and concept drawings before beginning a film. How much of his work ended up in the illustrations for Mars Attacks?
When I drew a prop (a pin ball game) for the film I was handed one of his sketches for an element of the design. That's all the contact I had but others may have had more.
(Image: "Flare in the Bayou")
Not one person. I'm inspired by any artist I like and sometimes artists I don't. I'm also inspired by nature and my libido.
I may produce some passion project for myself one day, but right now I'm just a working stiff.
Make sure you check out his IMDb page or the hundreds of images he has on his site timburgardart.com.
To see a list of all the exclusive interviews with other great artists on my blog go here.
What do you think of Tim Burgard's work?
