When Akira Kurosawa was younger, he wanted to be a professional painter. As he grew and found film, he realized he didn't have to give that calling up. Kurosawa loved to prep his movies and get his images down on the paper. He had so much in his mind he wanted to share with the cast and crew. And a lot of times it was easier to just show them. 

So Kurosawa took time to painstakingly hand-paint all his storyboard before shooting. 

That way his artistic vision could be shared with every department. 

Lucky for us, the storyboards are available to check out! 

Akira Kurosawa's HAND PAINTED Storyboards 

Storyboarding is super important to the process. While some directors choose not to do it, we recommend trying it at least once to try to get your vision out in front of people. Kurosawa released these images of his storyboards along with this statement: 

"When I was young and still an art student, I used to dream of publishing a collection of my paintings or having an exhibition in Paris. These dreams were unexpectedly realised with the publication of my pictures for Kagemusha. Life is strange indeed."

First up, let's take a look at a few images from Kagemushu, since it inspired the release of the images. I also took a few screengrabs to show you what actually ound up on the screen of this feudal epic. 

Ran is Kurosawa's story of a father and his sons trying to divide an empire. It's about legacy, pride, and violence. 

Dreams is a series of short films by Kurosawa, so he had to storyboard each one intricately. Check out how he used these frames to then shoot later. 

Check out the rest of the beautifully painted storyboards posted by Far Out Magazine! 

What's next? Check out these Storyboard Templates! 

Not in love with your current storyboard template? These ones might be just what you're looking for. Click the link to find out!