When it comes to filmmaking, rarely do we look back on the process that holds the framework of shots together – storyboarding.
Nicolas Sánchez is a head storyboard artist whose artistic journey dances between the realms of fine arts and film narrative. He has worked with ASVOFF alumni, like the 2011 Best Director of Fashion, Marie Schuller, as well as creating storyboards for RSA, Ridley Scott’s production company, Riley Scott Associates.
Sanchez has also worked with Caviar, an independent film studio based in Los Angeles, London, Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam. Their film Sound of Metal won two Academy Awards in 2021 and was nominated for Best Picture. Their most recent film, War Pony, won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Born in Spain, he has worked wth Goya-award and Golden Globe winning directors like Alejandro Amenabar, Santiago Zannou, Xabier Mairesse and Martin Aamund, as well as award-winning director, Nina Holmgren.
With 15 years under his belt, Sanchez has worked for well-known brands like Coke, Apple, Heinz, Sony, McDonald’s, Walmart, Jeep, Ford, Adidas and has worked as a professional illustrator, blending his strong artistic foundation with a flair for storytelling that captivates audiences around the globe. With a career that began with visualization for advertising agencies and production companies worldwide, Nico has made his mark as a five-time nominee and a two-time winner of the Best Storyboard Artist award from the Spanish National Advertising Film Production Houses Association (APCP) in 2021 and 2023.
Sanchez has collaborated with leading creative minds and directors across various markets have led to the creation of several award-winning commercials recognized at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, New York, and Clio. His accolades include the Punto de las Artes National Trophy in 2004, alongside multiple nominations for Best National Storyboard Artist from 2019 to 2022, demonstrating his consistent excellence in the field. He is the CEO and Lead Illustrator at his own studio, Nicosr Studio, since 2015, and he shares his expertise as a Master of Advertising Storyboard teacher at EFTI School. His previous roles include head of production at Leo Burnett Spain and Young & Rubicam Spain, as well as positions with various production houses that have shaped his comprehensive understanding of the industry.
From collaborating with international ad agencies like Publicis, TBWA, and DDB to working with esteemed production houses across Europe and Asia, Nico Sánchez’s career is a testament to his relentless pursuit of creativity and excellence. With each storyboard he crafts, Nico invites viewers into a vibrant world where imagination knows no bounds, making him a true maestro in the art of visual storytelling. He chats with ASVOF about the art of working with directors, drawing and the magic of storyboarding.
What have you learned from all the top directors you’ve worked with?
Nicolas Sanchez: I have been lucky enough to work with very important Directors, some winners of an Academy Award, Cannes Prix, Goya Award, for example. This has allowed me to work with multiple points of view at a narrative level, different ways of planning films or commercials, as well as very particular and different audiovisual languages. All this has helped me to be able to develop my storyboards in very different ways depending on the intention of each film or commercial.
What is the magic to storytelling through storyboards?
A script on paper tells a story. The way of telling that story with images is very particular and different depending on the person who reads it. The storyboard allows the script to be captured in images in a very reliable way to the final result that will be seen on the screen. Thanks to this, it is possible to get very large teams of people from all the departments that make up the crew of any film or commercial to work in unison and on the same narrative line. Both the first Disney or Hitchcock films, as well as the great commercials of Brands like Apple or Coke have used the storyboard to be able to plan.
What do you teach young aspiring storyboard artists about capturing the vision of a piece?
Beyond the drawing style, the first thing it tries to teach is to develop the audiovisual language through the study of films, commercials and different audiovisual formats in order to be able to understand and play with the narrative language and the different types of shots depending on the audiovisual piece that we have to draw. I think it is very important to know that language to be able to convey exactly what is necessary in each plane that we draw.
How has drawing changed to be more powerful and efficient?
I think that one of the most beautiful parts of this profession is that although the formats with which films are recorded have changed, the audiovisual language has been transformed and enriched over the years, new technologies have changed the special effects and almost all departments, the storyboard has remained faithful to its principle of transmitting in the clearest way possible all the shots that will later be filmed. Digital tools, of course, allow us to achieve greater effects and details in the drawings but the way of working in the story is not far from what was used 60 or 70 years ago.
What’s next for you?
I am passionate about my profession, so I hope the next thing will continue to be meeting new directors with whom to discover new forms of audiovisual narrative to continue improving as a storyboard artist every day.
Follow Nicolas Sanchez on Instagram @nico_sanchez_ilustrador and his website nicosrstudio.com.
