--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first thing I put down on paper is a…" description: "\"The first thing I put down on paper is a storyboard, like a film director.\" — Anthony Browne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/anthony-browne-13017_cinema_the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a_323301.png" --- # The first thing I put down on paper is a storyboard, like… ![“The first thing I put down on paper is a storyboard, like a film director.” quote by Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/anthony-browne-13017_cinema_the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a_323301.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/anthony-browne-13017_cinema_the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a_323301.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/anthony-browne-13017_cinema_the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a_323301.png) > “The first thing I put down on paper is a storyboard, like a film director.” [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The initial step in creative work is visual planning, like a director’s storyboard. **In simple terms:** Start projects with a visual outline. Key Takeaway Create a storyboard before beginning. Themes creativity planning visualization Mood practical inspirational Type instructional creative When to use this quote - film making - product design - writing - marketing campaigns Key Concepts storyboarding creative process Questions to Reflect On - How does visual planning help your projects? - Can you adopt storyboarding in non‑visual work? A Different Perspective Some fields may rely on textual outlines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director/) [Down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [First thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-thing/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-film/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Paper Storyboard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper-storyboard-3041645/) [Put](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/put/) [Storyboard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storyboard-178525/) [Storyboard Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storyboard-like-3041646/) [The first thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-first-thing/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) [Thing Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-paper-461451/) ## Related quotes > [I am not that attached to material things. And the good thing is I can make choices. I have very few possessions. Luckily, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-berggruen/i-am-not-that-attached-to-material-things-and-the-good-thing-is-i-can/) [Nicolas Berggruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-berggruen/) > [“Writing is an amazing thing. Because paper doesn't tell you to shut up, never ever EVER.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-anske/writing-is-an-amazing-thing-because-paper-doesn-t-tell-you-to-shut-up/) [Ksenia Anske](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-anske/) > [“Kings of money do not understand but one thing: Paper. That can be easily burnt just like their souls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micheline-habib/kings-of-money-do-not-understand-but-one-thing-paper-that-can-be/) [ميشلين حبيب Micheline Habib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micheline-habib/) > [The surprising thing about this paper is that a man who could write it would.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/the-surprising-thing-about-this-paper-is-that-a-man-who-could-write/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [A lot of directors want to storyboard you, whereas the best way to get a performance out of an actor is a collaborative process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacki-weaver/a-lot-of-directors-want-to-storyboard-you-whereas-the-best-way-to-get/) [Jacki Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacki-weaver/) > [I don't storyboard, and I don't really shot list. I let the shots be determined by how the actors and I figure out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-fukunaga/i-don-t-storyboard-and-i-don-t-really-shot-list-i-let-the-shots-be/) [Cary Fukunaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-fukunaga/) > [I don't storyboard. I guess it dates back to my days in live television, where there was no possibility of storyboarding and everything was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penn/i-don-t-storyboard-i-guess-it-dates-back-to-my-days-in-live/) [Arthur Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penn/) > [I only make storyboards for action scenes. Once you make a storyboard, you don't film; it can be a stiff move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-corbijn/i-only-make-storyboards-for-action-scenes-once-you-make-a-storyboard/) [Anton Corbijn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-corbijn/) > [I was influenced by autobiographical writers like Henry Miller, and I had actually done some autobiographical prose. But I just thought that comics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-pekar/i-was-influenced-by-autobiographical-writers-like-henry-miller-and-i/) [Harvey Pekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-pekar/) > [After I script the movie, I have to storyboard it out, I have to budget it, and I have to understand if I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-twohy/after-i-script-the-movie-i-have-to-storyboard-it-out-i-have-to-budget/) [David Twohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-twohy/) > [It's weird - on almost every film I've worked on, the first sequence we storyboard ends up being the first sequence that goes into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-docter/it-s-weird-on-almost-every-film-i-ve-worked-on-the-first-sequence-we/) [Pete Docter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-docter/) > [I put the storyboard down and came back to it like two weeks later and saw that I had written 'Butt-Head' next to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-judge/i-put-the-storyboard-down-and-came-back-to-it-like-two-weeks-later/) [Mike Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-judge/) > [I think these are such different films that it's hard to compare, because with Quentin we were all just like, it was like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-think-these-are-such-different-films-that-it-s-hard-to-compare/) [Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/) > [What I like to do with every film is to bring a form, like a cinematographic proposal. If you watch 'S21,' it's a form;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rithy-panh/what-i-like-to-do-with-every-film-is-to-bring-a-form-like-a/) [Rithy Panh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rithy-panh/) > [Ultimately, we want to provide people with a unique experience, and an unexpected one as well. We'd like people to leave the theater having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rania-attieh/ultimately-we-want-to-provide-people-with-a-unique-experience-and-an/) [Rania Attieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rania-attieh/) ## More by Anthony Browne > [A lot of my characters are underdogs or sad or lonely, but I had a comfortable, golden sort of childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/a-lot-of-my-characters-are-underdogs-or-sad-or-lonely-but-i-had-a/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I use a little brush only for really small details. Over the years, I've started to use a much larger brush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-use-a-little-brush-only-for-really-small-details-over-the-years-i/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I had just been promoted to the first rugby team. It was a perfect, wonderful coming of age. My brother was already in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-had-just-been-promoted-to-the-first-rugby-team-it-was-a-perfect/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [The illustrations in picture books are the first paintings most children see, and because of that, they are incredibly important. What we see and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/the-illustrations-in-picture-books-are-the-first-paintings-most/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [Inspiring passion in children for books, and the world of imagination and creativity fuelled by them, is a fundamental reason for why the Children's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/inspiring-passion-in-children-for-books-and-the-world-of-imagination/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I find it incredible and outrageous that public and school libraries are being forced to close - we'll all pay the price in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-find-it-incredible-and-outrageous-that-public-and-school-libraries/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [Gorillas remind me of my father. He was a very big, physically strong man but also very sensitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/gorillas-remind-me-of-my-father-he-was-a-very-big-physically-strong/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [Most people lose their natural creativity at about five or six - but not me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/most-people-lose-their-natural-creativity-at-about-five-or-six-but/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I don't like narrowing my readers down - there's not a particular age or gender or nationality. I suppose I'm aiming at the child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-don-t-like-narrowing-my-readers-down-there-s-not-a-particular-age/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I grew up with an older brother who was always stronger and faster and better than me at everything, but I was close enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-grew-up-with-an-older-brother-who-was-always-stronger-and-faster/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I never want to make a child worried or afraid, and I don't think I do. My pictures are born from the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-never-want-to-make-a-child-worried-or-afraid-and-i-don-t-think-i-do/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [Pictures are as evocative to me as smells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/pictures-are-as-evocative-to-me-as-smells/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [Everyone can draw when they're five. Most of us lose the ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/everyone-can-draw-when-they-re-five-most-of-us-lose-the-ability/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [I hope to encourage more children to discover and love reading, but I want to focus particularly on the appreciation of picture books…. Picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-hope-to-encourage-more-children-to-discover-and-love-reading-but-i/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) > [Many adults that I have met in my time believed that picture books are 'babyish'. I hope I have changed minds on this, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/many-adults-that-i-have-met-in-my-time-believed-that-picture-books/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) [Explore all 52 Anthony Browne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first thing I put down on paper is a storyboard, like a film director.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Browne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a-storyboard-like-a-film/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a-storyboard-like-a-film/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/anthony-browne-13017_cinema_the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a_323301.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/anthony-browne-13017_cinema_the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a_323301.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/anthony-browne-13017_cinema_the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a_323301.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first thing I put down on paper is a storyboard, like a film director.” — Anthony Browne", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anthony Browne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The first thing I put down...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a-storyboard-like-a-film/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/the-first-thing-i-put-down-on-paper-is-a-storyboard-like-a-film/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```