Art Central
What Happened First?
Every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end. Storytellers, painters and film-makers all work hard to put events in the right order!
Did you know?
One of the oldest stories in the world is about a king called Gilgamesh. It was written on clay tablets about 4,000 years ago!
Films are often shot out of order. Later, a film editor puts all the scenes in the right order!
Cheriyal scrolls from Telangana are long paintings with many panels (boxes). Storytellers show each panel in turn as they tell the story!
Try this: Story Jumble
Take four small pieces of paper. On each one, draw one part of your morning. Show waking up, brushing your teeth, eating breakfast and leaving for school. Mix up the papers. Ask a family member to put them in order. Did they get it right? Now try it with a story you love!
Go further: Stories on a Board
Before making a cartoon film, artists draw the story first. They draw each scene in a box, like a comic. Then they pin the drawings on a big board, in order. This is called a storyboard. Animators at Walt Disney's studio made it popular in the early 1930s. Today, film-makers and advertisers use storyboards too. Draw a four-box storyboard for your favourite story!