Godzilla & Kong, The Cinematic Storyboard Art of Richard Bennett

In an exclusive interview with Villain Media, discover how the best monster action sequences were made in Godzilla & Kong: The Cinematic Storyboard Art of Richard Bennett. Clover Press has launched the Kickstarter campaign for a stunning hardcover coffee table book, which highlights Bennett’s storyboard storytelling.

“Storyboard art from a selection of the best sequences from the blockbuster hits Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Kong: Skull Island, along with some never-before-seen deleted scenes. Featuring full color stills reflecting the final shots in the film, the book is sure to be a must-have for movie buffs, film students, industry professionals, and all Kaiju aficionados.”

With the Kickstarter campaign now live, storyboard artist Richard Bennett speaks with Villain Media about how Godzilla & Kong: The Cinematic Storyboard Art came about, the deleted scenes, and what the book means to him. Join us as we discuss the craft of storyboard storytelling.

VILLAIN MEDIA: What is it about  the craft of storyboard storytelling that interests you?

RICHARD BENNETT: The opportunity to put together the scenes for a film, by coming up with interesting shots, while still exploring different options. Even after doing it for a while it’s always a trip and a very rewarding feeling to see how the work contributed on the big screen. 

VM: Tell me how Godzilla & Kong: The Cinematic Storyboard Art came about.

RB: I’ve been contemplating for a while the idea of a book compiling some of the storyboard work I did. A good friend of mine, Dwayne Turner, told me about Clover Press. I knew them back at Wildstorm but lost track of them and what they were doing.

So after contacting them, I pitched the idea and they loved it. We talked about several options on how to go about it, and when they saw the Legendary films they came back with the idea of publishing a book concentrating exclusively on those three movies. I thought it was brilliant. We started moving forward, and here we are!

VM: Because the Godzilla and Kong installments were allowed to explore their own worlds, was it a challenge to visualize the interactions with each world differently?

RB: This is crucial in order to successfully depict each of the incredible worlds and unique environments of these movies. It’s not the same to draw a scene with the placeholder than actually using the assets created at the Art Dept and incorporating them within the storyboard scene.

This is crucial in order to successfully depict each of the incredible worlds and unique environments of these movies. It’s not the same to draw a scene with the placeholder than actually using the assets created at the Art Dept and incorporating them within the storyboard scene.

These three movies had some of the best Production Designers in the Industry. Stefan Dechant was in ‘Kong: Skull Island,’ Scott Chambliss on ‘Godzilla: King of Monsters,’ and Tom Hammock and Owen Paterson on ‘Godzilla vs Kong.’ 

VM: Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Kong: Skull Island have become a trilogy of blockbusters. Skull Island is a survival film and King of the Monsters deals with eco-terrorism. What were the challenges to visualize each installment with its own separate filmmaker?

RB: I’d say to be able to fulfill each director’s needs based on the different approach and filmmaking style for each of them. 

VM: The Cinematic Storyboard Art will also provide a peek at deleted scenes. What can you say about that?

RB: Deleted or unused scenes are usually taken out for a variety or reasons. Budget, script changes, or just realizing the scene wouldn’t work. By including some of these sequences in the book we hope fans can take a peek at the shaping of some of those scenes, and how they would evolve in some cases. With other sequences, the readers will be able to look, for example, at the first scripted version before it was discarded in exchange for the one in the film.   

VM: What do you think pledgers will be most interested with Godzilla & Kong: The Cinematic Storyboard Art?

RB: I think they will find it interesting to see how sequential drawings translate into live moving images on the screen. In some sequences they’ll find out that the drawn version was an approximation or springboard way to start the conversation as far as the narrative. In other scenes they’ll confirm the boarded beats matched the final cut pretty closely. The fact that the book will have a lot of screen grabs from the films, on one page and the equivalent storyboard frame on the next, will help showcase this idea very eloquently. I’ve seen previews and it looks fantastic!

VM: How do you think Godzilla & Kong: The Cinematic Storyboard Art changed you?

RB: What I can tell you is that I’m extremely happy to have this volume finally published. It’s a nice way to compile a record of hard work done in these past years, and what better way than doing so with a gorgeous book?

VM: What are you working on now?

RB: I can’t say due to NDA reasons, but it is definitely a big movie. It’ll be awesome.

Readers can check out the Kickstarter campaign here.

For updates, follow Clover Press on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

BY JORGE SOLIS