From January 30 to September 8, 2025, the Prada Foundation Observatory plunges visitors into the fascinating world of storyboarding and preparatory renderings in cinema. A unique immersion into the heart of the creative process, highlighting over 800 works from almost a century of film production.
When image precedes movement
Behind every iconic seventh-art shot lies a meticulous piece of work, often invisible to the viewer: the storyboard. This visual language structures a director's vision, coordinates the efforts of the technical team and shapes the narrative long before filming. The exhibition A Kind of Language: Storyboards and Other Renderings for Cinema, presented at the Observatoire de la Fondation Prada, explores this art form through a vast corpus of preparatory documents. These were created by renowned filmmakers, graphic artists, animators and art directors.
Curated by Melissa Harris, this exhibition highlights the richness and diversity of approaches to film design, from animation to live-action. From the original drawings of Georges Méliès to the sketches of Studio Ghibli, not forgetting the storyboards for Sofia Coppola's Fantasia (1940) and Virgin Suicides (1999), A Kind of Language is a journey through the imagination of the creators.
A scenographic space conceived as a film in the making
Designed by Andrea Faraguna of Berlin studio Sub, the exhibition's scenography reinvents space by taking its inspiration from storyboarding. Each exhibition table, reminiscent of a draughtsman's desk, is dedicated to a specific film. It reveals the sequence of scenes in the form of sketches and preparatory drawings. To enhance the experience, these tables are replicated suspended from the ceiling, creating a depth effect that guides the visitor's gaze as if in a cinematic travelling shot.
The installation is structured around a 40 cm-wide horizon line that visually links the interior of the Observatory to the majestic dome of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This mise en abyme underlines the continuity between past and present, between the fixed language of storyboarding and the magic of cinematic movement.
Behind the scenes of film storytelling
The storyboard plays an essential role in the visual construction of a film. It is also a tool for thinking about narrative and staging. As Melissa Harris explains: "For many people, storyboarding is an essential step. By visually laying out a scene and defining its dynamics, the team is better able to pinpoint the relationships between characters, the evolution of the narrative and the way in which a cinematic moment can be retranscribed."
This approach is illustrated by exceptional documents, such as the sketches for Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1956), the set designs for Dune by Alejandro Jodorowsky, and the annotated storyboards for Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). The exhibition also highlights the differences between European productions, which are often more artisanal, and the efficiency-driven Hollywood system.
A dialogue between the still and the animated
The experience doesn't stop at the walls of the Observatory. In parallel with the exhibition, from February to September 2025, the Godard cinema at the Prada Foundation will offer a special program of films related to storyboarding. This selection of films complements the exhibition, offering a dynamic vision of the transition from drawing to movement.
In addition, an illustrated publication will document this exploration of the visual language of cinema. It will include texts by Melissa Harris and a scenographic reflection by studio Sub. Finally, A Kind of Language will continue with a second installment at Prada Rong Zhai, Shanghai, from November 2025 to February 2026.
A tribute to the essence of cinema
Through this retrospective, the Prada Foundation offers a unique immersion in the alchemy of cinema. Every pencil stroke becomes a score of light, and every sketch the preamble to a masterpiece. A Kind of Language is not just an exhibition: it's a manifesto on the power of images and the poetry of cinematic language. A celebration of the creative gesture that, long before the camera, shapes the history of 7ᵉ art.
