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What is storyboarding?
Storyboarding is the creation of a sequence of still images (called
"storyboards") which describe the development of your film before shooting takes
place. The storyboards allow you to show everyone involved in the production how
each shot will look, as well as chart the logical development of the film.
correspond directly to the shots you will need to set up and shoot in order to
make your film. Each storyboard is numbered and has a descriptive caption.
Why should I use a storyboard?
Storyboarding is a way of visually planning your film, so it's a very useful
thing to do. It goes one step further than a script in that it is shows the
essence of your film in a visual format.
Making a film is a time-consuming and expensive business, so anything you can do
to cut down on costs is most useful. Storyboarding does just that. It is
pre-planning. It helps you think about every aspect of your production - the
sets, the characters, the costumes, lighting, sound, and so on, so that when you
arrive on the set you will not have any major surprises. The more you plan
ahead, the less time and money you will waste on set.
Storyboarding also helps with continuity. It is very easy to make mistakes in
filming that would have been easily avoided by using a storyboard.
Since a storyboard allows you to plan the logical progression of your shots,
your film will be more professional. You'll be able to see how each shot
follows on from the previous one, and that really pays off.
Another advantage of using a storyboard is that it allows you to show your
vision to others. It's one thing to tell someone about an idea for a film,
but to show them a storyboard is more powerful. It might even aid you in
getting funding for your film. It is also useful to be able to run through
a scene on the storyboard with actors and technicians, before filming commences
each day so that they have a good overview of what they are trying to achieve.
Is it difficult to create a storyboard?
Being honest, it's not the easiest process to go through, but we have already
reviewed the many advantages to it, so it's definitely worth it. Like
anything, the more you do it, the easier it will become.
First, work your way through each scene and break it down into the individual
shots. As part of this process you will need to work out where each shot is
going to start and finish. This is partly a creative process too, because your
choice of camera angles and shooting style will have a big impact on the final
look of the film.
Next, draw simple pictures for each shot. One drawing per shot is usually
adequate since you can show movement by using arrows. If the action is very
complex, you might need to do more than one drawing for a single shot.
Write a caption and a number for each drawing, along with a few comments to the
director and cameraman about the type of shot, e.g. MCU (medium close-up)
You need to be able to see an entire sequence of drawings, so arrange them on a
wall at a height where it is easy to view them.
Although it's not essential to use a professional storyboard artist, it
certainly helps. If your budget is very limited, stick figures will
suffice. Remember any storyboard is preferable to no storyboard.
Further Reading:
AV Media Magazine Article on Storyboarding
Software
Storyboard Tools
Storyboard Tools is an
organisational tool, for film directors, storyboard artists and film-makers.
Images from various sources may be used to build up an entire storyboard project
on the computer screen which may then be printed in a form portable enough to be
taken on set. Storyboard Tools stores a caption and any amount of text along
with each image. Once a project is complete this text can be used to
automatically generate tables of information which may used on set, so you know
what to shoot next.
Storyboard Artist and
Storyboard Quick
Create quick "shooting" boards for
print handouts, onscreen presentation or HTML export. Designed to get visual
ideas onto paper quickly. Storyboard Artist aids in creating motion graphic
storyboards.
Frame Forge 3D Studio
Innovative flash based storyboarding. FrameForge 3D Studio is a whole new
category of storyboard software for pre-planning productions of any kind.
Multiple camera previsualization from any possible angle in a 3D virtual set is
now within the reach of anyone. FrameForge 3D storyboards simulate and support
formats from 16-70mm film to DV equipment with numerous lens apertures and
aspect ratio settings.
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