Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Story
• Part 2 of 3: Design
• Part 3 of 3: The finishing touches
• Tips
• Necessities

When planning a video recording, the first step in the process is to create a storyboard to bring the script to life. A storyboard is a series of pictures that illustrate the main scenes - what the setting will look like, who will be there and what actions will take place. Often used as a mock-up for movie scenes, music videos and TV productions, it can be made by hand or with a digital medium. Read on to learn how to map out a story, draw the keyframes, and refine your storyboard.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Story

1. Determine a timeline. Defining the parameters for when and where your story takes place and then deciding in which chronological order the events in the story occur is the best way to organize your story and bring it to life. If your story is not completely linear (eg there are flashbacks, flash forwards, shifting perspectives, alternative outcomes, multiple timelines or time travel), then you should create a narrative (narrative) timeline.
   • List the main events in the story in the order they are told. So they will also appear on the big screen.
   • If you are storyboarding for a commercial, but a series of scenes of what will happen and in what order.
2. Identify the main scenes in your story. A storyboard is meant to give the viewer an idea of ​​how the story translates into a movie. The point is not trying to capture the whole story in some sort of flipbook (foliosope), but to portray key moments that draw the viewer into the story. Think carefully about your story and brainstorm a list of the most important moments that you want to show in your storyboard.
   • Select scenes that show the development of the plot from start to finish.
   • It is important to show plot twists. Whenever there is a plot twist or significant change, include it in the storyboard to propel the story forward.
   • You can also indicate that a change is taking place in the environment. If the story starts in one city and continues in another, make sure it is clear from your illustrations.
   • When creating a storyboard for an ad, this process is no different: choose key images that indicate the flow and direction of the movie from start to finish. A general rule to keep in mind is that a typical 30 second commercial needs a storyboard of no more than 15 frames. Allow for an average of 2 seconds per frame.
3. Determine how detailed you want to work. A storyboard can be incredibly detailed, with illustrations depicting each shot. If the film is still in the start-up phase and it is a feature film, then a lot of work will have to be done to get this detailed right now. But in the end, you will want to break the movie into separate scenes, with a separate storyboard for each. This allows you to give a very detailed representation of the progression of individual scenes and is useful when it comes to staying organized during the movie making.
   • If you're working on a movie and break it down by shot, make a shot list, or a shot list. For each shot on the list, you will have to think about the composition of the shot and other details related to the final filming.
   • Remember, the purpose of the storyboard is to create visual clarity and make sure everyone knows what the purpose is. It is not intended to become a work of art in itself. Try to take a hands-on approach when it comes to the level of detail you choose for the storyboard. The viewer is not supposed to get lost in the interpretation of your illustrations instead of seeing the bigger picture.
   • A good storyboard will be immediately understood by everyone who views it. It's possible that the director, cinematographer, scene selector, or even the prop specialist (just to name a few) may refer to the storyboard as a reference, guide, and guide.
4. Describe the image in each cell. Now that you know which main scenes you want to show, you can start thinking about how you will portray the action in each illustration. Go through your list of scenes and describe the most important elements for each individually. This will help determine exactly what to draw for your storyboard.
   • For example, if you want a cell in which a conversation takes place between two important characters. What should then be displayed in this image? Are the characters fighting, laughing, or on their way to a destination? There should be an action in every drawing.
   • Also take the setting into account. It is important to have a certain idea of ​​the background against which the characters move.

Part 2 of 3: Design

1. Decide which medium to use for your template. You can draw a standard storyboard template by hand simply by dividing a poster board into blank boxes of the same size with a pencil and a protractor. The layout then looks like that of a comic book, with rows of square boxes showing what the scene looks like on a screen. If you prefer, you can also use Adobe Illustrator, storyboardthat.com, Microsoft PowerPoint, Amazon's Storyteller, or inDesign to create a storyboard template in a landscape or portrait format.
   • The dimensions of the boxes should have the same aspect ratio as the video to be shot, such as 4: 3 for television or 16: 9 for a movie. You can get special sheets of paper with printed boxes of these dimensions.
   • A storyboard template for advertising purposes should consist of rectangular frames for the visuals. If you want to provide it with a caption, make sure there is enough space for writing the video descriptions. There must also be a column for the audio, the part where you will insert the dialogues and the sounds / music.
   • If you are going to make storyboarding for projects more often, it helps to have a good Wacom ™ tablet so that you can draw directly in Photoshop.
   • If you don't want to make up the images yourself, you can hire a storyboard artist for the illustrations. You then describe what needs to be done in each framework and give the draftsman a written script to work with. He or she will then provide you with black and white or color drawings that you can scan or copy to paste into the storyboard.
2. Sketch your thumbnails. Bring the scenes to life by drawing the sketches you described for each frame in the template. This is for rough design only, so don't overwork it. While sketching each scene, play around with the following elements, taking away and redrawing where necessary:
   • Composition (lighting, foreground / background, color palette, etc.)
   • The camera angle (high or low)
   • The type of shot (wide shots, close-ups, over-the-shoulder shots, tracking shots, etc.)
   • Attributes (objects in the frame)
   • Actors (people, animals, talking cartoon couch, etc .: anything that can act instead of undergo an action)
   • Special effects
3. Include other important information. Next to or below each cell, enter the description of what is happening in the scene. State the dialogues that are taking place. Add information about the duration of each shot. Finally, number each cell so that you can easily refer to it when discussing the storyboard with others.
4. Finish the storyboard. Once you've identified the main parts of the topic and worked out the design of each frame, review your work and make final changes. Make sure each cell represents the action as you imagined it. Key to the descriptions and dialogues if needed. It's a good idea to have someone else go through the storyboard to make sure it's going well and isn't confusing.
   • Consider using color. Creating a storyboard for an ad will help make your ideas pop.
   • Remember that it is not necessarily necessary to make the drawings look realistic or perfect. Depending on the audience you can stick to simple stick figures. In most cases, storyboards don't have to be perfect, but only have meaning for your team.

Part 3 of 3: The finishing touches

1. Think in a three-point perspective. While your storyboard artwork doesn't have to look like it was created by a professional artist, there are a few tricks from the pros you can use to make your images look more like movie scenes. This is not required, but it can help people you work with to see for themselves what the shot will be like.
   • Instead of drawing all the characters as if they were on the same line, you put them in perspective. Leave one a little further away from the camera than another. The figures farthest from the camera will appear smaller across the page and feet higher on the page, and the ones closer to appear larger and feet lower on the page (or not visible at all).
   • When it's time to translate the storyboard into a movie, you'll have a much better idea of ​​how to direct the recording.
2. Make sure you have motivation for the cuts. While you're converting the storyboard into your movie, think about the reason for making a new shot from each cut. The course of the story is about more than jumping to the next point in the plot. You will have to give a reason why the characters do what they do. Storyboarding the motivations for the cuts will help determine tension building and propelling the story during the making of the movie.
   • For example, if you're making a cut from one room to another, have a character in the first room look at the door because of a sound he or she hears.
   • This aids in the course of the story and keeps the viewer's attention.
3. Let the storyboard develop as you go along. Your storyboard can be a great tool at your disposal while shooting and directing your movie. But leaning too heavily on your storyboard can be too limiting. During the making of the film you will sooner or later run into an idea for shots that you had not thought of before. Allow yourself to deviate from, or at least change, the storyboard so that the filming process is a bit more organic.
   • Also, don't forget to accept input from others along the way, especially if you're working with a talented film crew. A storyboard is meant to be adapted and changed. Often times it can be improved by ideas that you did not come up with yourself.
   • Most film directors each have their own style when it comes to storyboarding. Some capture every little detail, while others see it more as a loose guideline.

Tips

• If you can't draw, you can get software that allows you to create storyboards by selecting and placing objects from a graphics library.
• Storyboards also have other uses than just scheduling videos, such as illustrating a series of actions or designing complex websites.

Necessities

• Drawing paper for thumbnails
• Storyboard paper
• Drawing supplies
• Image editing software
• Scanner