Storyboard Making

Planning a video or sequence in a film doesn’t come second nature to most filmmakers. Serious prep is required. Lucky for you, there are tools to make this easier. Laying out your vision in a storyboard is one way to do it. What is a storyboard you may ask? It is a roadmap that will guide your journey from script to screen. To really grasp the benefits of storyboarding, we’ll go beyond a simple storyboard definition to explore how filmmakers like Ridley Scott and the Coen Bros. rely on this fundamental process and how easy it will be for you to do the same on your next project.

What is a storyboard?

A storyboard is a visual representation of a film sequence and breaks down the action into individual panels. It is a series of ordered drawings, with camera direction, dialogue, or other pertinent details. It sketches out how a video will unfold, shot by shot.It's is similar to a trial-run for your finished film, video, or commercial, laid out in a comic book-like form.

What's a Storyboard?

• Drawings, sketches, reference images or photographs to represent each frame.
• A description of the shot — any relevant information on the action, dialogue, or composition.
• Shot specs — shot size, lens length, two-shot, etc.
• Arrows to indicate camera and/or character movement or how each shot connects to the next.

It's one thing to define storyboards — but what does a storyboard look like? From simple stick figures to detailed sketches, the quality or content of each panel is really a secondary concern as long as the board serves its purpose for the filmmakers.