In planning a video production, the first step that needs to be done is to make a storyboard (sketches of images that are sequentially according to the script), so that you can make the story script come alive and the video can be presented to others. A storyboard is a series of stories that provide details of the video, and illustrations of the main scenes, i.e. how the background will be, who will be in the video, and what scenes will be shown. Storyboards are usually used as examples of movie scenes, music videos, television productions, etc., and can be created manually or using digital media. Read on to find out how to storyboard illustrations of your stories.
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Part 1 of 3: Storyline
Step 1. Make a list of story chronology, or what is also known as a timeline
Setting parameters for when and where the story will take place, as well as determining the order in which the story will occur in chronological order, is a great way to organize your story so you can start adapting it into a video. If your story doesn't have a perfect timeline (example: back in time story line, forward "jump" story line, perspective shift, story line resolution changes, time travel, etc.), you can still create a timeline (chronological list) narrative.
- Make the sequence of the main scenes in accordance with the order of the story that will be shown from beginning to end, because this sequence of scenes is the storyline that will be shown on the film screen.
- If you're creating a storyboard for an ad, create the scenes that will be shown and in what order.
Step 2. Remember the main scenes in your story
Storyboards are made to tell the audience the essence of the story that will be poured into the form of a film. The point is not to try to rewrite the whole series of stories into a book, but to show the main parts that can attract the attention of the audience. Think about your story and think about which main scene you want to depict on the storyboard.
- Choose a scene that shows the storyline from beginning to end.
- The turning point of the story is an important point to point out. In some time, there may be changes in the storyline so you need to include it in the storyboard.
- You may also want to make changes to the background of the place. If the story starts in one city and moves to another, make sure that this is clearly stated in your illustration.
- If you're creating a storyboard for an ad, the process is no different: choose a main image that will represent the direction of the film from start to finish. As a general guide, keep in mind that for a 30 second ad, the storyboard should have no more than 15 outlines. Use an average of 2 seconds for each frame.
Step 3. Determine how detailed your storyline is
Storyboards can be made in great detail, for example by providing illustrations that describe each story. If you're preparing a long film, you'll need to work hard to get a detailed storyboard. However, you could just cut the film into separate scenes with individual storyboards. If you want to cut the film, you will need to create a detailed representation of the progress of each scene which is also useful for keeping the storyboard organized during film production.
- If you're making a movie and you want to break it down scene-by-scene, make a shot list. You need to think about the composition and details of each scene on the shot list involved in the filmmaking process.
- Remember that the point of storyboarding is to provide visual clarity and to make everyone in the audience have the same understanding. The visuals that are created do not need to be works of art. Be careful when choosing details for your storyboard. You don't want to make the audience so "dizzy" trying to interpret your illustration that they fail to understand the main message you're trying to convey.
- A good storyboard will be easily understood by everyone who sees it. A director, cameraman, scene picker, or even property manager might ask for a storyboard for reference, guidance, and direction.
Step 4. Write a description for each column to be shown
Now that you have determined the main scene you want to show, think about how to depict each scene in each illustration. Look at your shot list and write a description of each of the most important parts of each scene. This will help you determine what should be depicted on your storyboard.
- For example, you might want each small scene to depict a conversation between the two main characters. What does it take to convey this image? Is the character fighting, or smiling, or moving toward a goal? Those scenes should be in every picture.
- Think about the background, because the background is also important to note. Is it important to have a certain scene in the background behind the player?
Part 2 of 3: Design
Step 1. Choose the media that will be used to create your template
You can draw your own storyboard template by dividing the poster board into blank frames of equal size using a pencil and ruler. The layout should also look the same as a comic book that uses rectangular columns to show how the scene will look on the screen. If you want to choose, you can use "Adobe Illustrator", "storyboardthat.com", "Microsoft PowerPoint", "Amazon's Storyteller", or "inDesign" to create storyboard templates in both vertical and horizontal shapes.
- Column sizes must be represented in the same aspect ratio as the finished video, for example 4:3 for a television screen, or 16:9 for a feature film screen. You can purchase custom document sheets of this size.
- A storyboard template for an ad should be a rectangular frame, where you'll insert the visuals. If you want to include a caption, make sure there is a space where you can write a description of the video. In addition, there should also be a field for audio for you to enter dialogue and sound or music.
- If you are creating a storyboard for more than one video, you will need to have a good "Wacom"™ tablet so you can put it directly into "Photoshop".
- If you don't want to design a drawing, you can hire a professional artist specifically to illustrate the design of the image. You need to describe what happened to each outline and give the artist a written script to work with. It will give you a black-and-white or color illustration outline that you can scan.
Step 2. Sketch your drawing
Start creating a scene by drawing your sketch into an existing template. This sketch is just a rough draft, so you don't have to make it perfect. If you are sketching each scene, add to the sketch with the following elements, erasing and redrawing as often as possible:
- Composition (lighting, foreground/background, color palette, etc.)
- Camera angle (high or low)
- Type of filming/shot (wide shot, close-up, over-the-shoulder shot, tracking shot, etc.)
- Properties (objects in framework)
- Actors (people, animals, talking cartoons, etc.)
- Special effects
Step 3. Add more information
Next to or below each column, enter a description of what happened in each scene. Include any dialogue that happened. Add information about how long the scene takes. Then, number each column so that it can be easily used as a reference when you discuss the storyboard with others.
Step 4. Finish your storyboard
When you've made your main points and completed the design for each outline, review your work and make any final changes needed. Make sure that each column describes the action you want to convey. Review the descriptions and existing dialogs, if necessary. It would be much better if someone else saw the storyboard you created, to make sure that the storyboard went well and was not confusing.
- Consider adding color. If you're creating a storyboard for an ad, adding color will help your idea grow.
- Remember that it is not so important to create a realistic or perfect image. Depending on the viewer's vision, a simple line drawing may suffice. In most cases, storyboards don't need to be perfect, and just need to make sense to be accepted by your team.
Part 3 of 3: Final Touches
Step 1. Think in three points of perspective
When your storyboard illustrations don't look like they were made by a professional artist, there are a few artist tricks you can use to make your images look more like movie scenes. It's not mandatory, but it can help the people you work with to visualize the shot more clearly.
- Instead of drawing all the characters as if they were standing on the same horizontal line, it's better to put them in perspective. Stand slightly away from the camera, and then stand closer. Images that are further away from the camera should appear smaller with the legs higher up, and images that are closer to the camera should appear larger with the legs lower.
- When you have to adapt a storyboard into a film, you have to think about how to organize the shooting.
Step 2. Give a good reason when you cropped the shot
If you're storyboarding a movie, think about why you're making each cut into a new shot. Advancing the story does not mean jumping to the next point in the storyline. You need to give a good reason why the character does what they do. Giving the reasons behind the cut will help you find ways to build suspense and keep the story going while making the film.
- For example, if you want to cut from one scene to another, make sure the characters in the first scene keep advancing toward the door, because they hear a voice.
- This helps your story to continue and keeps the audience interested.
Step 3. Let your storyboard develop during the creation process
Your storyboard can be a great tool when you're organizing your shooting and directing your film. However, even relying too much on storyboards can make your film too "narrow". If you're making a movie, you have to be open to taking pictures that you didn't think of before. Allow yourself to step outside the confines of the storyboard, or at least be willing to make improvements, so that the filmmaking process can run more naturally.
- Stay receptive to other people's input, especially if you work with a work team that is an expert in the field of cinema. Storyboards are made to be improved and changed. In addition, storyboards can also be developed with ideas that you may not have thought of before.
- Film directors have different styles of writing storyboards. Some of them make storyboards very carefully, and some others use storyboards as a guide that is not so mandatory to use.
Tips
- If you can't draw, there is some software that can help you create a storyboard, by selecting and placing objects from the set of available graphics.
- Storyboards have other uses than video creation, such as illustrating scene sequences or designing complex websites.
