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Some directors prefer to go in for what are known as storyboards._ Scripts are the written texts of a film. Storyboards pictorially represent the shots in a sequential order. Storyboarding comes in handy particularly when we are shooting shorter videos like commercials or public service messages. Some directors go to great lengths to create storyboards even for full-length feature films!
Storyboards come in handy because they
- Provide a platform for brainstorming
- Help visualize the entire film as it will be seen on screen
- Help optimize utilization of human and material resources
- Help avoid missing shots during filming
Storyboards also help decide
- Who will appear in each scene
- Which camera angle is best suited for a shot
- Which shot size will best convey the intended meaning
- what special lighting or camera movement is required
- What transitions or special effects are to be used between shots/scenes
- What music or audio effects are to be used
Storyboards are normally drawn in rectangles on a sheet. They usually represent a scene. They are usually drawn with a pencil to help edit and make changes. They need not be perfect but just indicative of shot sizes, transitions, camera movements, audio, and, where possible, the duration of each shot or scene. In lengthier projects, storyboards do not depict every shot. One source of learning to draw storyboards is comic books. Any comic strip normally looks like a storyboard. Our drawings need not be as professional as that of a comic strip. Figure 4.2 represents a typical storyboard.
You can create your own storyboard forms on a computer. Each A4 sheet can have up to nine compartments. Take photocopies of the printout, and draw your own storyboards. Even simple line drawings, stickmen, and simple shape drawings will do. All you need now is a pencil, an eraser, and, of course, a good story!
Let us now move on to' he other aspects of pre-production.
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