How to Create a Storyboard: 11 Steps (with Images)

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How to Create a Storyboard: 11 Steps (with Images)
How to Create a Storyboard: 11 Steps (with Images)

Video: How to Create a Storyboard: 11 Steps (with Images)

Video: How to Create a Storyboard: 11 Steps (with Images)
Video: How to draw A-grade storyboards (even if you can't draw!) | Media studies tutorial 2024, March
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When planning a video, the first step is to make a storyboard so you can bring a script to life and present it to someone else. A storyboard is a series of thumbnails that show the unfolding of a video, illustrating the key scenes - what the environment will be like, who will be present and what actions will take place. It is often used as a demonstration of movie scenes, music videos, TV production and more and can be created by hand or using a digital medium. Read on to learn how to map your story, illustrate keyframes, and refine your storyboard.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Mapping the story

Create a Storyboard Step 1
Create a Storyboard Step 1

Step 1. Establish a timeline

Establishing the time and place parameters of your story and deciding the chronological order of events happening is the best way to organize your story so you can bring it to life. If your story isn't completely linear (ie, it has flashbacks, flash forwards, perspective shifts, alternate outcomes, multiple timelines, time travel, and so on), you should still create a narrative timeline.

  • List the main events of the story in the order they will be told. This is how they will appear on screen.
  • If you're storyboarding a commercial, determine which scenes will take place and their order.
Create a Storyboard Step 2
Create a Storyboard Step 2

Step 2. Identify the key scenes in your story

A storyboard should give the viewer an idea of how the story will translate into the video. The idea is not to try to recreate the entire experience using an animation, but to demonstrate the key parts that will capture the viewer's attention. Think through your story and brainstorm a list of key moments you want to illustrate on the storyboard.

  • Choose scenes that show the plot development from start to finish.
  • It's also important to show the twists. Anytime you have a major plot twist or change, you should include that moment in the storyboard so your story goes with the flow.
  • You might also want to show the changes in the setting. If the story starts in one city and moves to another, make sure this is clear in your illustrations.
  • If you're storyboarding a commercial, the process is the same: get the main images that will represent the flow and direction of the video from beginning to end. As a general rule of thumb, keep in mind that for a typical 30-second commercial, a storyboard shouldn't be longer than 15 frames. Take two seconds per frame, on average.
Create a Storyboard Step 3
Create a Storyboard Step 3

Step 3. Decide the level of detail

A storyboard can be incredibly detailed, with illustrations showing each shot. If you're in the preliminary stages of a feature film, you'll have a lot to cover to do the detailing now. However, you can eventually split the movie into individual scenes, with a separate storyboard for each of them. This allows you to create a very detailed representation of the progression of individual scenes and is useful for maintaining organization during production.

  • If you're working on a movie and you're going to break it down take by take, create what's called a take list. For each shot on the list, you'll need to think about its composition and the other details involved during shooting.
  • Remember that the idea of the storyboard is to bring visual clarity and let everyone have the same vision. It's not supposed to be a work of art. Use a hands-on approach at the level of detail you choose for your storyboards. You don't want the person to get lost trying to interpret your illustrations instead of seeing the big picture.
  • A good storyboard will be easily understood by anyone who sees it. Potentially, a director, cameraman, scene selector, or even a stage object expert (to name a few) can use the storyboard as a reference, guide, and direction.
Create a Storyboard Step 4
Create a Storyboard Step 4

Step 4. Write a description of what each cell will show

Now that you know which main scenes you want to show, think about how to show the action in each illustration. View your list of scenes and write a description of the most important elements of each one. This will help determine what exactly to draw on your storyboard.

  • For example, you might want to have a cell that shows a conversation between two main characters. What needs to be passed in this image? Are the characters fighting, smiling, or going to a certain place? Some kind of action must take place in each drawing.
  • Take the environment into consideration too. Is it important to have a certain landscape in the background behind the characters?

Part 2 of 3: Design the storyboard

Create a Storyboard Step 5
Create a Storyboard Step 5

Step 1. Decide what you will use for the template

You can draw a basic storyboard template by hand by dividing cardboard into blank boards of the same size using a pencil and a straight surface. The setup should look like a comic book, with rows of square cells that show how the scene will look on screen. If you prefer, you can use Adobe Illustrator, storyboardthat.com, Microsoft PowerPoint, Amazon's Storyteller, or inDesign to create a storyboard template in vertical or horizontal format.

  • The cell size should be designed taking into account the finished video's aspect ratio, such as 4:3 for a TV screen or 16:9 for a movie movie. You can buy specific sheets with these dimensions.
  • A storyboard template for advertising should be made up of rectangular frames into which you'll insert drawings. If you want to insert subtitles, leave space to write video descriptions. There should also be an audio column where you will include dialogue and any sounds or music.
  • If you find yourself storyboarding for more than one project, it helps to have a good Wacom™ tablet so you can storyboard right in Photoshop.
  • If you don't want to draw the images, you can hire an artist to do the drawings. You'll describe what happens in each frame and give the artist a printed script to work with. It will give you the black and white, or color, frames for you to place in sequential order.
Create a Storyboard Step 6
Create a Storyboard Step 6

Step 2. Sketch the thumbnails

Start bringing the scenes to life by making the sketches you mapped on the model you made. This is just a rough draft, so don't worry about making it perfect. As you sketch each scene, fiddle with the following elements, erasing and redrawing as needed:

  • Composition (lighting, foreground/background, color palette, etc.).
  • Camera angle (high or low).
  • The type of shot (wide, close-ups, under the shoulders, moving, etc.).
  • Props (objects in the frame).
  • Actors (people, animals, talking sofa, etc. anything that can act rather than receive an action).
  • Special effects.
Create a Storyboard Step 7
Create a Storyboard Step 7

Step 3. Add other important information

Below each cell, put a description of what is happening. Include the dialog (if any). Add information about the duration of the take. Finally, number the cells so they are easy to reference when discussing the storyboard with others.

Create a Storyboard Step 8
Create a Storyboard Step 8

Step 4. Finalize your storyboard

Once you have identified the key points of the subject and done the drawing of each board, review your work and make the final changes. Make sure each cell shows the action you want to take. Flip the descriptions and dialogue if necessary. It's a good idea to ask someone else to review your storyboard to make sure it's well-flowing and not cluttered.

  • Add colors. If you're creating a storyboard for advertising, this will help make your ideas stand out.
  • Remember that it's not necessarily important that drawings look realistic, or perfect. Depending on the target audience, simple stick figures may suffice. In most cases, storyboards don't have to be perfect, they just have to make sense to the team.

Part 3 of 3: Refining your storyboard

Create a Storyboard Step 9
Create a Storyboard Step 9

Step 1. Think from a three-point perspective

While the illustrations in your storyboard don't need to look like they were created by a professional, there are certain artistic tricks you can use to make your images look like movie scenes. This isn't mandatory, but it can help the people you're working with see the shot more clearly.

  • Instead of drawing all your characters as if they were on the same horizontal line, put them in perspective. Place one a little further away from the camera and some closer. Those farthest from the camera should look smaller, with their feet higher on the page, and those closer together should look larger, with their feet lower on the page.
  • When it comes time to translate the storyboard into the movie, you'll have a much better idea of how to direct the shot.
Create a Storyboard Step 10
Create a Storyboard Step 10

Step 2. Have motivation for your cuts

As you create your movie's storyboard, think about reasons to make each cut for a new scene. Advancing the story is more involved than just jumping to the next plot point; you need to give the characters a reason to do what they do. The storyboard's motivations for your cuts will help you figure out how to create tension and keep the story moving when it's time to make the movie.

  • For example, if you want to cut from one room to another, have a character in the first room looking at the door because he heard a noise.
  • This helps with the continuity of the story and keeps the viewer's attention.
Create a Storyboard Step 11
Create a Storyboard Step 11

Step 3. Let your storyboard transform

Your storyboard can be an extraordinary tool when you're adjusting your shots and directing your movie. However, just relying on him can get you very stuck. As you make your movie, you're going to come up with ideas for certain shots that you didn't think of before. Allow yourself to step out of the storyboard a bit, or at least modify it, so that the movie-making process is more organic.

  • Remember to accept others' opinions as things unfold, especially if you're working with a talented production team. A storyboard must be made so that it can be edited and modified, and it can be enhanced by ideas you didn't have.
  • Most film directors have a different style when it comes to storyboarding. Some map every detail, while some just use it as a general guide.

Tips

  • If you don't know how to draw, there are programs that allow you to create storyboards just by dragging and dropping objects from a library of ready-made graphics.
  • Storyboards have other uses besides planning videos, such as illustrating a sequence of actions, or designing complex websites.

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