How to use the Art of Storyboarding

A storyboard is a series of frames that helps you show and tell the story you are pitching and/or shooting. Creating a storyboard using storyboard software, such as StoryBoard Quick, is easy because it provides the art typically used in storyboards for film or video dramatic storytelling: characters, locations and props (and a caption area for adding text or script notes). The skills used for creating and printing the frames are familiar menu calls used in other software applications.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer
• Storyboard Quick software
• story idea

1. Choose the format of the medium (HD, 35mm, TV) of your storyboard project using the opening wizard. You can start your storyboard project by writing a story first or adding notes in the Caption Window. If you're a screenwriter, you can use the text from the script you've written in a script writing software program.

2. A script written in Final Draft, MSWord, or Storyist, can be quickly imported into StoryBoard Quick. The formatted (.txt, .fcf, .story formats) text elements of your script (slug lines, dialog, etc.) into StoryBoard Quick and your script will be parsed by the application. The frames will be created for you. Now you can compose shots/scenes that correspond to your text.

3. If you don't have a script and you are writing in StoryBoard Quick, choose Frame>New Frame to create the next blank frame. Then choose your actor from the character palette and rotate and zoom him/her into position. Add a background from the INT or EXT location library (or import photos or art created in Photoshop) and choose props from the Prop Library to fill out your shot. Open the Caption Window and type your story in the Caption Window. You can print out in the various included templates or export to Flash movie.

4. If you're really stumped as to where to begin: Start with an establishing shot to orient your audience in space and time (i.e. is it day or night, future or present, inside or outside). Introduce your characters in a Long Shot (i.e. show audience what they look like and how they relate to their environment) and move into Medium Shot and Close Ups as you progress with your story and your characters speak. Once you've made the rough outline of the visual flow of your project, you can insert frames, rearrange frame order and get more creative.

Tips & Warnings

• When storyboarding for a film/video live action shoot, it's important to create the spatial relationships between key elements in the shot. This will also help your crew know where to setup shots.
• When storyboarding to pitch an idea to a client or producer, it's important to convey your creative idea visually and with style.
• Storyboarding is a great help with busting writer's block.
• You don't have to know how to draw, but if you do, you can import sketches from Photoshop or other drawing applications.
• There are no set rules on where to place the camera but there are certain filmic conventions that will help you visually convey information which is why storyboarding is an extremely creative part of the filmmaking process.