Storyboarding

Let’s explore how to storyboard

Storyboarding• This is where you plan out your shots

for each scene. • By doing this you will ensure you do not

waste valuable production time.• Not only do you plan out the shot, but

the sequence, angle, and what shot you want to capture.

Storyboarding• Show me. Don’t tell me. • If you tell the story you are asking your

audience to imagine it• If you show the audience, you are

molding the message into visual imagery.

Storyboarding-telling example

Storyboarding-showing example

Storyboarding-Show Me• “Showing” allows

you to mold a message into visual imagery.

• Show the actions of the characters, aesthetics of the locations, and how the characters feel.

Storyboarding-Elements• Beginning—establishes the location and introduces

the main character and conflict of the story• Middle—where the hero faces complications and

obstacles within the story• End—where the climax and resolution of the

problem occurs

Storyboards• A series of

sketches that are used as a planning tool to visually show how the action of a story unfolds

Storyboards• Clearly conveys the

narrative flow of a story by defining the challenges and problems of a project

• Assists in the timing of a scene

• Assists crewmembers during production for framing the action

Industries that use Storyboards

• Advertising• Film• Animation• Television• Multimedia• Web design• Government

Storyboards• The principals of visual storytelling have been taken

to new heights with the emergence of film, television, computers, and animation.

• Stories with structure have a beginning, middle, and end.

• When creating a visual story, you need to show the elements rather than tell it.– Read screenplays to further your understanding of

visual storytelling.• Storyboards are sketches that visually show how the

action of a story unfolds.

Apply what you learned

• Write a short scene that illustrates the principles of showing versus telling.

Storyboard Language• CLOSE-UP SHOT:  • A close range of distance between the camera and the subject.

DISSOVLE:• A transition between two shots, where one shot fades away and

simultaneously another shot fades in. FADE:

• A transition from a shot to black where the image gradually becomes darker is a Fade Out; or from black where the image gradually becomes brighter is a Fade In. HIGH CAMERA ANGLE:  

• A camera angle which looks down on its subject making it look small, weak or unimportant.

Storyboard Language• JUMP CUT: • A rapid, jerky transition from one frame to the next, either disrupting

the flow of time or movement within a scene or making an abrupt transition from one scene to another. LEVEL CAMERA ANGLE:  

• A camera angle which is even with the subject; it may be used as a neutral shot. LONG SHOT:  

• A long range of distance between the camera and the subject, often providing a broader range of the setting. LOW CAMERA ANGLE:  

• A camera angle which looks up at its subject; it makes the subject seem important and powerful.

Storyboard Language• PAN:  • A steady, sweeping movement from one point in a scene to another. • POV (point of view shot): • A shot which is understood to be seen from the point of view of a character

within the scene. REACTION SHOT-

• 1.: A shot of someone looking off screen. 2.: A reaction shot can also be a shot of someone in a conversation where they are not given a line of dialogue but are just listening to the other person speak. TILT:  

• Using a camera on a tripod, the camera moves up or down to follow the action. ZOOM:  

• Use of the camera lens to move closely towards the subject.

Difference between a scene and a shot

•  A combination of shots that shows the action that takes place in one location or setting.

 A Scene:

• A continuous view filmed from one perspective.

Difference between a scene and a shot

Shot Descriptions

Shot:

• Camera framing– How close or far a subject is from the camera

• Camera angles– Angling of the camera from which you view the

subject.•  Camera movement

– The movement of the camera forward, backward, left, right, up, and down

Shots• Remember that we have to first set the

scene.• We do this by an Establishing shot.• An Establishing shot could by a Long

shot, or a Wide Shot.

Apply what you learned• Break down the following scene by blocking

characters and the camera. How do you intend to visually tell the story? Compose each shot utilizing camera framing, angles, and movement.

1) Exterior: Center City Park

2) A man jogs at a leisurely pace

3) An out of control rollerblader enters the park across from the jogger.

4) The jogger passes a couple walking their dog

5) The jogger stops to pet the dog before continuing on

6) The rollerblader intersects the path of the jogger, and trips over the jogger’s foot.

7) The rollerblader collides with a park bench.

From Script to Storyboard

Shot List• A written list of the intended shots for each

scene• The major elements of the shot list include:

– Camera framing: The distance from the camera to the subject

– Camera angle: The angle the camera is placed in relation to the subject

– Script description: Written notations that identify the placement of the shot in relation to what is happening in the screenplay

Illustrating Camera Movement

• Directional arrows indicate character and camera movement within a frame.

The Storyboard Process• Meeting with

the director• Research• Thumbnails• Roughs• Final

storyboards

Thumbnails

Meeting with the Director• Read script prior to meeting.• Come prepared with questions.• Take notes during meeting.

• Used as a note taking tool• No more than stick figures to help

visualize ideas• (imagine you “see” the character or scene…sketch a rough picture on the side

of the script.

When reading the script some questions you may consider

• What is the emotional goal of the story?• What are the personalities of its characters?• What is the overall mood of the story or

scene?• How do you see the action unfolding?• What character is in charge of each scene?• How do you want the audience to feel?

Roughs

• Full-sized sketches drawn to proportion

• Block action, dialogue, and characters within a scene

Final Production Storyboards

• Showcases camera framing, angles, and movement

• Includes description beneath panels describing the action

• Your sketch should fill the entire storyboard frame.

Final Production Storyboards

Final Storyboards• Each panel should adhere to a specific aspect ratio

of the production• Panels should be numbered according to the

corresponding scene in the screenplay. Each panel should also include a shot number.

• Camera angles and action should be described beneath each panel, along with a brief description of the shot and/or any special effects.

• Directional arrows should be used anytime there is

significant movement within a panel.

Apply what you have learned• For this exercise, create the shot list and storyboard.

The scene should average between 6 and 10 shots.

• Shortly after leaving a classroom, she realizes that she has left her backpack behind. Worried about losing it, she hurries back to the classroom. She looks all around the area where she was sitting, but the backpack is not there. Then she sees it sitting on the instructor's desk. Checking the backpack's contents, she is relieved to find everything there.

Zoom Shot• Camera stays stationary as the focal length

of a lens zooms in or out.– Framing gets ‘tighter’ if the camera zooms in.– Framing gets ‘looser’ if the camera zooms out.

Visual Elements• Lines• Shapes and forms• Overlap• Contrast and similarity• Texture• Patterns

Lines• The most basic element of design is

the line.• Lines are horizontal, vertical, curved,

bold, implied, jagged, and diagonal.

Shapes and Forms

• Shapes are outlines of objects that are defined by their height and width. – They tend to lack mass and often appear as

silhouettes.• Circles, triangles, and squares are shapes.• Forms are shapes that acquire the third

dimension. – Example: A circle is a shape, whereas a sphere

is a form.

Overlap• Overlapping objects creates depth

within an image and a more interesting composition.

Contrast• Contrast in weight, size, color, and

shape draws attention to a dominant object.

Similarity• Objects of

similar size are seen as a whole.

Texture• Brings out detail of

an image• Smooth

– Devoid of any roughness such as a chrome bumper

• Rough– Texture that is

visible to the eye such as the bark of a tree

Patterns

• Patterns occur when lines, shapes, texture, or colors are repeated.

• Patterns grab our attention by making a powerful visual statement.

Symmetrical• Objects on one side of the screen are

mirrored on the other side. – These elements are identical or similar in terms

of the number of objects, colors, or other elements.

Asymmetrical• The two sides of

the frame may differ in shape, value, position, texture, and color.

The Horizon Line and Vanishing Point

• The horizon line is an imaginary line that is at our eye level.

• The vanishing point is a point on the horizon line where the parallel lines of an object recede to the horizon.

One-point Perspective• There are three types

of lines used in one- point perspective: vertical lines, horizontal lines, and orthogonal lines.

• Objects that contain parallel lines may be drawn in one-point perspective, such as room interiors, tables, and chairs.

Two-point Perspective

• Two-point perspective has two vanishing points.– One to the right and one to the left on the

horizon line• Applying two-point perspective to your

storyboard will help you to draw environments and objects from different angles.

Two-point Perspective

Three-point Perspective• Three vanishing

points: two rest on horizon line, the third is placed above or below horizon

• Bird’s eye view• Worm’s eye view

Depth of Field• Refers to how

much of a frame is in focus– Shallow depth

of field – Wide depth of

field

For this class• You will practice the art of

storyboarding before each project. • This is a mandatory piece of the pre-

production process.• On each storyboard I should be able to

see the following:a) Shot distinction

b) Scene distinction

c) Description of the action/dialogue

d) Camera movement

Storyboard Example

Storyboard Example

Storyboard Example

Storyboard Example

Storyboard Example

Final AssessmentRead the following story. Write down a complete shot description,

including framing, camera angles, and camera movement, if applicable. Pay strict attention to what catches your eye. What do you think the shot is supposed to convey in the overall scheme of the scene?

Waking up, she looks at her alarm clock. Forty-five minutes late! She goes through drawers and closet like a tornado, looking for clothes. She gulps a cup of cold coffee from yesterday 's brew. She races to her car and tries to start it: The battery is dead. Desperately, she takes a bus, which is crowded and lets her off a long way from campus. She runs the last several blocks, arriving disheveled and winded. With her last energy, she runs up the stairs and down the hall to the classroom door, where she finds several other students. Asking why they 're still outside, she learns that the change from daylight saving time to standard time was the day before, and she's actually early.

Apply what you have learned• Draw a building from a low-angle and

high-angle point of view• Above and beyond credit: make one

drawing that incorporates several different views of an office complex. Consider before you start how the views will relate to each other. The final product should be a unified whole.

Homework• Select a scene from a film or video and

compile a shot-by-shot analysis, which includes a description of the design elements for each shot. Shot composition should also describe camera and subject movement. The analysis should describe how the arrangement of elements contributes to the impact of the shot or scene.

Assessment• Go back to the scene you described on

the first day. • Create a storyboard for that scene. You

can utilize celtx or you can draw it by hand.

• This will be due at the beginning of the next class.

Storyboard Example

Elements of a Hero’s Journey

• The Calling- a traumatic event. This may include having something taken away and the quest by the hero to regain it. It doesn’t always have to be agonizing, but instead creep up on the hero. It may include discontentment with the way the hero lives his/her life, and the quest to find what is missing.

• Threshold- the point where the hero takes action, or passes from the ordinary world into the extraordinary world, which is filled with danger and challenges. It is at the stage that the hero will meet people who may block her path. The hero may also meet a mentor at this stage, or helpers, that provide stability to the hero.

Example of a Hero’s Journey

• Initiation-during this stage, the hero faces both challenges and obstacles on his/her journey. In the beginning of the journey the challenges may seem relatively easy, but as the story progresses, the hero will face much more difficult tasks, which forces the hero to change and grow. The hero may meet foes that are disguised as friends. It is up to the hero to use his/her judgment to recognize friend from foe.

• The Abyss- the point where the hero must face his/her greatest fears. Sometimes the challenges become too great. It is here that the hero must either surrender to the fear or retreat.

Example of a Hero’s Journey

• Transformation-when the hero conquers the abyss, transformation occurs. Part of this process includes revelation, or a dramatic change in the way the hero views life.

• The Return- the final stage of the journey. This is the point where the hero returns to his/her ordinary life, but not without growing as a person. The hero may become stronger, wiser, or may become enlightened.