GENERATOR
Production: Understanding
Storyboards
Education Resources
CONTENTS
UNDERSTANDING STORYBOARDS ..................................................... 3
Introduction..................................................................................................................... 3
Storyboard language ........................................................................................................ 3
Script breakdown ........................................................................................................ 3
Aspect ratio ................................................................................................................6
Arrows ........................................................................................................................6
Drawing....................................................................................................................... 7
Storyboard Generator.......................................................................................................8
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HTTP://GENERATOR.ACMI.NET.AU/RESOURCES/SCRIPTWRITING-AND-STORYBOARDS
UNDERSTANDING STORYBOARDS
INTRODUCTION
A storyboard is the visual interpretation in pictures of a script or story. The purpose of a
storyboard is to provide the crew who are making the project with sequential images
relating to the script that describe action, location and camera movement. This enables the
crew to fully understand the director’s vision of the script.
This important working document allows discussion and planning over various aspects of
the story such as: technical preparation; mood; timing; location; set design; stunts; special
effects (SFX) and visual effects (VFX).
In a film production, the heads of department in the production company (producers,
director, 1st assistant director, cinematographer, production designer, art director, stunt
coordinator, script supervisor, special effects, visual effects, hair and makeup, wardrobe,
locations manager, etc.) will then meet to read and discuss the storyboards. The
storyboards are now, in effect, the “blueprints” for shooting the film, video, animation or
television commercial - hence the crucial role that storyboards play.
If every picture tells a thousand words, then one storyboard sequence must surely speak
volumes!
STORYBOARD LANGUAGE
Storyboards communicate very specific information to the crew covering all aspects of the
filmmaking process. For this reason, they are drawn using a certain language.
Storyboards are almost always presented in the aspect ratio (dimensions) of the finished
product for compositional purposes. The use of arrows within the frame is commonplace.
Composition and framing is of utmost importance both cinematically and for storytelling.
The process of storyboarding covers four main areas:
• Script Breakdown
• Aspect Ratio
• Arrows
• Drawing
Script Breakdown
A sequence or scenario is taken and broken down into moments, or “beats”, ideally with the
director, which will tell the story and also ascertain exactly what “coverage” is required for
that scene.
For example, take a scene in which we have dialogue between two people. In order to make
the scene fluid, there should be coverage for individual reactions and dialogue on each
character (a single shot – see Figure 1); on the two characters together (a clean two shot –
see Figure 2) ; and past each character to the other (an over the shoulder shot – see Figure
3).
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Figure 1: a single shot
Figure 2: a two shot
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Figure 3: an over the shoulder shot
That makes five shots, or “set-ups” to be drawn and to plan.
The dialogue will be repeated and filmed in each set-up. “Shoot it from all angles” is a
common phrase in filmmaking, and our five set-ups don’t even include an establishing
shot, character entrances, detail cutaways, close ups or exit shots!
Okay, so once shot, this coverage allows the film maker to have multiple choices for editing
the footage and so tell the story to best effect.
Storyboarding all these shot options not only allows technical planning, but also reminds
the director of all the shots and coverage necessary.
“Damn! We were so busy I didn’t get the single on Fred! Should’ve storyboarded it!!”, which
then means going back to film the forgotten shot, called “pick-ups”, or doing without it
whereby the story will suffer for the loss of Fred’s dialogue.
So, storyboards represent the camera shots or set-ups required to tell a story, sequence or
particular action on film or other media.
Sometimes, more than one storyboard frame will be required to describe the action in a
particular shot, as is apparent in the Storyboard Generator
http://generator.acmi.net.au/storyboard , whereby each frame allows for tilts, pans, and
zooms.
This was achieved by drawing the storyboard with allowance for a full frame’s width and
height on both sides and top and bottom, so that your chosen camera move can float over
the image as you would like.
Most static, two dimensional storyboards, however, will use an “A” and a “B” frame to
show the beginning and end of a camera move.
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Aspect Ratios
Storyboards should be drawn in the chosen aspect ratio in which the film, video or
animation will be filmed and screened:
4:3
16:9
1:1.85
2:1
2.35:1
Television Standard
Short Film, Digital Video and Television* (often called “Widescreen” for TV)
American Cinema Standard
Cinemascope
Anamorphic
*ACMI’s Storyboard Generator storyboards are drawn in 16:9 aspect ratio.
Arrows
Arrows are used to describe the movement of both the camera and of subjects within the
frame. I prefer to draw arrows with a three-dimensional look so that a feeling of depth
within a frame can be achieved.
In storyboard language, using arrows is very important in showing camera and subject
movement to quickly answer possible questions.
In each case below, there is an issue in the filmmaking process: script timing, line of action
and special effects, respectively.
“Is that character entering or exiting?”
Script Timing - In other words, are we wasting time at the beginning or end of this shot
because we’ll never use it?
“She’s turned away, but which way?”
Line of Action - If a character turns or looks to the wrong screen direction, it can appear that
they are talking to someone else, or out a window, or at a wall.
“Has the car landed on Fred’s head already, or do we see the car fall on him?”
Special Effects - Either a relatively simple Art Department question, or a very big and
expensive Special Effects, Stunts and Visual Effects question.
An arrow sitting over or against the edge of the frame pointing either in, out, up, down, left
or right indicates the movement of the Camera.
Often I will write inside the arrow the action of the move, such as “TRACK”, “PAN”, “TILT”,
“ZOOM”, “PUSH IN”, “WHIP”, etc. for Camera and “TURNS”, “EXITS”, “ENTERS”,
“CRUSHES FRED”, etc. for Subjects.
Therefore arrows are very much a part of our Storyboarding Language, and should be
understood by everyone who makes film and has read a Storyboard (see Figure 4).
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Figure 4: Example of a head turn arrow
Drawing
Drawing storyboards for a project involves the production of a great many frames or panels,
and a feature film can demand several hundred, and sometimes thousands of frames.
If you need to make storyboards for a project, don’t worry if you “can’t draw”.
Over the years I have developed a storyboarding shorthand that can assist film makers in
drawing, or rather writing, their own storyboards. This shorthand is used to describe
rudimentary positions and movements for figures and objects within storyboards. It is
designed as a visual vocabulary, or alphabet, of symbols representing humans, animals,
cars, houses etc. that can be easily learned and referred to, so that your storyboards can be
understood without the need to have high skills in drawing.
Projects with larger budgets, however, will employ a professional storyboard artist who can
draw with great detail and accuracy thus providing more comprehensive communication
regarding all aspects of the filmmaking process, from camera lenses to wardrobe.
The time spent on proper preparation will almost certainly save hours of indecision,
mistakes, frustration and money during production. In all, storyboarding and planning are
integral and essential parts of making any form of moving image project.
By Brendan Tolley
http://www.tolleyillustration.com/
Tolley is a professional freelance Storyboard Artist and Illustrator in the film and TV
commercial industries in Melbourne and Sydney. Tolley's love of writing and drawing
comics led him into drawing storyboards and he has being doing so for the past 15 years.
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STORYBOARD GENERATOR
To explore storyboarding concepts further, go to the Storyboard Generator:
http://generator.acmi.net.au/storyboard. Choose a script and create a storyboard. Build
your own storyboard using background location photographs.
Save and share your storyboard video with friends. To be able to save your storyboard you
will need first to register with Generator.
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