What is storyboarding

 Story boarding 

What is storyboarding? 

Story boarding is a visual representation of a film sequence broken down into individual panels/ boxes and is still very relevant now days. These boxes include a series of drawings, dialogue, shot number, camera direction... and it is all in order.

A storyboard consists of- 

• shot number
• location
• action
• shot/ movement
• sound
• lighting
• transition 

Here is an example of a blank story board template. In the small rectangular boxes, dialogue and any extra information can be included.

Story boarding is very important not only before filming, but also after. 

They are a huge help when planning and organising your film- (what shots, what order...) It also gives you an idea of what you want to film which saves you a lot of time. If directors went on set with no storyboard, a lot of time (and money) would be wasted trying to figure out shots on set. Having a plan gives directors a good idea of what they want shot, although there are times where an idea may come up on set and some improvisation  is used, but they are a rough plan of how the scene should play out. 

Story boards are also good because they are visual. They help you see what will work and what won't. For example, you have the idea to shoot two wide shots and a close up, but when drawing it out visually, it may not look like what you wanted it to look like. You can change your idea before you get to shooting day because you’ve seen it visually which again saves time and money. 

This is a visual storyboard. There is a clear plan of what order the shots go in and what is going on in that shot. 

Editing can also be taken into account during the process of storyboarding. For example, when drawing the shots out, you may decide a transition such as a fade would work between the two shots. This helps the editor in the future (in this instance us)

It is also important after filming because it helps editors match the final film to what they can visually see on the storyboard. The storyboard can guide their choices.