Q&A | 05. {storyboarding}
Thursday, May 27, 2010 at 3:10PM Tweet 
Storyboarding is one of the most important things you can do to get the visual elements of your imagination onto something concrete to share with others. They help everyone who is shooting stay on the same page with how shots and movements tie together visually. I did a post about storyboarding awhile back on the INFOCUS blog, but I never had a chance to post it here. I edited it up a bit and added some new photos to it as well. Also, I thought I would post some downloadable storyboard templates below so you can use them in sketching out your own storyboards. I had a hard time finding just the right layout online, so I designed some storyboard templates in photoshop and they have been a huge help. You can print up a bunch, hole punch them and storing them in a binder so the next time you want to jot down an idea you have the empty frame templates there to use.
Template 01/. 16x9 widescreen aspect ratio: DOWNLOAD
Template 02/. 2.35:1 cinescope aspect ration format: DOWNLOAD
Storyboarding is an incredibly useful tool within all genres of filmmaking. From documentary work to event filmmaking. Storyboards provide a visual reference for the action that propels the movement of the story. Unlike writing out a shot list or just having a general set of ideas of what shots and framing you want, sketching out your shots on paper helps illuminate how how each frame is juxtaposed with the next. And it also helps you get a basic idea how a sequence ebbs and flows.
Sometimes I storyboard to just quickly transfer an idea to paper, where I am the only one who can understand it and then at other times I storyboard more carefully so that others are able to follow the storyboards as well.
Other times I have an intricate and lengthly sequence in mind and I want to see how each frame will edit with the next....Below is a much more intricate sequence with ideas for camera movements included and some possible effects.
With storyboarding, there can be infinite levels of complexity (or simplicity) within each sequence, so to streamline the process I like to think of storyboarding as keyframing.
Applications like Final Cut Pro, Motion, After Effects, Maya, (the list can go on) all utilize keyframing – the setting of a point at the beginning and the ending of an action and allowing the computer to interpolate the action that will occur between those two points. A helpful way to viusalize what you are going to storybarod is to think of the keyframes – the crucial moments of a scene or sequence. Then, when I actually film the sequence, the actions of the people will fill in the moments between those keyframes.
Whether you are good at drawing or not, the most important thing (a wedding, a corporate promo or an event) is to go into the shoot with a plan. This is important so that you shoot with intent.
~Casey Warren.
Reader Comments (4)
Those templates are great, thanks for sharing bro! Great and informative post as usual :).
Randy,
Awesome! great to hear from you and I am glad you found the templates useful.
Aloha!!!
i always love watching you sketch out your thoughts...
This website has been very helpful for our cinematography students. Storyboarding is so tricky! One of our students gave an interview about learning the craft at the New York Film Academy. I think she's experimenting with storyboarding technology right now. http://www.nyfa.com/film-school-blog/insider-perspective-nyfa-students-on-film-school/