CD 0225
Multimedia content
development
LECTURE FOUR: STORYBOARDING AND SCRIPTING
Storyboarding
A storyboard is a series of sketches, drawings or
photographs used to plan and prepare for filming
One may consider storyboards as virtual shoots in
this sense.
As your filmmaking skills develop and the scope
of your films increase you’ll realize more and
more that storyboards are a small but essential
component of directing and producing a
multimedia project.
Storyboarding
A storyboard is a great way to work out the
visuals of your story.
You can draw each of the shots you want to get
to create your film and add notes like camera
movement (pans, zooms) and audio you want
to use at that point.
Cont…
• Provides an overall rough outline of what the
presentation will look like, including:
i. Which topics go where,
ii. the links,
iii. and a conceptual idea of where your images
go, and what the layout will look like.
Advantages of Storyboarding
Save time on-set.
Help to avoid rushed decisions on-set.
Helps you improve and get feedback on
ideas.
Help to give you an idea of how many
cameras and camera angles you’ll need.
Help you prepare for any special and visual
effect shots.
Help you to experiment with different angles
and techniques.
Advantages of
Storyboarding.......
Helps with the overall pre-production of the
film, can be used as a base for filming.
Can help with continuity.
Bring your ideas to reality!
What you’ll need
Drawing apparatus (pencil, eraser, pen, the
usual…)
A template (not essential but does speed up
the process)
Your script / screenplay.
Some creativity, inspiration, and motivation.
Functions of Storyboards
Staging: The positioning of characters in each scene for
maximum emotional content and clear readability of actions.
In Animation it refers to the purpose of directing the audience's
attention, and make it clear what is of greatest importance in a
scene; what is happening, and what is about to happen.
Storytelling: Each panel's sketch clearly communicates to an
audience the important ideas expressed through the action of
each scene.
This is all compromised of different types of shots, framing /
editing principles, and scene transitions, and how they are
used by filmmakers to help tell a story.
Storyboard Usage
Film / Television / Video Games The
storyboard is essentially a large comic strip
of the film or some section of the film
produced beforehand to help directors,
cinematographers, video game cinematic
director and advertising clients to visualize
the scenes and find potential problems
before they occur.
Storyboard Usage
Animatics: In animation and special effects work, the
storyboarding stage is followed by a mock-up called
"animatics" (also known as story reels) to give a better
idea of how the scene will look and feel with motion
and timing.
All the panels get strung together in a slideshow with
the voice actors saying their lines in conjunction to the
scenes.
This is how you plan out the length of every shot and
sequence and ultimately time out the length of the
entire episode or film.
Storyboard Usage
Interactive Media / Advertising /
Business: Storyboards were adapted from the film
industry to business for planning ad campaigns,
commercials, workflow proposals or other projects
intended to convince or compel an audience to action,
and to pitch a concept to the client.
Storyboarding is even used in the fields of web
development, software development and instructional
design to present and describe interactive events as
well the display of flowcharts, audio elements and
motion graphics.
Most important!!!
Storyboarding it first will always help to PLAN
YOUR WORK, which is vital to figuring out
the staging of all your characters and
backgrounds and how the camera will frame
these elements.
The Anatomy of a Storyboard
The Anatomy of a Storyboard
Scripting
Scripting
Script-is the blueprint for production
Writing a story for the screen and not a novel or a short
story.
You must therefore write only what the cameraman can film or
the soundman can record.
Think of a series of events that will be interesting to watch –
as well as to listen to.
Think how the story can be told with pictures and sounds, as
well as dialogue (what your characters say).t
Parts of a Script
1. SCENE HEADINGS
2. ACTION
3. PARENTHETICALS
4. REACTION SHOTS
5. TRANSITIONS
Parts of a Script
SCENE HEADINGS – which show where the
action takes place and at what time
eg:
INT. THE HALLS OF MOIRA.
NIGHT.
or:
EXT. MOUNTAIN PASS. DAY
Parts of a Script
ACTION – short sentences describing what the camera is
pointing at and what the actors should be doing in frame,
eg:
He jumps from the tailgate of the truck.
His feet SLAP down on the tarmac.
CHARACTER NAMES – that tell the
production manager which actors need to be
available for each scene and tell the director
and actors what they need to do.
DIALOGUE – that tells the actors the words
they will need to learn and speak.
Parts of a Script
adverbs that tell the actors how
PARENTHETICALS –
they should say their lines.
These should only be used when the way the
actor says something goes against their
normal way of speaking or the emotion of the
situation; they are saying something with a
particular emphasis; or there is no other way
of writing it. For example:
FRODO
(screws up his courage)
I will take the Ring to Mordor!
Parts of a Script
REACTION SHOTS – that tell the other actors
how they should react to what other characters do
or say. For example, GANDALF beams with delight.
Please note reaction shots are as important as
dialogue and are often left out by new writers.
TRANSITIONS – words that tell the director when
to cut from one scene to the next to move the
CUT TO: ;
story forward, (e.g.
CROSSFADE TO: ; FADE OUT )
