Storyboards are used in all forms of films and programmes. Action films will often have the most heavily detailed storyboards out of any film since it has so much to plan out. Their storyboards can sometimes have frame by frame sketches for a scene. Below is a photo of the opening scene from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' which was very detailed storyboarded.
Storyboards are used mostly in Pre-Production but can also be used in the 'selling' of the script. They can be used to show the way the production would work for the commissioner. During pre-production, storyboards are used to plan and design the production. These are what will help you design, plan shots, etc. During Production, storyboards are used as a guide to setting up the shots on the day. Some productions use the storyboards as a first point of reference. Others will only use them as a rough guide or back-up. Some productions don't use storyboards at all! Some will only use a shot list and not create a storyboard, they aren't needed. It all depends on the Director and production.
Storyboards can also be used during post-production. They can help the editor piece together and see the planned structure of the production and it can help the director with this as well. They can speed up the editing progress largely.
Storyboard Styles
There are 3 time styles of storyboards:
- graphic
- diagrammatical
- plan view
Graphic is the most detailed type of storyboard, always used in action dependent films and series. These will be hugely detailed and lots on information
Diagrammatical are widely used in the industry. These are less 'artistic' but still give detailed information about the design of the shot and gives an idea of how the scene will be filmed.
Plan view storyboards are usually one drawing for each scene and will be more of a floor plan. These are used a lot with multi-camera production and these will detail where the cameras are going to go.
Shot descriptions
The main descriptive purpose of a storyboard is to design the shot and frame size of the scene. There are a few different ones:
- Birds-eye view or angel's perspective
- Extreme long shot (ELS)
- Long shot (W.S.)/Wide shot (W.S.)
- Medium shot (M.S)
- Close up shit (C.U)
- Extreme close up (E.C.U)
Wide, medium and Close up are the main three that will be used in a production. As well as frame size, camera movement and/or positioning is important for shot description:
- Tilt shot
- Crane shot
- Pan shot
- Tracking shot
- Dolly shot
As well as movement, specific angles and position can be put into a shot description.
- Two shot (two characters appearing in the same frame)
- Low angle (positioned below, looking up at the subject)
- High angle shot (looking down at the character)
- Over the shoulder
The steadicam
The steadicam came along in the early 1970's and is now widely used and can be combined with all types of shot descriptions. Steadicam's can allow you to do more steady 'hand held' shots, you can do a single shot that moves through the action but this takes a lot of practice and planning.
Trailers
Trailers are designed to hook the audience into watching a specific film or programme. The film might be over 2 hours long, but the trailer will shorten it down to a few moments and show the best bits or certain bits of action to make you want to watch the film. Trailers will usually be made up of the most exciting, dramatic, comedic or shocking moments of the film and will be edited together with music and titles.
TV trailers are now a huge widespread and mostly won't even be the same as the programme. It'll sell and make people want to watch the programme but won't be like the programme style that people are use to.
The questions that need to be asked to making a trailer:
- What is the story?
- When is it on?
- Who is it aimed at?
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