Storyboarding

Storyboarding is an important stage in the process of animation, but what exactly is it, and what does it entail? Well, I researched some basic definitions of storyboarding to give me some insight into this new and challenging world of animation.
 

Storyboards are graphic organisers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualising a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in the form it is known today, was developed at the Walt Disney Studio during the early 1930s, after several years of similar processes being in use at Walt Disney and other animation studios.

Simple storyboard with captions

 

How to make a storyboard-

The first step in creating a storyboard is to draw a series of squares on a piece of paper. Think of these squares as the video frame. In each square a different shot or scene will take place.  You can sketch the scenes by hand, create them on a computer or even take photographs. It is important to leave space to write notes the script beneath or next to each frame.    

Beneath each picture you should write the lines from the script that will be said in that shot and jot down some notes about what is happening in the scene.  People should be able to read through your storyboard like a comic book to get a sense of exactly what will happen in your video.

Note that your storyboard doesn’t have to be incredibly detailed — you don’t have to draw in all of the props or even use color.  If you’re not great at drawing that’s fine too.  Just provide enough visual detail to give an impression of what is happening, which characters are in the scene and what the general framing will look like.  The script and notes will help fill in the rest of the details.  You can also make notes about camera angles and movement, transitions between shots and other details that will come in handy during production and post production.