Storyboards Jim Henson and Frank Oz looking at

Storyboards Jim Henson and Frank Oz looking at storyboards for The Dark Crystal (1982)

What are Storyboards? • • Quick sketches Show basic images Show movement Show framing and composition Unknown John Carpenter film

Jen from The Dark Crystal (1982)

Why are storyboards needed? • Facilitates communication • Allows a visual of the screenplay – Picture is worth a thousand words • Know what the director has in his mind

Check out these two slides. One is a storyboard. One is the actual film. Look how similar they are. Images from RENT http: //www. exposure. co. uk/eejit/storybd/

You don’t need to be an artist… …although it helps!

How to make a storyboard: • Be sure to number each box! • Make sure the subjects and objects fill the right amount of the frame • Use arrows to show movement • A few notes here and there are helpful – But keep them brief and to the point!

A series of storyboards from The Dark Crystal…

Notice that every new shot has its own storyboard. Sometimes, a shot may have multiple boards.

Notice the angle this board depicts—it’s a bit low, looking up.

Notice that the images do change, but they give a close approximation of what the final image will look like.

These boards give an overhead layout to show where characters stand. They also show camera angles.

Commercials require storyboards… …as do video games (see handout)

Storyboards don’t require drawing. • Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Sin City, Spy Kids) uses video storyboards. • Models • Computer images • Color

Computer Programs to Aid in Storyboarding • • Word document (make a bunch of boxes!) Boon Toon Comic Life Celtx