Task: 20 - Idiots Guide to Storyboarding

·       It is important to complete the script before beginning the storyboard, however because our storyboard is based on a song, the script is already created, meaning the storyboard can be started immediately based on each section of the song.

·     The storyboard is comprised of square boxes in which the contents of the scene is drawn in the box with space underneath to fill in action, dialogue or notes.

·      The first box should establish the scene and location. Any important objects should be drawn in the first box in order that they can be used and understood in the subsequent boxes.

·      Use arrows and notes to show any movement in the shot. This means that instead of using 5 shots to gradually show movement happening, you can have one shot and use an arrow in the direction of travel.

·      Sounds can be written below the drawing along with sound effects as the storyboard is essentially a comic strip of the music video.

·      A new frame must be made for every significant action movement or new camera angle.

·      Notes should be made about movements, sounds or special effects.

·      The camera should be angled to ensure that the pictures are not 2D and flat.

·      The camera angle can be used to portray the opinions on certain characters and their importance.

·      Establishing shots = can be used to illustrate the set, location or start position of characters.

·      Full, Medium, Close, Extreme Close: If you're showing a character, how much are you showing? Full (FS) shows the whole body, Medium (MS) shows waist up, Close (CU) shows shoulders and head, and Extreme Close Up (ECU) shoes only face.

·      Up Shot / Down Shot: Up Shots look up at a character, while Down Shots look down from above. "Worm's Eye" and "Bird's Eye" are the extreme versions of each.

·      Over the Shoulder (OTS): One of your most important terms, these shots have one person or thing on the side of the frame, back turned, while looking at another. Very common in conversations between two people.

·      Two-shot: When both characters, usually speaking to each other, are both in the frame at once. When drawing dialogue, two-shots often alternate with OTS shots.

·      POV Shots Are simply when the camera mimics the point of view of a character.

·      Include different camera angles: "Tracking' is when the camera follows the action without cutting, like following someone as they walk down the street. Use arrows to indicate motion, and multiple frames if needed.

·      Pans are when the camera simply rotates in one direction, often following a character as they move or exposing something near them. Draw an arrow illustrating the camera's direction.

·      Trucks are when the camera physically moves in or out. Imagine a shot of a TV, then the camera slowly "trucking" back to reveal a family watching the TV in the living room. Use 4 lines, pointing from the center of the screen out to the corners, to show trucking.

·      Rack Focus is when you have a blurry object in the background and a clear one in the foreground, then the focus shifts from one to the other (it can go in reverse, too). Draw a line indicating where the focus starts and where it moves to.

·      It is important to mention the location of a subject in the box:

• ·      Foreground (FG): The area close up to the camera.
•  Midground (MG): The center of the frame
• ·      Background (BG): The are furthest from the camera.
• ·      Off-screen (O/S): Helpful if there is a noise, dialogue, etc. that the viewers can't see, or if a character enters or exits the frame completely.
• ·      Overlay (OL): When one object or image is superimposed on another but both are visible.
• ·      Lastly, it is important to number the shots correctly in order to understand the order that each shot goes in.