Charlotte's AS Media Blog 2014: Storyboard Research

What is a Storyboard?

A storyboard is a series of illustrations or images displayed in an ordered sequence for the purpose of showing early visuals of a film. It is essentially a comic strip used to visualise the scenes in the film.

What are the Standard Conventions?

The basic storyboard conventions in live action films for a storyboard is that it covers camera movements and which shots have been selected for the frame.

What are the benefits to producing a Storyboard prior to filming?

The benefits of producing a storyboard prior to filming is that it informs the production team of the vision of what the film is meant to look like. In addition it helps making filming on location easier since you can refer to the storyboard to check what shot you will be using and if you have filmed each shot correctly to the intended vision. It allows people working on the film project to work more efficiently since they have a guide to follow, ven if on location it deviates from the original plan it can keep a team organised and this vital to stay on track.

Storyboard example from a real media product

Below is a storyboard for the 'Tigris of Gaul' from the film Gladiator. Underneath the storyboard is the scene from the film which would have been produced from the story board. (Notice that in the storyboard the tiger comes into the arena via an entrance in the floor and in the film it replicates this with the tiger emerging from an hidden entrance in the floor.

Our Storyboard

This is the storyboard for our film Hacked. It contains 37 frames and a brief description of what shot is used and what will happen on screen in each frame. In some of the frames you will notice arrows indicating where an actor or object is moving in the shot.