Storyboards: Purpose & Form

Storyboards are a “sequence of drawings, typically with some directions and dialogue, representing the shots planned for a film or television production”. Here is an example of what they can look like:

Why are they good to use?

Storyboards are good to use because it allows the illustrator to experiment with changes in the story line which may reflect on the audience’s emotions/feelings. Storyboards are also good for films that are showing flashbacks because you change the pictures around in a non chronological order. Storyboards are used because they outline and show what exactly will be seen in the frame of the camera. Not only do storyboards do this, they also allow film directors and cinematographers to visualise any potential problems they might encounter and so it ensures they fix these problems to make the film/scene/play etc as well done as possible.

Form:

Storyboards take the form of grids of boxes. Each box represents a scene or, usually in bigger film production, a second of the scene. This is so there is a clear representation of what exactly is going on and it ensures that all the action matches up with each box. Under the grid of the storyboard, there is space for text underneath, which states what action is happening and any dialogue that is being said at the time of that action.