What’s a Storyboard: Importance of Storyboard in Filmmaking and Video?
The importance of storyboarding for making videos is something we cannot deny. Why? Let’s discuss it here.
What is a storyboard?
To begin with, let’s revise what’s a story made on boards and if a storyboard is useful for what.
A storyboard is a sketch where you tell your future story with characters and backgrounds. This set of slides helps you see the big picture of the whole story anticipated at the end. The storyboard provides an opportunity to fully prepare the rest of the crew for any video production.
There are also several types of them you may come across while making videos or shooting films. But first things first.
Types of storyboards
Depending on your future video concept, you may choose the type of storyboards to make sketches more comfortable: traditional, digital, or other.
First, you need to distinguish between the areas of application.
Storyboarding for 3D visual content:
- 3D video examples
- uses three-dimensional spaces – movies, TV series, for example content of 3D animation companies – video clips, commercials, etc.
- operates only with key shots.
- formed on the basis of the logic of spatial mise-en-scène and camera operation, using an established language of terms, graphic designations, and a system of notations of the explanatory text.
Even a person who cannot draw beautifully can master this storyboarding method.
Storyboarding for 2D visual content:
- 2D animation materials.
- professional artists involved.
- creates illustration, sometimes even too detailed or beautiful.
Sometimes storyboarding can be done without a script.
There is also such a thing as a ‘client storyboard’ made for a custom video ad.
The name itself speaks of its purpose. The illustrator creates the sketches for the agency according to the copywriter’s text, and the lucky customer approves them.
Here the story may be presented with a storyboard in its refined form. It is impossible to work with these beautiful pictures on the site. That way would be more correct, more accurate, faster, and more functional.
Nevertheless, all storyboards contain three common elements:
- a specific scenario,
- visuals,
- and explanatory captions.
Storyboards can also be used in different areas of video for startaps.
How Storyboarding Can Help Your Business
Why using storyboarding for your business marketing? Why are storyboards important? Here are some obvious reasons to consider.
Get buy-in from stakeholders
When you have your workshop with the production team with a storyboard at hand, there is no need to explain what should be done to the visual designers, partners, or anyone involved, including your business stakeholders. There will be no need to prove the importance of storyboarding or confirming the budget to anyone. They will all see it work and pay up.
Get everyone aligned
Every crew member during the video production: be it a director, artist, random client, etc., will be on the same page and build a constructive dialogue while filmmaking when they see those sketches.
Therefore, the team can understand the plot in more detail without going into lengthy discussions. The designer will better understand what frame will be needed to create an incredible video, what tools to apply, and so on and on.
You also gather with the light technicians to set up the lighting schemes and solutions if you shoot the film.
Simplifies communication
During filming, the supervisor will be able to do special effects planning faster. And if there is a producer of your video ad, all the production costs will be calculated twice faster.
So, any production project may be done in more detail. You communicate at all stages of the process faster and easier. You can analyze the course of events, modify and improve the project anytime.
Speeds up production
In addition, during the storyboard stage, you can discuss and change some moves and scenes, which can benefit the final result. And the changes made on the go will be displayed immediately and available to every member of the team.
The conversation is helpful. But what’s even more helpful is that you change and adjust at early stages. Like in design workshops – the earlier you notice the mistake, the better to fix it without losing much time and money.
Why You Need a Storyboard?
Well-though storyboard guarantees saving production time and significantly reducing costs. What may be more efficient to your stakeholders than that?
The storyboard may be brightly described by a quote from a famous French cinematography classic Rene Clair: “My film is ready, it‘s only left to shoot it.”
Indeed, the creator should first come to meetings with colleagues in the production group being well prepared with the storyboards.. Second, both the operator and the artist may work with maximum efficiency, solving practical issues, but not the director’s imaginary or bare words about the concepts and so on
As a result, the producer will estimate the project as accurately as possible and spend the budget more efficiently. Which’s a mutual win-win for the whole marketing product design team.
Takeaway
Importance of storyboards is simple as it is. It has practical meaning to all the team members as well as stakeholders.
So, you will not make gross mistakes, which will save you money. You can analyze the course of events, modify and improve the project ad so much more.
No matter the importance of storyboard in filmmaking, design, or any other niche, it’s the best tool to visualize the material in traditional, digital, or another ways. In the case, you experience some uncertainty with that; feel free to ask for advice.
