What Is a Storyboard?
When it comes to the creation of a video production – particularly an animated video production – there are few aspects of “the process” as important as a storyboard.
“But what is a storyboard, and why is one so important?!” we hear you ask! Don’t worry – we’ve got that covered and then some! All you need to do is carry on reading for infinite wisdom…
So, what is a storyboard?
Put simply, a storyboard is a visual flow of how a video will unfold. Think of it like a plan of your video or a script in visual form.
Each frame in a storyboard is laid out with notes attached to them, regarding elements such as what is being said, what the characters might be wearing, or what props are featured in that scene.
Most storyboards tend to come as a series of still images (either on screen or on paper), however animated storyboards are becoming increasingly popular thanks to their ability to bring graphics “to life”.
Our fantastic animation team love making animated storyboards. Here’s one they made earlier for a project with the University of Wolverhampton!
In short, a storyboard shows the narrative flow of a video scene-by-scene.
Why is a storyboard so important?
Storyboards are a key part of the video production process in more ways than one.
Firstly, they give both us, the video production company, and you, the client, the opportunity to know what’s going to be happening in each frame of the video before it’s created.
When it comes to producing a video, communication is key, and a storyboard is a big part of that communication.
A storyboard provides the client with the opportunity to give specific feedback on a frame-by-frame basis before production starts.
This usually results in less “back and forth” once production is underway – something which is appreciated all round!
Secondly, storyboards can get across a lot of information far more succinctly than text ever could.
“A picture is worth a thousand words” may be a bit of a cliche, but we do think it’s true.
Trying to sum up every aspect of a scene – character design, colour schemes, camera angles, dialogue etc. – solely using text is difficult!
An annotated image however clears a lot of the clutter, and makes things easier to understand for the client. That can only be a good thing!
Can a client build a storyboard?
Of course!
If a client has a particular idea in mind for the narrative of a video – or maybe just a selection of scenes at one specific point of the video – we would actively encourage the creation of a storyboard from our client.
To build a storyboard yourself, you’ll need either a pencil/pen and a piece of paper, or an online template – these are freely available via a quick “storyboard templates” Google search.
So, that’s what a storyboard is, why it’s important, and how you can build one yourselves if you so please. Thanks for reading!
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