clearly they will communicate the content. Many
directors make extensive use of storyboards in
their productions, especially in laying out highly
complex action sequences. Storyboarding is
also useful for working out consistent screen
direction in complex physical sequences, like
fi ghts and chases.
Managing screen direction is covered in Chapter 19,
Directing for Form.
In today’s productions, compositing and
other techniques are often used to combine
quite different visual elements. Storyboarding
is essential so that the creators of live action,
computer graphics, and other elements can
design components that match and fi t together
in the fi nal images.
Writing a Script
Another way to lay out a detailed
production design is by writing a full script. A
script describes every sequence in your program,
including both video and audio components.
A script is especially useful if the program
contains dialogue to be memorized and spoken
by actors and/or voice-over text to be read by an
off-screen narrator. Scripts are also a common
alternative to storyboards for presenting programs
to clients. They are especially valuable for
planning and budgeting a production, since
they include every element of the program in
a compact narrative form.
The Scripting Process
Writing a script can follow any system—or
no system at all. In commercial and industrial
production, however, the process of creating a
script often breaks down into fi ve stages:
1. Producer and client agree upon the program’s
content and concept.
2. A detailed content outline is written. This is
often critiqued by the client and then revised
by the writer.
3. A fi rst draft script is written. This is the initial
attempt to lay out a complete production
script. Usually the client reviews this draft
and orders revisions.
because they present concrete images instead of
the abstract words that describe them. Some
people have less talent than others for thinking
graphically. The problem is that they are often
unaware of their inability to visualize, and so they
indicate understanding of written descriptions
when they really can’t imagine them. The result
can be serious miscommunication. A storyboard
presents the images in pre-visualized form,
along with captions containing dialogue, sound
effects, and descriptions of the action.
Shot Planning
Where complex visual sequences are involved,
storyboarding can help you as well as others. By
planning all camera shots in advance, you can
see how well they will edit together and how
A Storyboard Sequence
Here is part of a storyboard sequence as
an advertising agency might create it for the
Sidewinder Drill program.
A storyboard sheet.
(FrameForge)
168 Video Digital Communication & Production