How to create your video storyboard and why it is so important
Regardless of whether you’re watching adverts, films, TV shows or corporate videos, all of them will have had some serious forethought and planning, way before the first “Camera! Lights! Action!” was even uttered.
The above genres may have different purposes, scripts and audiences behind them, but there’s one thing they will have in common – a storyboard or written creative treatment.
So, what is a storyboard exactly?
A storyboard is the visual foundation of your film – think of it as a map or a blueprint. A storyboard will map out in drawings (rather like a comic strip), how your story is going to develop. It won’t just map out the action, but it will also outline the film location, who will be on camera, the camera angle and shot size and so much more.
There will be a cost involved in creating a storyboard as you need someone with experience, imagination and a flair for producing creative illustrations. Whilst it doesn’t need to rival Michelangelo, the storyboard needs to convey enough detail to illustrate the concept, what’s going on in the shot and communicate the story. Creating a storyboard is best left to the experts, we use specialist storyboard artists to bring your corporate film idea to life.
If budgets don’t allow for design of a storyboard, a creative treatment can be produced. This is a written document which is often produced in two columns. The left column clearly describes the visual scenes, style and characters involved in the programme. The right hand column features the script. As you read, the document paints a clear image of what you will be seeing and hearing when you watch the final programme.
Whether producing a storyboard or creative treatment, they’ll need to display the on-scene action. That includes the dialogue, what’s going on in the background, the location and the characters involved in the scene. The idea is to create a detailed overview of how the corporate film will unfold and develop.
After you have refined and perfected your storyboard or creative treatment, you can distribute it to colleagues and crew members so everyone is ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’ and enable your corporate film to be well organised, thought out and ensure that nothing is left out.