A Storyboard, what and how do you make one?

 

A Storyboard, what and how do you make one?

As a writer, I never start a book without first writing the movie script. Why do I start this way, well that’s because I can get the story out of my head faster, and at the same time, I’m creating the storyboard of scenes. Once I get the script and storyboard finished I can begin to fill in the fluff and descriptions of characters, thoughts, emotions surroundings, etc., to flesh out the book to make it 125,000 words. But the storyboard is the most important thing of all. Allow me to explain why.

The storyboard is my outline for a book. It is my blueprint with roughly drawn sketches that help me remember what direction I want to take the story. It’s easier to change a storyboard, then it is to rewrite 30 pages of written material, but also to ensure that if it’s ever made into a movie, it doesn’t cost the production company, my company, a million dollars to make serious changes to the storyline.

So if you’re new to creating a storyboard, don't worry, I’ve got you covered.

Let’s get started.

There are many ways to create a storyboard. When I first started out writing my first book, I used a program called Storyboard which allowed me to create a written storyboard plus write the script. I used that software first because I was tight on funds, and it was free software. I’ve since graduated using Final Draft software to write my scripts. And I use index cards to create my storyboard. Index cards allow me to switch them around to change when a scene is to be told.

So what is a storyboard and why do I need one? A storyboard is a breakdown of scenes or movie shots in a visual presentation. You can use a storyboard not just for writing a book or a movie script, you can use it for your work to create a visual presentation to show off new products, a marketing campaign, or a simple sales pitch to your clients or boss. It kind of looks like a comic book version of your work because it’s simple sketches on each index card or slide that tell the director or person being shown the storyboard the direction of your story. This allows for the story to be told moment by moment and builds that gut-wrenching suspense that we all love in a story. Keeps us on our toes or the edge of our seats. Here is an example of what a storyboard looks like.

 

You don’t always need a storyboard for your project, but once you’ve begun using one in business or even creative projects such as movie scripts or novels your life will become so much easier and so will your project.

Many famous novelists use storyboards to create their amazing stories when writing a book. You won’t be able to miss a storyboard on any movie set because, without it, the actors and the directors won’t know where the story is going since they work on varied pages per day. I used to use storyboards to help a customer understand the use of a product and how it would help them generate more revenue in their business back in the day. This was before PowerPoint.

You don’t have to be an artist to create a storyboard. You can use photos or open-source pictures from the internet to create your storyboard. Especially if you can’t afford to hire an illustrator to help you make your
storyboard look truly professional. Pictures are called images on element panels and are numbered. When you know which panel is supposed to be in what place it’s easier to know how the flow of the story will go.

The panels or imagery shows the action, where the accompanying frame includes a section that tells the type of action or in some cases the specific lines for that action or even music to use.  Think about a PowerPoint panel you have a section for pictures in the main area and you have a section below where you can write your speech that you will read when the panel is visible to the viewer. Storyboards are the same in some cases. When you’re creating a storyboard for a movie script you would see the panel with the scene and which characters are in the scene, then the second panel would be for camera direction or which camera to be used to capture the scene on film.

This same concept goes for creating content for YouTube or any other social media platform. So as you can see, storyboarding is used for many things, the only question now is, why aren’t you using it instead of floundering around trying to get your story told, or even your brand seen by the right people? Get to it, start using the storyboard today.

Artist and Author Elizabeth Kilbride is a former political operative, author, scriptwriter, historian, and journalist. business professional, creative artist, and life coach consultant. Ms. Kilbride holds a master’s in criminology and a BS in Business Management she stepped out of the loop for a while but is now back with a powerful opinion and voice in the direction of this country and our economy. As a life coach, she is available to counsel individuals to enjoy their dreams and a better life. Ms. Kilbride loves to travel and photograph her surroundings and is also a gourmet cook who loves to garden and preserve food for the winter months.