9 Good Reasons Why You Should Use Storyboards by Bill & Alexander Shuamke

Storyboards serve multiple purposes and are an extremely valuable tool when making a low-budget movie. This post will tell you why they are more than just a pre-visualization test, and why you may want to use STORYBOARDS on your next production.

1. ALLOWS YOU TO WATCH YOUR WHOLE MOVIE BEFORE PRODUCTION Storyboards give you the opportunity to see your whole movie, shot for shot, before you ever step foot onto set, allowing you to see what works and more importantly what doesn’t work. Being able to make needed changes prior to production can result in thousands of dollars, and hours of time saved.

2. HELPS YOU FIND THE BEST WAY TO SHOOT YOUR SCENE Spending time to pre-visualize your movie not only helps you avoid bad shots and sequencing problems, but it also helps you think of the BEST way to actually shoot your movie. For example, there are a million and one ways to film a scene – some better than others – storyboarding your scenes forces you to think about what you want to shoot, and all the different possibilities. This allows you to make a scene that’s not only going to look good, but also tell your story more smoothly and effectively to your audience!

3. DOES YOUR SCENE WORK WITHOUT DIALOGUE? Remember, movies are a visual medium so you not only need to be able to TELL a good story but you also need to be able to tell it using IMAGES. With storyboards you can check to make sure that your shots are telling the story without having to use dialogue. If you can do this you will not only make a better scene but your movie can also be understood across the world by visual cues alone! NOTE: This is the reason animated movies typically storyboard their films; because if it works visually they know it will work really well once they add everything else.

4. THEY HELP COMMUNICATE YOUR IDEAS TO THE CAST AND CREW Storyboards are not just for the director, they are for EVERYBODY. By using storyboards, your DP (director of photography), Grip & Lighting Dept., Production Designer, Cast, etc. all get a better idea for what your vision is and can now better help you create your masterpiece. Every department gets something useful from seeing your storyboards. This is especially true for Special FX or Stunt departments. They need a clear understanding of your shots because what you see in your head may not be practical for either safety or budgetary reasons.

5. ALLOWS YOU TO SAVE BOTH TIME AND MONEYWhen you’re making a low-budget movie you need to be able to save time and money any way you can, and storyboards are one of the easiest ways to do that. By knowing exactly what you’re going to shoot you won’t have to waste your time or the cast and crew’s time thinking of shots on set. Time is of the essence when trying to shoot cheap and fast.

Storyboards will also help save you money as they will force you to hone your vision and discover exactly what you need to shoot your scene, helping to eliminate all the expensive fluff that could bust the budget of your production. This way of thinking will also save you money in both pre- and post-production. For example, if you can tell the production designer the frame of each shot for a scene and where you will be shooting inside a location then they can decorate just the sections you will be filming at instead of wasting both time and money set dressing the entire location.

6. GIVES YOU A GAME PLAN You would never go into a business meeting without a plan or preparation; well the same concept applies here. Storyboards give you a plan so that you don’t stumble during you biggest and most important meeting – production. Even if things arise that prevent you from following your storyboards shot for shot, they can still act as a valuable guide.

7. ALLOWS YOU TO FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES When you’re on set you’ll be asked a million and one questions from each department: Does this look good? Do you want the red shirt or blue shirt?, Who do we need for the next scene? That’s why you want to be sure and storyboard your scenes, so that you don’t have to be answering all these questions and worrying about the next shot. You can go through your list, set-up the next shot and still have time to calmly answer all these questions without your head exploding.

8. GIVES YOU MORE FREEDOM ON SET The better you know your material, the more freedom you gain on set. Often times during production you are forced to make changes to your shots, no matter how well you prepped the film, but if you’ve storyboarded beforehand you will still be much better off. Because by knowing your material and what you need to make your story work, you will be able to quickly and wisely make the necessary changes on the fly when unforeseen circumstances force changes.

9. YOUR PERSONAL CHECKLIST When you are shooting, so many things will be running through your head that you are bound to forget some things. By storyboarding your movie you will not only have created a great sequence, but you will have made a checklist of every shot you need. This is a simple and obvious reason to storyboard, because it will surprise you how often you can forget a shot even with a checklist in hand.Storyboards, while not necessary, are a very useful weapon to have in your arsenal during production. While circumstances may not allow you to follow them shot for shot they will still prove to be a great benefit for these nine reasons.

Though some consider storyboards optional, I feel they can greatly benefit both you and your production. Think of them as your play book.

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