Before I draw the storyboards for a film project, I have to read the script to get an idea of what scenes I will have to draw and what angle shots to make sure that the visuals reflect/represent the words written in a screenplay page.
Here is an example from the film CLASSIC by filmmaker Michelle Hoffman. In the script, the main character starts to cry, a tear slowly trickling down her face. Decided to go for an extreme close up shot to reflect that subtle, emotional moment in that scene. Contrast that with the actual shot, a low angle close up, light source coming from the left side. It’s cool to see the creative decisions we made and how it translates from board to the actual film shot. You can see the light source coming from the left, creating a very subtle mood that reflects what the main character is feeling. In the storyboard, I cropped her face and focused on the eye, the main visual element in that scene that reflected the quiet/emotional moment in that scene. Thought it had more of a dramatic effect than a close up of the whole face plus I wanted to try something different with a close up, change it up a bit by going extreme. Make it a bit jarring. Someone once told me that close ups are great for dramatic effect. Use it sparingly, but when you do, it heightens the drama/tension of the film.
In conclusion, it starts with an idea, a storyline and then the script. No script, no storyboards. Or maybe, depending how a filmmaker conceptualizes his/her film before casting and shooting the film. As a storyboard artist, if the director hires me to draw the boards, I read the script to make sure that my visuals align with what’s written on the page and gets the filmmaker’s vision onto the screen. However, I make my own creative decisions in terms of what angle shots I want to use in the storyboards and what visual style fits/reflects the overall theme/look of the film.
Well, that’s about it. Have a great day, everyone and talk to you soon!
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Does the genre affect how you storyboard a script, Rich Terdoslavich?
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Nice work! I should get into doing my own storyboards/concept arts. I definitely have the scripts lol
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Hi, Maurice. That’s a great question. I would think so, yes. For an action scene, you might want to make it more dynamic, change out the angle while with a two shot it could be very subtle, emphasize cropping/framing and visual placement. I strongly recommend to anyone to watch as many films and study the visual styles of film directors. For a horror film, shadows, lighting, an expressionistic quality with Dutch angles would work depending on the nature of the script. For a drama, changing up the angles from shot to shot could work too. Sometimes you can see the dynamics in subtle scenes.
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Thanks, Banafsheh! If you ever need storyboards, you can message me on Stage. Talk to you soon!
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Thank you, everyone.
You're welcome, Rich Terdoslavich. Great tips! Thanks!
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No sweat, Maurice. It just depends on the script and thinking about what visual style would fit for the overall theme of the film. A lot of the 1930s horror films had that atmospheric expressionistic quality in those shots.