Advice needed! My agent has approached a producer for a script I've written. The producer is very enthusiastic, and has asked for a storyboard of the script- my agent has thus asked me to organise this. The producer hasn't read the script but they know the outline of the story from beginning to end. Is this normal? I thought storyboards were coming later in the process... What do people think about this? I guess my next question is: do I do this? Should I use some software? I'm decent at drawing but this obviously isn't my forte! Any advice is really appreciated!
Screenwriting : Storyboards?! by Ben Felix Spencer
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If you feel that the enthusiasm is legitimate, you can definitely not blow this. I would get together with a person as opposed to a program so that you can discuss in detail the shots that are really important to your creation. It will cost you a percentage in the eventual development, but it's definitely worth it. With 110% of this business being visual people, a well presented storyboard can raise the bar pretty high...
I used to do storyboards 30 years ago. Nobody has asked for one in 20 years. Fascinating
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If the producer was really enthusiastic, he would have asked to read your screenplay.
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That's crazy. You're a writer, not a graphic artist. This is something the production company or studio normally takes care of. Unless you know an artist who will do this work for free, it would be money out your pocket. It's a very unusual request that smells fishy.
Thanks everyone, yeah I thought it was crazy. Time to get onto the agent...
RTF is just text -- most writing software has that option as a format. AmazonStoryteller does let you use the software without submitting a script through the process (but you still have to sign up etc.) It's in beta so it's a WIP -- there are a lot of storyboarding tools out there that don't require drawing skills -- some are free some are not. Ultimately, some decision makers are more visual, so there is nothing unheard of in submitting a storyboard -- it may even help you hone the script in the process.
Wow - Great question Ben. I would tend to agree that Storyboards are created by the producer/director when they get down to business of mapping out the film not as a tool to sell the script. BUT I AM AM BRAND NEW at this this called film-making so my advice carries no weight. For giggles and grins I looked up http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/storyboarding-your-film.html. This at least begins to outline the amount of work included in story-boarding. It would seem to suggest that this is an after acceptance and funding activity...
It's the one advantage to adapting a graphic novel like "The Road To Perdition" into a screenplay. The storyboards already exist. I know it doesn't apply in this case, I'm just making the point.
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Have to agree with everything stated here. Never heard of such a thing. The mere fact that the producer wants storyboards without having read the script is a gigantic red flag. You have any information on this producer? Has he actually produced anything?
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Richard makes a great point. Whenever a producer makes a "request" for something extra (without committing him/herself), I always check their track record. If they have no track record, red flags will wave.
It's like a dinosaur question
Screenwriters storyboarding? Perhaps you should seek assistance on this instead of doing it yourself (?)
I think if I were you I would do whatever it takes to get the story out. There is so much competition out there for scripts. If you can't do it find someone who can and get it to him quick. Learning to do it yourself will only make you greater in the long run.
My Mom has script that is amazing. She put camera shots and everything in hers. I ask her how she did it. She said I simply watched it in my head as it was playing out in my mind. Then through in what types of shots that were needed. She draw a pic of every shot. She spent months working on it. Its about a Director of the NSA who has to choose between his Country or the lives of his children. The problem around Branson No is finding a director with deep pockets. But they all love the story but are telling her its a multi million dollar project. I agree because its full of special effects.
What is "very enthusiastic?" How many grand is that exactly? You basically want some kind of LOI in place first, something that says the producer will offer up an investment, etc, before you go any further.
well you could hire a storyboard artist from here or various sources, but they typically charge per panel, that can be anywhere from $25-100 + depending on the artist (typically B/W)
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And you could pay the salaries of the cast and crew... is that too much to ask?
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OK so after some better communication the producer wants some images made of a dozen or so key moments in the film to use a promo material. This actually makes sense to me. So they want descriptions of these scenes only. So this is a relief!
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Is it a pitch deck they are asking for? More of a presentaton of the film.