How to Draw Storyboards
Complete your script before getting started on the storyboards., Draw squares for each scene, leaving room for dialogue underneath., Establish the location, and any important objects, in your first box of the scene., Use arrows and notes to show any...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Complete your script before getting started on the storyboards.
If the script is a template for how a movie will sound, storyboard are the template for how they look.
Storyboards are how you visualize how actors, props, backgrounds & camera angles will fit together in any particular scene or sequence of shots.
It is your chance to visually map out the film before expensive cameras, actors, and crews are waiting around on set.
That said, one of the jobs of a storyboarder is to take the script and improve on it by adding visuals.
You must know the full arc of the story before you get started. -
Step 2: Draw squares for each scene
Once you've written your script and have an idea of what will happen in your movie, get yourself some paper or poster board to assemble your storyboard on.
Like a comic strip, each square represents a shot or scene and the space underneath is where you fill in the dialogue, notes, or action.
While you can draw your own boards, there are many free templates online that you can print out to start sketching immediately. , The most important function of the storyboard is to show how the shot is going to look.
For your first board, you'll want all the essential details so that people reading it know where they are.
When wondering what to include, always ask the question: "is this essential to understanding the scene?" Anytime you change locations you need to draw in a new the background.
Remember, you're telling the story visually.
Try to imagine what you would need to see if this were a movie.
If the background doesn't change between shots, you can leave it blank and focus on the action. , For example, if you want one character to punch another , you don't need to draw five frames of his fist moving slowly towards a face.
Instead, draw one frame of the fist with an arrow indicating the movement.
You can also use arrows to indicate camera movements, such as pans or tilts. , Remember, you're basically making a comic book version of the movie, so you should add essential sound effects as well.
Don't worry if it doesn't all fit
-- you're just giving markers to the director and crew about where the sound is matched up, so ellipses ("...") can help. , Whenever something happens, it needs it's own box.
If you're drawing out a conversation, you'll want to switch from one character to another as they talk, as well as some shots of both of them at the same time.
You need to draw each one of these shifts individually.
You cannot just draw 1-2 boxes and say "alternate shots" for a conversation.
Imagine a scene where a mother is mad at her son for breaking a lamp.
Showing the whole thing from the sad or scared son is a very different scene from showing the furious mom the whole time, cutting back and forth, or showing the broken lamp. , If a scene requires a little fake blood, then make a note of it either using a red pen or jotting it down.
If the shot requires a long, continuous take, use arrows to indicate how it all flows together.
While there are proper terms for all of this, the most important thing is visually telling the story however you can.
If it makes sense as a guide to filming, put it in.
If the camera isn't cutting, but lots of things are happening, you can use multiple boxes for one "cut." Whenever something happens, you need a new box, even if the camera doesn't move. -
Step 3: leaving room for dialogue underneath.
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Step 4: Establish the location
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Step 5: and any important objects
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Step 6: in your first box of the scene.
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Step 7: Use arrows and notes to show any movement or changes.
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Step 8: Fill in the scene's dialogue and sounds underneath the drawing.
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Step 9: Make a new frame for each significant action or camera motion.
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Step 10: Fill in essential notes about movement
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Step 11: sounds
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Step 12: or special effects.
Detailed Guide
If the script is a template for how a movie will sound, storyboard are the template for how they look.
Storyboards are how you visualize how actors, props, backgrounds & camera angles will fit together in any particular scene or sequence of shots.
It is your chance to visually map out the film before expensive cameras, actors, and crews are waiting around on set.
That said, one of the jobs of a storyboarder is to take the script and improve on it by adding visuals.
You must know the full arc of the story before you get started.
Once you've written your script and have an idea of what will happen in your movie, get yourself some paper or poster board to assemble your storyboard on.
Like a comic strip, each square represents a shot or scene and the space underneath is where you fill in the dialogue, notes, or action.
While you can draw your own boards, there are many free templates online that you can print out to start sketching immediately. , The most important function of the storyboard is to show how the shot is going to look.
For your first board, you'll want all the essential details so that people reading it know where they are.
When wondering what to include, always ask the question: "is this essential to understanding the scene?" Anytime you change locations you need to draw in a new the background.
Remember, you're telling the story visually.
Try to imagine what you would need to see if this were a movie.
If the background doesn't change between shots, you can leave it blank and focus on the action. , For example, if you want one character to punch another , you don't need to draw five frames of his fist moving slowly towards a face.
Instead, draw one frame of the fist with an arrow indicating the movement.
You can also use arrows to indicate camera movements, such as pans or tilts. , Remember, you're basically making a comic book version of the movie, so you should add essential sound effects as well.
Don't worry if it doesn't all fit
-- you're just giving markers to the director and crew about where the sound is matched up, so ellipses ("...") can help. , Whenever something happens, it needs it's own box.
If you're drawing out a conversation, you'll want to switch from one character to another as they talk, as well as some shots of both of them at the same time.
You need to draw each one of these shifts individually.
You cannot just draw 1-2 boxes and say "alternate shots" for a conversation.
Imagine a scene where a mother is mad at her son for breaking a lamp.
Showing the whole thing from the sad or scared son is a very different scene from showing the furious mom the whole time, cutting back and forth, or showing the broken lamp. , If a scene requires a little fake blood, then make a note of it either using a red pen or jotting it down.
If the shot requires a long, continuous take, use arrows to indicate how it all flows together.
While there are proper terms for all of this, the most important thing is visually telling the story however you can.
If it makes sense as a guide to filming, put it in.
If the camera isn't cutting, but lots of things are happening, you can use multiple boxes for one "cut." Whenever something happens, you need a new box, even if the camera doesn't move.
About the Author
Samantha Lewis
Creates helpful guides on DIY projects to inspire and educate readers.
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