Storyboard before or after location lockdown?

chromeboy007

chromeboy007

Well-known member
So, out of curiosity, how do you guys do it?

I think storyboarding is important and it should be done way before, but then how would you do it well before you know what your location looks like? especially in indoor, confined spaces that might even prevent you from going with your desired camera angles.

if you do it after, is there time? or, does knowing your location actually changes how you do your shots?
 
I have the same dilemma. I think you really need to see the location first. However, sometimes I don't get this opportunity.

Regardless of having a location I still brainstorm and put down on paper how I want to shoot and thus when I get to a location I try to make it work for what I had in mind the best I can. It's better to go in prepared even if you don't have the location; you can adjust accordingly on the set. This isn't the best scenario, but it's better than going into a shoot blindly, at least for me.

But if I do get the location before the actual shoot (even a day prior) I will storyboard the night before based on the location.

Also, sometimes there are shots that are independent of the location. So I storyboard those and what I can regardless of the location.
 
a location i know and storyboard it that way. then i get the loaction and shoot for it. try to block and write what you can get before you make a challendge for your self.
 
Get your location locked first before you lock down your shots. I storyboarded my last film without seeing the location at all (we didn't have one till a week before shooting) and it limits you in that you can't do the shots you have in your mind cause of physical limits etc...

nothing wrong with doing it before you have your location, but it is for sure that you will have to make a great deal of changes; or in my case you will have to settle for a location that is not what was in your mind. Give and take really.
 
Given the hastles of production, schedule changes, actor availability and all of that other crap, I say do your boards when you have the TIME. The basic idea will be there. If there is something unique to the location and the shot calls for it specifically, then you may want to hold back on that section of the boards. For the most part, your mind should be able adjust. Locations will always be a bit unpredictable. Your mental vision will adapt the framing to the location.
 
When I write a script for commercial or theatrical, I have in my mind what I want to see in the shot. I then try to match the location to what I need to shoot. So I do my boards before i look at locations. I adapt whatever I find that is close to what I pictured in my mind.
 
[SIZE=+0]Screenplay and storyboards are the road maps you take to see how to get from Point A to Z. However, this should not be set in stone. You need to be able to improvise, see what else works that you haven't thought of before. Just because you get to a location and you can't do what the storyboard says, it isn't the end of the world. Just come up with something new. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=+0]I never storyboard, its all in my head. This is tough for the DP but that's what pre production is all about. We go through the script, get a general idea of what we'll do and on set, and once on set, I come up with new shots and ideas. For me it helps keep the DP and crew on its toes, that's just how I work. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=+0]When you get to a location that you locked, don't worry if you can't do a particular shot(s). Come up with something new, ask the DP. Film is all about collaborating, don't be afraid on set to say 'I don't know, lets think about it together'. Its worked for me many times. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]Strauss[/SIZE]
 
Just finished storyboarding my Horror Fest entry (should it atually come to pass).

REALLY helps to have the location set when doing it.

There's a freaking pillar in the room I'm using, and I'll have to shoot around it.

It wouldn't have been a disaster to not realize it before shooting, but seeing how it will interfere with what I want, I can now schedule the shots more easily.

I used Frame Forge, so I have all the real camera positions and such. Or, at least, much closer than I would have been without it.
 
I used to draw story boards for shorts and commercials. What we used to do was to make a sketch with the director then he would use it for making the production scout and locating what he needed. Then, after having all things set we make the final story board with drawings or pictures (with PS) and all the other drawings a movie could need for art and any thing else. So... we make 2 story boards... sometimes we make 3... the other one is for selling the movie with a DVD or VCD and voice. Lots of details and production notes sometimes. Set Designs and stuff.
 
My technique for a quick storyboard

Ingredients:

1: SLR still camrea
2: Pen& tablet of paper
3 Friends & family

Now here is how it works. Take your script brake it down into a shot list. Number all your shots. Next get your still camera, go through your shot list, and take pictures that are a representation of your shot. Enlist the help of your friends & family, to serve as your models. If the shot calls for an over the shoulder shot. Then take an over shoulder picture, roughly the same size you want it to appear in frame. Last attach your picture to a sheet of paper. Include corresponding shot numbers, any notes and descriptions on the paper, put in a binder and your done! (Note : Sometimes this may not be practical or may not work for every shot.)
 
Last edited:
JTmoney said:
My technique for a quick storyboard
Ingredients:
1: SLR still camrea
2: Pen& tablet of paper
3 Friends & family
...
Click to expand...
JTmoney, that's a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

Curious do you actually get a film print out of each photo or do you simply print copies of a digital copy from your own printer.
 
Some people can hold images in their head. They have the script and they walk on location and do their shot list w/o a storyboard at all. I couldn't but I've read that more than a few A listers can and do.

I take Jim Strauss' suggestion that 'nothing is set in stone' a bit further. I go ahead and storyboard to my hearts content. I get as elaborate as I want to. Just enjoy the freedom of it (I can draw too so that makes a big difference).

Then when I go looking for locations I'm always disappointed but I like that challenge. That and I'm not putting the DP out either. He sees what I see and he feels my pain. Together we find solutions. It's nice to have a wonderful team player.
 
Omar,
You could use a film still camera, but in the interest of time I use digital. Just take to your PC and print :)
 
Scouting locations can be a real art. In a perfect world, the Director,DP,Gaffer and set design/art dept should all see the locations prior to filming, especially all at the same time. Send a scout ahead several days or even weeks before the shoot to find what you have drawn in your story boards. Other things about scouting that many newbies don't take into consideration are:
Parking,available electricity,proximity to a hospital(in case someone's hurt), where to put the extras, how close to food,bathrooms available to the crew, closest hardware store,restaurants ect. Where do we put the grip truck and genny ? Which direction does it face(lighting) Is there any industrial work going on nearby? (audio) Who do we ask permission from, who is responsible for the location release forms? But getting back to your original question...I get started on visuals right away, and at least use them as templates. It's easier to describe something you want to someone, if you show them a photo or a drawing of what your looking for. Tweak your storyboards accordingly, after you nail down locations.
 
I prefer to storyboard before I've even seen locations. My shooting style, though, is rather spontanious. I storyboard not for framing (coming from a background in still photography so it comes naturally when I look at the viewfinder) but for a certain style that I want. I work out low angles, where shawdows need to fall on faces, how long the takes should be for how I'm going to be editing, and to visualize everything. Once I know the look and feel of what I'm trying a shoot and a few specific shots that would do it, I can spot other angles that'll give the same feeling more easily.

If I don't plan and don't know what the shot is doing for the movie, then I have more trouble figuring out where a good shot will be to set the tone.
 
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