Do you storyboard everything?

Spartacus

Spartacus

Veteran
Planing and preparation is everything. But when it comes to storyboarding I kinda struggle: In most projects I do, I´m director and DP. I basically have all the shots in my head and I´ll operate the camera myself. Of course there is a crew, but for communicating my ideas, I usually sit down with the relevant persons and talk.
Everytime people ask for a storyboard and since it´s all INDY, no 25 years of motion picture experience, I ask myself why?
I´ve seen SBs of directors that can´t draw (same with me...), basically some ballpen scribbles in a black frame, sometimes resambling people or cars or buildings or whatever, you´ll have to guess most of the time anyways...
Add a hardly readable "dolly-in" and you´re done.
The information given by these SB are so vague that apart from "dolly-in" it could take place anywhere, with any actor and any camera angle...
So why is everyone raving about a storyboard?
I'm not talking about feature films here, I must ad`. Wells and Hitchcock had great SBs, I know, and LOTR or any other blockbuster definitely have too - but eg a music video?
Thats my new project BTW...
I usually do a written shot description list for special shots eg TOP VIEW, Camera fixed between trees a.s.o., that need some preparation, but the rest is basic coverage, I´ll get my close-ups, medium and wide shots.
But still I´ll get: No Storyboard? and a "this-guy-is-non-pro" look...
Please guys convince me of the advantages of a SB on small projects, considering I can´t draw at all and limited time and budget...
 
To me they're a nice pre-vis tool, but in a practical sense, they're unneccessary, IMO. For complicated stunt or VFX sequences, sure, but there's too much variability on the set for them to be useful to me. More useful is a SHOT LIST. A written shot list IS essential, so that you don't forget to shoot any essential coverage (more important for narrative work). If you generally already know how to shoot, you'll typically remember to get most of your coverage. When I'm shooting, I am constantly thinking, "How do I cut out of this shot?" And, "How will I cut INTO this shot?" If you understand "the line" and how to keep your actors' eyelines in check, lose the storyboards, but make a shot list.
 
The thing with me is that I like Editing just as much as I like to shoot. When I am shooting I am constantly keeping that in mind. I shoot to edit so to speak. I get all the coverage I need to get me out of editing problems should they occur like not getting certain cutaways or tight shots etc.

The only time I really used a storyboard was when I created my company demo reel. I wanted to map out everything on paper how I wanted it to look and then I created it.

A detailed shot list is very important to have even though you may know what shots you want, you may be on a shoot where you have a 2nd Unit shooting other scenes across town or wherever. A shot list would keep everyone on the same page.
 
NBCshooter said:
To me they're a nice pre-vis tool, but in a practical sense, they're unneccessary, IMO.
Click to expand...
And this is from the guy (me) that recently bought the $800 version of Storyboard Artist. Had I known about the other storyboard programs (the 3D one) I would've bought that one instead (yet still woudn't have used it).

I actually started to storyboard my zombie short, "Infection," in Storyboard Artist, but it just got too tedious. It was quicker to do it in my head. I still have enough brain cells in my head to "think visually" in my head, and remember it long enough to design a shooting and blocking strategy. You kind of need to do this as a DP on-the-spot anyway, since all of your physical contraints really come into play only when you've finally got a lens pointing at your scene and you can see what you can and can't do within the real-world limits of your location or set.

Five minutes before my most complicated shoot day, I scribbled down a short shot list. Since time was short, I took only about 30 seconds to do this. I referred to it throughout the shoot and would've forgot to shoot an essential shot, had I not written it down.

Still, storyboarding software is great for pre-visualizing stuff, and can actually help a great deal in the writing process.
 
The software looks good, and for longer projects with complex continuity it probably is a real problemsaver...
But its good to hear that others also only use shot lists most of the time.
As I stated, I always write down complex shots, so everyone involved gets a pre"view" of what to expect...
Do you guys also write down: "closeup bandleader, low angle" "closeup bandleader topview" "medium shot bandleader, low angle" a.s.o.in your shotlist?
It´s probably good to have a reminder on paper about what to do, more important imo is the shot continuity list about what´s been done...
maybe it´s just a matter of taste...
 
I usually don't storyboard unless it is a complicated camera move, or there is some special need for it.

I will tell you that commercial and music video clients will want to see storyboards for everything. If you are doing spec work you're fine not to storyboard, but once you start working with paying clients you might want to bring in a storyboard artist.

Rob
 
I have been given some really nice story boards from some directors and little stick figure drawings by others. Either is fine as long as they tell me what it is they expect. I usually create a shot list from these and if it all possible, I like to discuss with the editor how much coverage they are expecting since it seems that there is always more to shoot than time to accomplish. The way I see it, why shoot what won't get used, I would rather use the time to really get things right on the most important coverage.

I have been looking at some of the pre vis software packages out there, but I don't know if they really save any time or just trade off one task for another. I would be interested to learn what packages others have tried and if they really found it to be a productive tool.
 
Hey NBC,

I noticed the "COMING SOON: SONY DSR450WSL 850-LINE 2/3" 16:9 24PsF F/11@2000LX DVCAM W/FUJINON 20:1" tagline.

Does this mean that you have nailed down your purchase decision?

Just curious.
 
i storyboard everything, but I also think theres a big difference between commercial/music videos and narrative work.

since i'm normally director and DP, i dont need to communicate the ideas to many ppl, but more than enything they help me edit. I can see the whole scene start to finish in order and see if it works, or if i need to change something. Often time when the shots are in my head its more difficult to see the whole thing how it connects.

again this is important for shorts/features, but on music videos I might storyboard 1/3 of what I actually shoot.
 
yah, for narratives, it might help to storyboard everything. Many top director's do

for music videos, I think a shot list is more useful. All you do is shoot coverage... in the shot list, you jot down shots you don't want to forget shooting
 
I think it's important to make the distinction between blocking and storyboarding.

Blocking is something done in your head to figure out best camera, scenery, and actor placement to suit the story.

Storyboarding is communicating the blocking to others, especially how it'll look on the screen.

If it isn't important to let other people know how to arrange the shot (ie: simple or straightforward) then a storyboard is probably not necessary.

A storyboard may also useful so you'll remember your blocking, but I find an overhead diagram more useful.
 
We're working on a feature where i'm a DP and director. In the beginning, we have storyboards to show to our casts and crew during our reading just to give everyone an idea of what's gonna happen. then later on we eliminated the reading part...just go straight to the set and rehearse, but with the storyboard. The storyboard artist and myself would spend hours to prepare for the next filmshoot. then afterwards, i realized we don't need storyboard...just a comprehensive shot list. I have storyboards that are just lying around that were not even used during the filmshoot...and so now i just focus more on rewriting and planning the shots and its sequence.

and so i guess if you don't have a crew (DP, set designer, cameraman, etc. ) that needs to know what kind of picture you have in mind, you don't need a storyboard.

- in terms of editing, i have scriptsupervisor that logs every takes - whether it's a bad take or good take, low angle or birds eyeview, dolly in or out, medium, close-up, or long shot...and so on.
 
khmuse said:
Hey NBC,

I noticed the "COMING SOON: SONY DSR450WSL 850-LINE 2/3" 16:9 24PsF F/11@2000LX DVCAM W/FUJINON 20:1" tagline.

Does this mean that you have nailed down your purchase decision?

Just curious.
Click to expand...
Yup.
 
As already stated- you NEED as shot list. I recently worked on a project where the director had done no, and did not want to do any preproduction work- ie no storyboards, no shot list, no shooting schedule ... Anyway, I'm sure that we missed shots becuase of it. Do you need a storyboard? No. But if you have the time they help in the editing process. I like to edit the storyboards together to previs things and see how the shots flow. (This is the exception, not the rule.) More often then not my shot list has saved me- as thinking before hand how it will all go together will help you avoid problems in the edit room.

BTW- Frame Forge offers a free version that will let you do basic boards, which has been enough for me.
 
Has anyone tried using a digital still camera to get storyboard frames. I just started doing this and I'm going to do it on every project now. Its great because you can assemble the frames in your NLE system and see how they go together. Basicly it gives me a good idea as how the project will be cut together.
 
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