How to create storyboarding for stories

1. Visual Outlining for the team of you
STORYBOARDING

2. WHY STORYBOARD

3. BASICS OF THE STORYBOARD
• The storyboard is nothing more than a visual outline of
what you’re going to do or how you’ll piece together
what you’ve done.
• Two basic kinds of storyboards:
Front end storyboards
Back end storyboards
• Some projects use both

4. BACK END STORYBOARDS
• What you’d typically use in documentary or
reporting
• Its foundation is what you’ve found and logged
• Becomes the outline of how you want to tell a
story, based on what you’ve found
• Can be very general or very detailed

6. FRONT END STORYBOARD
• Always used in commercial environments
• Designed to cheaply test out ideas on paper, rather than with a film crew
• In commercial production it will usually dictate everything from the height of the camera to
the exact angle of the shot for the director

7. Courtesy Greg High

8. HOW DOES IT APPLY TO YOU?
• Using a storyboard approach on the front end will help you create a tighter story
• You’ll still leave room for finding things, but you’ll be able to have an idea of where you
want the story to go before you ever head out
• Creating a visual outline of the types of things you need beforehand allows you to create
a shot list or a shot inventory, which then translates into a check off.

9. IT CAN BE FANCY

10. OR NOT…

11. TRANSLATING TO A SHOT INVENTORY

13. STORYBOARD RESOURCES
StoryboardThat! (storyboardthat.com)
Free version gets it done but limits flexibility
Unlocked paid version: $4.95/month
StoryboardPro
(atomiclearning.com/storyboardpro)
Not a visual tool, but good for front end
storyboards
Free, but quirky and can sometimes choke
Scapple (literatureandlatte.com/scapple.php)
$14.95
Free form brainstorming software
Allows dragging of images in
No rules
Scrivener (literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php)
$45.00
Screenwriting and longform outlining software
Not so good with the images
Allows you to keep detailed notes on each scene,
clip, etc.
Better for documentaries or longer pieces
Keynote (available in the App store)
Has a storyboard template
Microsoft PowerPoint (standard with Office suite)
No storyboard template

14. STEPS TO STARTING A FRONT END BOARD
Subject: Overcrowding in Columbia Public Schools
Step 1: Develop broad categories about the story and its mechanics (think visually):
Potential opening shots/Potential closing shots
Experiences of students, experiences of teachers
Solutions

16. THE NEXT STEP: BRAINSTORM
Step 2: Think visually about the kind of images and media that you’re going to need to
illustrate the story
Key question: What proves the point I’m trying to make?
For instance:
Does a shot of students crammed into a classroom visually demonstrate crowded conditions
in a classroom?
Do shots of students walking into portable classroom trailers visually demonstrate the issue?
Does an interview with a teacher who says ‘There are so many kids I can’t control my class’
prove your hypothesis?