Week 10: Storyboarding and the Shooting Script - START FINAL FILM ASSIGNMENT, STORYBOARDING DUE NEXT WEEK, WEEK 11

Lecture/Demo

• Creation of storyboards and how they relate to film

Activity

• Discuss the ideas you have for your final film story.

Assignment

Create your own storyboard. 

The Role of Storyboards

As the screenplay evolves into a shooting script and camera information is developed, another important preproduction process begins. The director of the film works closely with an artist to visualize these shots. The auteur will work with the artist to create sketches of what the camera will actually see. This is very important because these images will act as a guide for all of the talented crew working on set. The sketches are called storyboards.

A storyboard is a graphic way to organize what you want to see in your film, shot by shot. These are typically illustrations and can be quick sketches or highly detailed drawings incorporating perspective and lighting directions, as well as simulating what kind of lens behavior the director wants. 

The original storyboards from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Projects in early development often use quick thumbnail sketches to initiate the development of a shot idea. Here is a good example of this process: director Ridley Scott likes to initiate an idea by drawing a sketch by himself, before the idea further develops and goes to a storyboard artist. His crew calls them "Ridleygrams."

duration 8 minutes 42 seconds

A director often thinks on their feet, and when they look at a shot already prepared in the shooting script and have a new idea on how to improve it, or they are brainstorming in general, they draw sketches on their own, even if they can't draw. Here is a candid explanation by Steven Spielberg:



duration 2 minutes

Interestingly, the pioneer who made the use of storyboards as an important part of preproduction was none other than Walt Disney.




duration 13 minutes

Learn More

Here is an excellent one-stop source on how storyboards are used in the industry.

The Shooting Script

If an idea for a film is going to come to life, a script must be written. More often than not, the person who creates the script is someone trained to be a writer. This writer uses their skills with the written word to make a document designed to help readers understand the story behind the film, as well as help sell the story to potential studios. Once the script is completed, unless rewrites of the script are necessary, the screenwriter ceases to be part of the process.

The script now becomes a production tool. This is because the film treatment is now in the hands of the film's director (auteur). The script, when transformed into a shooting script, is the director's vision. This needs to be shared clearly with the crew so that everyone is on the same page and mistakes are kept to a minimum. The director and cinematographer are the ones who insert all sorts of specific details that the entire film crew can understand and draw instructions from. This process can get messy at times:

It is essential to understand that the shooting script is really the film encased in a stack of paper. When developing the shooting script, you should consider three main aspects:

• the camera
• lighting
• placement of the characters

The things we explored in this course about film language, including camera angles, camera shots, and movement, are used on these shooting script pages. The cinematography terminology on these pages needs to be precise (for example, dolly in, extreme close-up, or shallow depth of field).

Also, it is very important to divide the shooting script into dates, so the film crew knows what is being shot when.

Below are excerpts from the original script for the horror film Jaws:

"Get Out of the Water" Beach Scene from Jaws

Duration 3 minutes

Jaws has many impressive cinematic scenes, but this one really stands out and it should be watched from beginning to end to appreciate the craft that was involved in creating it. In fact, it is strongly recommended that everyone in this class watch the entire film, and analyze the film for yourselves by applying your new knowledge of film language.

What to Do Next

For your film, you will be required to create a shooting script and storyboards prior to shooting your footage. Ultimately, the grade you will receive for your final film will rely on how many of the cinematic film conventions we studied are used in the making of your short story. These elements of film language need to have context; that is, they need to be relevant to what is happening to your characters and your story.

It is always helpful if you first try to embrace a genre. If your narrative takes place in a film noir world, is there a crime or some sort of betrayal involved? Are you going to make a black and white film with shadows and stark contrasts?

Be careful: you have only up to four minutes to tell your story. Remember what we learned in the film shorts module: characters, environments, and plot points need to be easily understood by an audience in order to be successful. You are telling a story in a very short amount of time.

Your idea can be very simple, but with a genre in mind and your cinematic storytelling toolkit, you can achieve something significant. 

Be sure to review all your notes on the modules that covered film language, and good luck with your preparations for your film project!

DUE DATE FOR FINAL FILM IS DECEMBER 9TH

Target dates - Storyboards / Shooting Script week of November 11

                     - the Shoot Week of Nov 18

                     - Rough Edit and any ReShoots week of Nov 25 (Thanksgiving Week)
                         In Class Editing Time on Nov 25

                     - Final Edit Target Date Week of December 2 - Dec 9
                        In Class Dailies for Final edits Dec 9

   - DAILIES FOR FINAL FILMS DECEMBER 9 and DECEMBER 16 (FINAL CLASS)                    
                                        *** 40 % of your final grade is the final project