To Board or Not to Board

Getting ready for a video shoot is much like packing for a trip. Some people plan down to intricate detail and others toss a few things in a backpack and head out. Both methods get the job done; they just prepare you for very different experiences.

Although “script” and “storyboard” are often used interchangeably, you can see the difference at a glance. In a storyboard, each major scene is illustrated by a drawing, by a graphic or by a photograph. Storyboards are an excellent tool for visualizing and presenting creative ideas. When you move into production, storyboards can help guide talent, location, wardrobe and production choices.

 The degree of complexity of the boards varies widely from project to project. Stick figures may be all that’s needed to plan camera angles while intricate detail may be required to plot a special effect. In large manufacturing plants and health care facilities, using photos of the actual locations can make planning and communication more efficient.

 Storyboards provide a degree of visual specificity that can guide or limit a production, depending upon your creative temperament. Werner Herzog believes: “the worst that can happen in filmmaking is if you’re working with a storyboard. That kills all intuition, all fantasy, all creativity.” There are many successful producers and directors who don’t use storyboards, but few who set out without a script.

 The script provides a roadmap for the narrative in text form. In the corporate world, a video script is generally a two-column document detailing what will be seen and heard in each scene. Although it is fast and easy to use print and web copy as a script, too often this results in programs without visual imagination or videos that drone on while the audience tunes out. An experienced scriptwriter can add visuals and sound, personality and drama to keep viewers engaged. As George Clooney observed “It’s possible for me to make a bad movie out of a good script, but I can’t make a good movie from a bad script.”