Scripting and Storyboarding: Essential Video/Animation Production Steps

Scripting and Storyboarding: Essential Video/Animation Production Steps

Whether you are telling a story with video or animation, two important steps will improve the flow and quality of your finished project: Scripting and Storyboarding. Just like would not start a cross country drive without basic directions or maps, you should not start shooting a video or creating an animation without scripting and storyboarding.

Scripting Most of us are familiar with the word manuscript and associate it with movies and plays. Originally used in 1571, Webster defines manuscript as “: the original copy of a play, book, piece of music, etc., before it has been printed.” Scripting comes from the word manuscript and is defined the same except in today’s digital world very few are hand written. As the idea for a movie or play is being developed, the videographer/author will use a script to layout the story. The script is in such a format as to let all those involved understand the whole concept of the project from the scene settings down to the spoken details, essentially a blueprint for the flow of the story including things like scene information and character attire. By scripting a video or animation, you reduce the unnecessary information and can better predict the length of the final project.

 

Storyboarding  Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of visualizing a video or animation. The storyboarding process, in the form it is known today, was developed at the Walt Disney Studio during the early 1930s.

Once the story is written, the real fun begins! Take the time to storyboard your video or animation, it will keep you focused and save time in the long run. You do not have to be an artist to create your storyboard. Here is a great example for your viewing.

A great place to start organizing your video or animation is a professional online program called Celtx. You have 15 free days in the trial version and can decide from there if it is worth spending your hard earned $’s on. I may sound like an advertisement, but as an artist some tools that can make our jobs easier are worth the investment.


 

Karen Bellman, gcscdigmedia