Useful storyboarding Websites

Independent Research


http://www.howcast.com/videos/201980-How-To-Make-a-Storyboard

This is a user-friendly web-page on how to create a storyboard, it breaks down each step into useful chunks.

http://xinsight.ca/tools/storyboard.html

This website includes useful storyboard templates, which would make it easier/quicker for someone to create a storyboard.

www.teced.com/PDFs/upa2006_storyboards_a_dynamic_storytelling_tool.pdf

This is a great .pdf file illustrating everything to do with storyboards.

Storyboarding BLK Homework

Why is storyboarding an essential part of the film making process?

Storyboards are used to help film directors, cinematographers and any one else involved in the film-making process to visualize the scenes and find potential problems before they occur.

One advantage of using storyboards is that it allows the user to experiment with changes in the storyline to create a stronger reaction or interest. Flashbacks, for example, are often the result of sorting storyboards out of chronological order to help create tension and interest.

The process of visual thinking and planning allows a group of people to brainstorm together, placing their ideas on storyboards and then arranging the storyboards on the wall, this creates more ideas through the group.

'P' is for Psycho
What is happening in the opening sequence of the film?

We enter the toilet as an onlooker and see a man who is bandaging his hand. The camera zooms into the plug hole(filled with blood) and as he is healing himself, a boy enters the room and all we see is the other guys eyes in an ECU. This then fades to black and we hear a gunshot bulding up tension and making it unclear as to what is happening, we presume that the boy who enters the toilet is killed. The film is likely to be a slasher/teen slasher due to this horrific scene.

How is narrative flow established?

Narrative flow is established with the detail shown below each shot (ECU, MS, Low key, very slow, etc...) and the arrows in particular help us see what happens with the camera to enable the viewer to see the narrative flow. The notes between each shot also help us see the narrative flow.

If you were directing this sequence, what aspects of the storyboard would you like to change?

If i were directing this scene I would draw the scene over a longer time. The whole scene seems to be too short and there isn't enough tension built, although the healing man, and the boy entering does help us realise a small amount of tension. I would also make the man look scarier as in this scene the boy visually appears to be the bad guy.

Analysing a film still

1. Describe your shot and identify in what way it could be described as representing your chosen genre.

This shot is an action/teenage action film. It's a Low angle Mid Shot (MS LA), the typical bully seen where the bully threatens their opposition. The shot has one actor in front of a coridoor of emptiness, lockers follow the coridoor and help to emphasise this quiet, empty effect. Nothing stands out in the background, drawing emphasis to the actor. You can tell it's an action film, due to the powerful stature and violent expression. It's not a horror, because the actor is a teenager and the scene is too bright and normal to be a horror.                 
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2. What did you actually do to achieve the effect.

I chose the perfect scene; a long almost never-ending coridoor and the lockers make it clear that it's a school. The scene appears to be very empty and rather mysterious, hence adding to the tension and fear for the good guy who's likely to be the one being picked on. I angled the camera low to emphasise power and I made the camera follow the actors arm so there doesn't appear to be a floating hand in the camera. I chose to have the slightly grimy radiator on the left to add to the eeriness. The lighting is quite bright as the scene is a school scene, lunchtime perhaps so the lighting will be bright and natural.

3. Identify what is successful about your shot.

Originally I was going to make it a slightly closer shot, but i believe that the mid shot was better and the evil aura emitted by the actor makes the shot so successful. The scene is pretty much exactly as I pictured and the background is perfect.

4. What would you do differently in hindsight? 

Firstly, the distractions on the ceiling could be removed as the viewer is supposed to be souly focused on the actor and not the holes in the ceiling, however these could not be removed in this particular shot and I did the best I could with the equipment/freedom I had. The actor could also be clothed differently as the blue chequered  shirt makes him seem friendly, however I couldn't choose which clothes I wanted certain people to come to school in.

Analysing the opening sequence of a film.

Bloodsport

The first thing we see is a long shot of the local city; it is vague and allows the viewer to see the surroundings before the camera zooms in. The camera then moves slightly closer to the city and then zooms in all the way to the main road of Hong Kong. Doors open to the building which the film resolves around, but the viewer still isn’t sure what is happening so the tension is building up. We are brought into a strange looking arena with a square mat in the middle; the viewer is likely to think that this is the place where most fight scenes happen as it is a Mixed Martial Arts film after all. The local people are preparing the arena for some sort of big event, again building up tension and making it clearer as to what is about to happen. Once the surroundings are clear, we are brought to the first participant and he is shown training in a fairly peculiar way. The main actor(Chong Li) is portrayed as a powerful character due to this scene. We then see another fighter training and it is becoming clear to the viewer that the director is building up a particular atmosphere and we are discovering who the main characters are and perhaps who is the most powerful. Placing Chong Li at the start shows that he is powerful, however we are unclear as to whether he is the bad guy or the good guy, but his angry nature and the fact that it is just a short clip proves that he’s unlikely to be the good guy, therefore he is bad. The camera goes through different unusual training regimes and we are an onlooker. The camera then goes back to the main arena where they are still preparing the event, reminding us about it and further making us think that the training fighters will compete in this event. We are shown fighters of different nationalities hence making the event seem more important/prestigious. A long seen appears showing a straggly and vicious American actor who clearly plays a large role in the film, the viewer is tricked into thinking that he’s the bad guy but as the film unveils he becomes the good guy and the main actor’s best friend. The camera goes back to Chong Li hence increasing the importance of his role and now the viewer could easily feel that Li is a good guy, due to the ‘evil’ American shown before. We are never shown the main actor (the hero) of the film in the opening sequence, however one could think that the opening sequence runs up to 4:20(when Van Damme visits his master). Van Damme is shown to have importance as the general is interested in his safety however he is cheeky due to the fact that he escapes from the shower.

In conclusion we are shown a build up to the Kumite (the forthcoming event) and we are shown the main characters and perhaps who is good/bad.