1000 Dollar Film

Before filming your movie, you’ll probably want to create a storyboard to visually conceptualize the scenes together. That way, you can move things around for dramatic effect and have each scene ready to film before you begin. Remember, your scenes can be flexible; for the sake of art, don’t feel as if they have to remain in the order they were originally written.

Depending on your style, you may wish to create a text storyboard or a visual one, which would include drawings or pictures to represent each scene.

To begin your storyboard, get a cork board, magnetized board, or other bulletin board. It should be large enough to fully display 10 index cards in a straight row. You’ll also need plenty of tacks for the cards.

You may have two or three rows on your board, depending on how many acts are in your film. Each row should represent a full act. Take a card and write your first scene on it, using a memorable title (or the slug line corresponding to the scene from the screenplay). That will be your first card on your storyboard. Hang it in the first row, or act.

Repeat this process for each scene until each scene has its own card. Your storyboard is ready to use!

Now, to actually use the storyboard: Go over each scene with your team. Make sure each scene flows into the next, and identify any gaps in the plot, missing scenes, or anything else that looks like it might cause trouble.

Once you’ve identified these problem spots, move your cards around, add new ones, or subtract cards that don’t make sense anymore. Do whatever is necessary to polish your story until it’s perfect.

After you’ve done this, you can write out the story (or draw the scenes if you prefer) and you’re ready to go.

Tags: drawing storyboards, filmmaking, how to make a cheap movie, storyboard, storyboard tips