2Y3TM1 - Digital Storyboarding Exam

Storyboard

• A visual representation of a narrative used in filmmaking, animation, and other creative processes

• Breaks down the action into individual panels or frames, showcasing key events, camera movements, dialogue, and technical details

Georges Méliès

Origins of Storyboarding, an early pioneer of cinema

Webb Smith 1930

Modern Storyboard, Animator at Disney Studios

Three Little Pigs 1933

First Complete Storyboard

Gone with the Wind 1939

One of the first fully storyboarded live-action films

1940

year when Storyboarding was widely adopted in live-action film production and became essential for previsualization across various media 

Panel

• individual boxes or panels that represent each shot or moment in the sequence

• Contains sketches or illustrations that depict characters, settings, and actions within the shot

Action Arrows

• indicate movement within the scene, such as character actions or object interactions

Dialogue

• Any spoken words or voice-over that accompanies the scene

Camera

• Notes on the camera angles, movements, and transitions for each shot

Wide Shot

• Captures the entire subject within its environment

• To establish the scene, provide context, and show the spatial relationship between characters and their environment

Medium Shot

• Frames the subject from the waist up

• Balances the subject’s details with background context

• Commonly used for dialogue scenes

• Allows viewers to see expressions and gestures while still showing some surroundings

Close Up

• Tightly frames a subject, typically focusing on a person’s face or a specific detail of an object

• Used to highlight emotions, reactions, or important details

Eye-Level

• Camera at this angle creates a neutral perspective

• Most natural and straightforward, making the viewer feel equal to the subject

• Commonly used for dialogues and scenes where an objective view is desired 

High Angle

• Camera is positioned above the subject, looking down

• The higher perspective makes the subject appear smaller and less in control

• Creates a feeling of surveillance or to diminish the subject 

Low Angle

• Camera is positioned below the subject, looking up

• Makes the viewer feel lower while the subjects appear stronger and more in control

Planning, Visualization, Communication, Efficiency, Manage Potential Issues

The purpose of storyboarding

Stick Figures

• often used in storyboarding because they are quick and easy to draw

• ideal for brainstorming visual ideas during the early stages of storyboarding

• It is hard to tell which way the limbs are oriented

• stiff-looking

Balloon Figures

Can tell which ways the limbs are oriented; solution to stick figures

Simple Skeleton

• Adds basic shapes to stick figures

• Can determine the pose effectively

• Simple human anatomy

Line of Action

• An imaginary line that represents the flow, movement, or energy of a figure’s pose

• Can also be related to acting as it helps communicate a characters’ emotions and feelings through their pose 

Perspective drawing

• technique to create the linear illusion of depth

vanishing point, horizon line, grid lines

PARTS OF PERSPECTIVE GRID

1 Point

• Uses a single vanishing point where all of your lines will converge 

• Ideal for straightforward views like roads or interiors 

2 Point

• 2 vanishing points which could either show a middle view, top view, or bottom view 

• Typically used for buildings

3 Point

• To draw with this perspective, start with a horizon line and 2 vanishing points as close to the edge of your page as possible, then add one more vanishing point to either top or bottom

Eye Level

• Mimics how we see people in real life

• Breaks down boundaries

Low Angle

• Frames the subject from below their eyeline

• Emphasize power dynamics between characters

• A low angle shot on one character is often paired with a high angle shot on the other charact

High Angle

• Camera points down at your subject

• usually creates a feeling of inferiority, or “looking down” on your subject

• However, there are many more applications for this 

Cowboy or Hip Level

• when your camera is roughly waist-high

• often useful when one subject is seated while the other stands

Knee Level

• when your camera height is about as low as your subject’s knees

• can emphasize a character’s superiority if paired with a low angle

• It's not as extreme as a ground level shot but it gets the same feeling across

Ground Level

• when your camera’s height is on ground level with your subject

• used a lot to feature a character walking without revealing their face

• can help to make the viewer more active and use the actor's performance to build an idea

Shoulder Level

• camera angle that is as high as your subject’s shoulders

• much more standard than an eye level shot, which can make your actor seem shorter than reality

Dutch Angle or Tilt Shot

the camera is slanted to one side. With the horizon lines tilted in this way, you can create a sense of disorientation, a de-stabilized mental state, or increase the tension

Overhead shot or Bird’s Eye View

• is from above, looking down on your subject

• These are typically shot from 90 degrees above — anything less might be considered a high angle shot instead

Aerial Shot

• whether taken from a helicopter or drone, is captured from way up high

• It establishes a large expanse of scenery