What Is A Storyboard In Video Production?
Storyboarding is a word that gets thrown around a lot in the video production industry. But what actually is a storyboard?
No matter your video production project, storyboards are an invaluable tool you should not only get to know…but think of as a non-negotiable.
In short, a storyboard is a visual representation of how a video will unfold, shot by shot. It consists of a series of images that represent each frame and show the planned order, helping you visualise the storytelling and describe the audible characteristics of moments and scenes.
Think of a storyboard as a roadmap or a comic book of a script, showing each video production shot from start to finish and giving you a sneak peek of what the finished video will look like (or, in other words, the only spoiler you’ll actually wanna see!)
5 Benefits Of Storyboarding
We’re big believers that storyboarding is a crucial ingredient of our video production special sauce.
Don’t just take our word for it! There are a tonne of benefits of storyboarding. They include:
It allows you to visualise each scene
Storyboarding saves you time
It helps you stay on budget
It encourages early buy-ins from stakeholders
It helps you streamline production
1. It Allows You To Visualise Each Scene
Starting off strong, a benefit of storyboarding is that it allows you to visualise each scene.
Storyboards translate the director's vision from their creative and colourful minds onto paper and share it with the team so they can truly visualise the video project and make sure you’re all on the same page.
After writing your script, your storyboard can be used to plan your coverage (each camera shot required for a scene, as well as angles and transitions).
This makes sure you don’t forget any scenes and helps you piece together the video in line with your creative vision.
If you’re working with a product, storyboards are super important for the client and brand to understand how their product will not only look in frame but also how often it will appear in the advert.
When done properly, there’s no better way to visualise your video than through a storyboard!
2. Storyboarding Saves You Time
Although storyboarding adds initial time to the project, storyboarding saves you time in the long run.
By planning your video project with a storyboard, you can get feedback early on to see whether an idea is a winner...or not so much.
If you need to go back to the drawing board, it’s easy enough to pivot (okay, Ross Geller) and change your idea in the pre-production stage rather than make major changes while filming. Trust us on this one!
When working within a tight budget, every second counts. Speaking of budgets…
3. It Helps You Stay On Budget
A key benefit of storyboarding is that it helps you to stay on budget.
By ensuring your ideas are clear in the pre-production stage, you can better plan your production timelines more accurately.
In turn, you can save a tonne of dough on equipment, rental locations, and other resources.
Got an idea for a video production project you’d like to explore? Our team at STORM+SHELTER is ready to hear it and collaborate with you.
Our video production experts will get your eyes on a storyboard early so you can see what’s been rattling around our experts' heads and that it aligns with what you envisioned for the project.
Drop us a line at content@stormandshelter.com or call 02920251255 today to find out more.
4. It Encourages Early Buy-Ins From Stakeholders
Another benefit of storyboarding is that it encourages early buy-ins from stakeholders.
Although scriptwriting plays a mega important role in the video production process, most stakeholders can’t visualise a killer idea with text alone.
Considering that ‘the human brain processes images around 60,000 times faster than text’, there’s no denying how compelling visuals can be.
Many stakeholders need to see it to believe it, and this is where storyboards can really stamp their mark.
Storyboards enable you to align stakeholders in your video production process, encouraging them to buy in right from the start.
Sharing your storyboard early on will make sure collaborators understand your vision and minimise the likelihood of them changing their minds later on.
5. It Helps You Streamline Production
Lastly, a benefit of storyboarding is that it helps you streamline production.
This is true whether you’re making an explainer video, animation, or another video project.
Boords Storyboard Software & Why It's Champion
At STORM+SHELTER, we use Boords, a solid online storyboard software.
As per their website, Boords ‘makes planning video projects a joy, not a job’, and it’s safe to say our team agrees!
Not only is it powerful and quick, but it’s also a game-changing tool that’s become an essential part of our production process. If you don’t know, get to know…
Aside from making the storyboarding process smoother all around, Boords offers a range of ace features, including:
Drag and drop interface.
Collaboration tools.
Cloud storage.
Script editor.
Voiceover recording.
Revision history.
Storyboard presentation.
It also offers complete flexibility to focus on what really matters: making your storyboard as awesome and effective as possible!
How We Can Help
Storyboarding is your new best friend if you want guaranteed success, regardless of the scale of your video production project.
At STORM+SHELTER, we believe storyboards are essential not just for us but for you, too. Unless you can somehow tell the future…
Do you need help with a video production project? Contact us today or for more content, keep an eye on our socials, including our Instagram.
Written by Jemima for STORM+SHELTER.
