Module 5: Animated Storyboard Using ACMI Generator (2 Days)
Storyboarding is simply a planning device used to visually sketch out the actions of a story, video, or movie. A storyboard is a graphic representation of how your video will unfold, shot by shot. It’s made up of a number of squares with illustrations or pictures representing each shot, with notes about what’s going on in the scene and what’s being said in the script during that shot. Think of it as sort of a comic book version of your script. Storyboarding also helps visual students access the pictures in their heads and gives them an opportunity to translate their picture ideas into words.
When you make a video, planning is extremely important. One of the most important stages of planning out your video is creating a storyboard.
When you make a video, planning is extremely important. One of the most important stages of planning out your video is creating a storyboard.
Why You Need a Storyboard
Creating a storyboard might just sound like an extra step in the process of making a video, but trust me — it’s a step you won’t want to ignore. Here are three reasons why you need a storyboard:
1) Best way to share your vision
A visual aid makes it much easier for you to share and explain your vision for your video with others.
We’ve all had experiences where we were trying to explain something and the other person just can’t see your vision. When you have a storyboard, you can show people exactly how your video is going to be mapped out and what it will look like. This makes it infinitely easier for other people to understand your idea.
2) Makes production much easier
When you storyboard a video you’re setting up a plan for production, including all the shots you’ll need, the order that they’ll be laid out, and how the visuals will interact with the script.
The storyboard is a starting point around which you can plan your coverage (all the angles you will shoot of a scene). This really comes in handy when you’re making your video, as it ensures you won’t forget any scenes and helps you piece together the video according to your vision.
3) Saves you time
While it may take you a little while to put your storyboard together, in the long run it will save you time in revisions later.
Not only will it help you explain your vision to people, it will also make the creation process go more smoothly.
1) Best way to share your vision
A visual aid makes it much easier for you to share and explain your vision for your video with others.
We’ve all had experiences where we were trying to explain something and the other person just can’t see your vision. When you have a storyboard, you can show people exactly how your video is going to be mapped out and what it will look like. This makes it infinitely easier for other people to understand your idea.
2) Makes production much easier
When you storyboard a video you’re setting up a plan for production, including all the shots you’ll need, the order that they’ll be laid out, and how the visuals will interact with the script.
The storyboard is a starting point around which you can plan your coverage (all the angles you will shoot of a scene). This really comes in handy when you’re making your video, as it ensures you won’t forget any scenes and helps you piece together the video according to your vision.
3) Saves you time
While it may take you a little while to put your storyboard together, in the long run it will save you time in revisions later.
Not only will it help you explain your vision to people, it will also make the creation process go more smoothly.
Helpful Tips to Keep in Mind
- Show, don’t tell. Use the storyboard as a measuring stick to determine if your story is truly being visualized. Note that your storyboard doesn’t have to be incredibly detailed — you don’t have to draw in all of the props or even use color. (Hint: You don’t have to be great at drawing either. Bad drawings are far better than no drawings at all.). Just provide enough visual detail to give an impression of what is happening, which characters are in the scene and what the general framing will look like. The script and notes will help fill in the rest of the details.
- Be cinematic. Does your video do things that movies do? Do people, places and things move or stand still? Does the camera move? Keep these factors in mind and bring them all together to create a cinematic video.
- Make sure it’s logical and coherent. You’re creating a story, so the video should look visually consistent from beginning to end.
- Include all relevant details. Break up your script into smaller chunks and make note of important information:
- What is the setting or background for the scene?
- Is there a character on screen? If so, what action is the character performing?
- What props are in the scene? This should fit in with the context of the background / setting you’re using
- Will any text appear on screen? What is the size, color, and position of the text?
- What message are you trying to deliver?
As a model, watch the following short video about storyboarding Pixar's Toy Story.
Getting Started
Click on the Button below to go to the animated storyboard generator. You will need to create an account. You do this by clicking on the green "Register" button in the upper right-hand corner.
Once you've created an account, You will need to go to the email that you provided and click on the link they sent you to confirm your account. From there, you will be directed to your profile page. From your profile page, scroll down to the "My Storyboards" section and click on the grey link that says "Storyboard Generator."
At this point, click on the blue "Choose Your Script" button. This will take you to a screen where you will see 5 short tutorial/instruction videos (highlighted with green tabs on the right side of the screen. watch the 5 short tutorial videos, in order. This will help you understand what to do and how to do it.
After you've watched the 5 tutorial videos, click on the white "I'm ready. Let's Go" button, on the bottom right-hand side of the page to begin your own storyboard.
Now, You will See 4 tabs to go through/complete, in the order that they are presented ("Choose", "Script", "Build", and "Preview") on the ACMI website:
At this point, click on the blue "Choose Your Script" button. This will take you to a screen where you will see 5 short tutorial/instruction videos (highlighted with green tabs on the right side of the screen. watch the 5 short tutorial videos, in order. This will help you understand what to do and how to do it.
After you've watched the 5 tutorial videos, click on the white "I'm ready. Let's Go" button, on the bottom right-hand side of the page to begin your own storyboard.
Now, You will See 4 tabs to go through/complete, in the order that they are presented ("Choose", "Script", "Build", and "Preview") on the ACMI website:
- Choose - Choose a genre (Horror, Comedy, or Romance) and your avatar (character). From this tab, you can also preview a short excerpt of the movie script, to see if it interests you.
- Script - Here you can see the entire movie script for the category that you have selected. It is this script that you need to animate with the storyboard generator. Please print off the script you choose and keep it beside you to guide your completion of the animated storyboard. You will need to submit the script to me so I can evaluate your storyboard properly.
- Build - This is where you will build/create your animated storyboard. Each script comes with a set/predetermined number of slides that you need to animate. Please note that there are 2 layers that you need to animate: 1) Camera Shots & 2) Camera Movements. As you look through and decide on the various shots and movements, be sure to pay attention that you have many options of shots and movements and that the linked page numbers are provided at the bottom of the menu. You must use camera movements, because this is what actually animates your storyboard.
- Preview - This is where you can view your creation before you save and share it. It is still possible to make changes at this point. Be sure that you have animated ALL parts of your script!
Once you have finished your storyboard, click on the orange button "Save to Your Profile." Later, for Module 7, you will need to include your animated storyboard in the website that you create.
The final step is to share your storyboard with me, so I can evaluate it. To do this, simply click on the orange "Share" button and then copy the link and paste it into an email that you send to me.
To send me an email, open Outlook and send your email to [email protected]
The final step is to share your storyboard with me, so I can evaluate it. To do this, simply click on the orange "Share" button and then copy the link and paste it into an email that you send to me.
To send me an email, open Outlook and send your email to [email protected]
Source: http://generator.acmi.net.au/storyboardSource:
