Scriptwriting notes > Week FOUR

Week FOUR-form and image

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT .... THE STORYBOARD

“ When we speak of storytelling logic, we are actually referring to the structure of shots, sequences and scenes. Structure controls the order in which the story information is given to the viewer. It is as important to the storytelling process as the actual information being presented. Since structure in films can be presented in a storyboard in ways that a screenplay cannot convey, the visualization process can be considered part of the writing and, ultimately, the editing process.”

Steven Katz

Excerpt from Film Directing, Shot by Shot by Stephen D. Katz

(Michael Weise Productions, CA, USA, 1991)

WHY DO WE STORYBOARD?

The storyboard is an invaluable tool in the production design process. Firstly it allows you the writer, to visualise your ideas and refine them in the same way you would develop through successive script drafts.   Secondly, it can streamline the production process by communicating ideas clearly and succinctly to any other person involved in your production. Thirdly, a storyboard is an powerful tool through which to communicate your ideas to others.

WHEN AND HOW?

Storyboards can be as elaborate or simple as you want.   They are not a test of your drafting skills, so stick figures will serve the same purpose as elaborately modelled and shaded drawings. Storyboards convey two kinds of information: a description of the physical environment of the sequence (set design or background) and a description of the spatial quality of a sequence (staging, camera angle, lens and the movement of any elements in the shot). They will also convey information about mood, lighting and editing so typically will include brief notations on dialogue and sound effects within a shot and the transition between shots.

The most obvious limitation of the storyboard is it's inability to show motion - action within the frame, and the movement of the camera. In animation it's possible to draw a large panel and frame smaller portions of the whole picture to obtain medium shots, close-ups (CUs) and extreme close ups - a zoom in, or the reverse - a zoom out.   Arrows connecting the two squares will indicate the in or out movement of the zoom, and show that the change in shot size is obtained through camera movement rather than cutting.   This movement is used to get the maximum number of shots from a single piece of artwork by photographing it in several frame sizes, under the rostrum camera, or when scanning and later colouring up artwork. This movement is indicated as a frame within a frame. Arrows can also be used within a frame to indicate the movement of a person or object through the frame from left to right or front to back.

A frame within a frame can also be used to show erratic camera motions.  

Transitions between shots like dissolves and fades can be handled easily by employing the space between panels.  

SIZE

We commonly use an A4 piece of paper which will include 12 to 16 panels, but you can work as large or small as you like. You may like to work on individual panels which you flip through or put your panels onto a large A2 size paper which can be pinned to a wall and referenced during shooting.   The latter method makes sense for getting a logistical overview of shooting requirements but is inconvenient for visualising precise shot-to-shot flow and timing.   The former means individual panels can be easily added, removed or re-ordered.

There are a number of formats for storyboards but the whichever you choose make sure that you have at least a 4x3 ratio, rectangular rather than square. Make sure that you also make room for text descriptions of sound, action and dialogue, this will help you to account for all aspects of your production at the storyboarding stage.

Get into the habit of using a storyboard.   It will save you a lot of time and confusion and is also a good way to track your progress through a production and is an invaluable editing tool.

AND YET ANOTHER TANGENTAL JUMP ....MORE ABOUT SCRIPT STRUCTURE

In our first weeks we have used treatment or script form to develop character-driven narratives.There are four other ways of transposing ideas from your head to the screen. These are:-

1.      Convey a theme or mood (this can translate as a documentary)

2.      Exploration of technique(s)

3.      Harness the rhythms and mood of music

4.     Experimental genres

While each of these categories are dealt with seperately, it would be a rare piece which confined itself exclusively to a single category.   You will find as you see more and more examples of animation and interactive works that narrative, theme, music, experimentation and exploration of techniques overlap indiscernably.   For instance, an expose in music can be a narrative.    An exploration of technique may revolve around a theme.    Experimental genres may tell a clear story. However, to expand on these areas:

1. Convey a theme or mood - Animating or writing an interactive to a theme is quite acommon device and very effective when that theme is explored fully.   The production designer has a message to convey which cannot be, or would suffer if moulded, into the linear framework.   To assist its flow the theme may be broken down into episodic units.   A theme may also evoke a mood - again a powerful tool in drawing an aesthetic response from your audience.   Examples of productions based on themes are AIM student works :"Thaipograhpy”, "House of Wax", 'Pleasure Domes” and also Mark Lycette's “autograph”, Felix Hude's “Haiku dada” and Angela Barnett's 'Cinco Anjos' interactives.

2. Exploration of a technique - the fascination an artist has for a particular medium or method of conveying a visual message leads them to fully exploit its possibilities and base a whole production around its practise.   No story is told except the underlying - “see this medium, see what I can do with it, see what it's capable of?”.   “Elephant Circus” and 'Tactus' are examples of film where the primary purpose was to explore a technique, however they are all based loosely on the narrative principles we looked at in week one.   In the interactive area - look at “The Swear Club” and 'Memo'.

3. Harness the rhythms and mood of music - Music inspires us to create - dance, write, sing, act, draw.   A piece of music may conjure up vivid imagery which is personal to each of us.  Where are the source of these images?   Our subconscious, our memories, experiences, perception and imagination.   All or some will dictate what mental images come forward in response to a piece of music; but your artistic skills and preferences will dictate how you translate those images into the physical environment, (and often that is the hardest part).

Tempo, rhythm, length, mood - these are specific characteristics of a music piece which will influence the look, feel, timing   and pace of imagery, all of which may be   synchronous to, or counterpointed against the music.   Examples of such pieces are: “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor - from Fantasia” and Norman Maclaren's - “Scratched Film Exercises” or Adrian Rose's 'Jettison'.

4. Experimental Genres - often one feels the need to ‘push the boundaries', to take a chance, or to simply say (with ill disguised exasperation) “that run-of-the-mill stuff is shitfully dull, and I'm not going to take it any more”.   Perhaps this is what inspired Andy Warhol to film the Empire State Building non-stop for 24 hours.   It's probably also this sort of thinking that nurtured the developers of “Myst” - (“Yes, we're developing a computer game... No - no guns, no combat, no fast action, no gore, no grizzly sound effects, no real-time generation of texture-mapped environments, no adrenalin rushes.....   People?   No, no people....).

Experimenting with the narrative structure, so that a story has a beginning but nothing else, or experimenting with image and theme to the point where they are pure abstraction, are also valid.

All of the above techniques above can benefit form pre-production planning methods that fulfill the same purpose as the storyboard in narrative storytelling. For example Susan Gamble used a colour chart and mood boards-images placed together to represent a range of looks, feelings or experiences the filmmaker wishes to reference in their work-to plan out the shape, pace and scope of her film 'Tactus'. An experience board can be used to illustrate where the peaks and troughs in mood and changes in atmoshpere might be commuicated across time. These ideas can be communicate through colours, shapes, images and words. You can also adapt the traditional storyboard to fulfill the needs of your non-narrative work.

A NOTE OF CAUTION

The above four production methods, in my opinion, can be even more engaging than straight linear narrative; but to succeed as absorbing viewing they need to strike a chord with your audience.   If the audience can make a subconscious identification or attachment to the mode or message being conveyed (the return of the aesthetic response!); you will have them riveted.   If while watching or using your production - they are asking themselves “why was this made?   What am I looking at here?   Huh?!!.    (In other words, if the point flies straight over their single or collective heads) - you run the chance of a walk-out. It's a gamble that you should consider before starting but is well worth taking when it works. Consider also, that one can, of course exploit all of the above four categories simultaneously.

Reading

Steven D Katz (1991) Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualising from
Concept to Screen, Michael Wiese Productions

The WHOLE thing but specifically pages 23-82 for this week

And

Roman, Chris, Storyboarding The Simpsons Way
Animation Meat. Web 05/01/2010
http://www.animationmeat.com/