Storyboards and shot list

Copy from www.videomaker.com
Some DVDs (The Matrix, for example) include sample storyboards shot-by-shot sketches drawn to visualize the action of key sequences as bonus material. As you study these slick drawings, you'll notice that most frames are remarkably close to the actual shots they predict. Back in Hollywood's glory days, most directors (with Hitchcock a notable exception) rarely worked with storyboards; today, however, they're everywhere.

Storyboards Visualize
Basically, pre-designed storyboards in pencil or marker predict what shots will look like. Why not just invent shots as you actually shoot? Here are three reasons.

First, storyboards let you test complicated setups cheaply on paper instead of expensively on location. Secondly, you can check your coverage of a sequence and preplan your video camera angles for variety, continuity and rhythm. Finally, storyboarding is essential for planning special effects. Say you want to establish a "pirate ship" by compositing stock footage of a three-master riding off-shore with our hero in the foreground. A sketch will guide your placement of the camera and the actor so that he'll relate properly to the scene.You've learned how to make a storyboard for your own use, but storyboards also communicate your vision to others. Verbalizing image ideas is always chancy, so it's better to show what you have in mind visually.

Shot Lists
Think of a shot list as the writing on a storyboard, without the pictures. Though simple lists of shots don't let you pre-test potential setups, they do allow you to systematically verify that you are covering every angle you need. Often shot lists are just quick and dirty notes that help you remember everything you need in a particular sequence. You can also cull a shot list from a fully-written script if you separate the video into separate columns (or separate paragraphs). Just build a word processor macro that will strip out everything but the scene number as well as any of the visual descriptions. On the other hand, a shot list built in a database program (such as File Maker Pro) can be one of the most versatile production tools in your kit. Design a database using some or all of the fields that are suggested in the sidebar, using each shot as a separate record.