Storyboarding

Today I storyboarded a few scenes from my title sequence. Rather than using a computer-generated storyboarding application, I decided to hand draw my storyboard images. Well, at least some of them. For others, I actually went to my shooting location and practiced the way I want my shots to look. This allowed me to gain a more in-depth understanding of how I want my shots to look.

Traditional Storyboarding

Here is one of my storyboard images that I drew. This is the shot where my main character, Aspen, is leaving her house. It is an extreme long shot that will give my audience a clear view of the front of Aspen’s house. In this scene, she will be frantically opening the door and shutting it. She will fumble with her keys and eventually lock the door. I chose to use an extreme long shot in order to show the contrast between Aspen’s rapid movements and the calm, suburban neighborhood.

These images are ideas for the montage of tracking shots I want to include when Aspen is walking to class. In order to create a montage when editing, I will have to film lots of different shots in various locations. I want these tracking shots to use center framing and focus on the back of Aspen’s head.

On Location Storyboarding

I’m a hands-on and visual learner, so drawing things out doesn’t always cut it for me. I need to actually do the things. So for some of my shots, I went to my shooting location and practiced the angles I would be shooting from.

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Here is an example of the method I described above. The left image is mine. This is from the scene where Aspen just wakes up, checks her phone, and realizes she overslept. It is inspired by the shot on the right from Eighth Grade (2018). Below are some of the camera angles I will be using during the bathroom scenes

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Conclusion

I’m shooting this upcoming weekend, and I’m super excited/nervous! I’ve done a lot of work in planning my title sequence and now it’s finally going to actually happen! However, I’m nervous that I haven’t planned enough shots and won’t film enough. I’m going to do my best to overshoot and make sure I have everything I can control in order. It’s going to be fun!

Sources

• I used various IMDB links throughout this post. Their specific URLs can be found when clicking on them.
• https://www.dummies.com/art-center/performing-arts/filmmaking/storyboarding-your-film/