Storyboarding Methods - 1

Introduction

As mentioned above, in this blog post I’m going to select different ways of storyboarding for movies, animation to eLearning packages! I’m also going to give advantages and disadvantages to each and which I prefer to use and why!
 

Importance of Storyboarding

Storyboarding is important as it allows you plan ahead so that when you’re producing your movie or animation you know what the next steps are, for example, what the next scene you need to film is and what’s going to happen. This is also important if you’re working with others who are filming other scenes elsewhere as you need the scenes to make sense and match up afterwards, which you cannot do, or do well if you’re making up your movie or animation on the go.

Storyboarding also helps save time in the long run as you won’t be standing around wondering what should happen in the next scene or what angle to capture it from.

Storyboarding also allows you to remember your key ideas so that you won't forgot them. For example, if you're creating an eLearning package and you come up with a cool idea for an interaction, writing it down as part of a storyboard will help you to remember your idea when you come to the production stage.
 

Identifying Various Storyboarding Methods

Below I’ve selected seven different methods of storyboarding and then explained them and how they differ from other techniques. 
 

Method of Storyboarding	Explanation
o   Handwritten/ Drawn	To quickly sum them up, they’re storyboards written and drawn by hand on sheets of paper. Paper is often divided into four small boxes which each represent each scene, in which you can quickly and roughly sketch out your ideas, adding notes underneath, to remind yourself later on what and how you want things to happen in that scene. Use lines or arrows for more specific information, for instance what colour you want a person’s clothing to be, or what you want them to say!    Want to make a change? Not to worry, it’s only a rough draft so it doesn’t matter how clean they look, as long as you understand them; but if you used a pencil then you can easily grab yourself a rubber and erase what you don’t like or want.   What makes handwritten storyboards so great is that they’re quick and easy, direct and make exactly how you want them. When you’re minds full of ideas, you just want them on paper so you don’t forget them, which is much quicker than having to add text blocks and type away. Then you’ve written in all the important information and you can begin adding in some sketches, but other than using a drawing tablet/ app, you’ll struggle to get them exactly how you want them, without spending plenty of time on them.
o   Microsoft Sway	The best comparison to Sway would be Microsoft PowerPoint, with more emphasis on the transitions between slides in order to increase interactivity. It’s so similar to PowerPoint, that it actually allows you to upload them and then ‘Remix’ them, which adds transitions between pages and mixes up the colours.   Sway also allows you to add more media content, such as Tweets, videos, pictures, charts or embeddable content, such as YouTube videos. Sway even offers different navigational features. Want vertical or horizontal scrolling rather than the slides just appearing after one another? Microsoft Sway can do that!   Once you’ve completed your storyboards, you can then quickly and easily share them with others, great if you’re working in an office with other who too are working on the same project as you.
o   Forge	Forge is a free app for on iOS. While I don’t have any experience using this app, from what I’ve seen and read, it does look to be a good app, given the right scenario. To begin with, it’s only available on iOS, so you’ll need an iPhone, iPad, Mac etc but given the size of an iPhone I wouldn’t say it’s worth using, and for the best experience I’d suggest using an iPad with a stylus or a Mac with drawing tablet.   Now with the device compatibility out of the way, you’ll want to know what the app offers; and the answer? Many unique features. To start with, you can add content from your device’s camera roll, Dropbox or Adobe’s Creative Cloud to name a few. You can also export and push your ideas to Photoshop to add those finishing touches. There’s even a wide variety of brushes for various designs and effects.  All your ideas are pinned to your Forge homescreen known as a ‘wall’ where you can look at them all together and take inspiration from them, similar to if you had your drawings pinned on a wall.   Not to forget, all these features are packed into one device, not clustering up the table as you travel on the train; much easier.
o   Microsoft OneNote	Onto another of Microsoft’s programs called OneNote. OneNote instantly reminds me of Word, since it does have a similar layout and contains many of the same features. It can be used on a desktop to type up any notes or to write down notes on a tablet.   There are some other useful features for instance you can screenshare with others and update the document together. You can also take ‘clips’ of the web which are essentially screenshots you can refer back to or add notes or annotations over top.   In summary however, I personally don’t think if differs too much from other apps which are free, the only downside to them is that they won’t sync with other Microsoft documents.
o   Microsoft PowerPoint	PowerPoint, again owned by Microsoft can be used for storyboarding, and it is in fact our generic storyboarding method here at Elephant Learning Designs, although some people may use other methods.   What makes PowerPoint good for storyboarding in my opinion is that you can add basic animation which can be a good way of showcasing what you want to happen, rather than writing it down in a notes format. PowerPoint also has its own notes section which can be used to keep your more expansive notes away from the storyboards themselves.   The only immediate negative with using PowerPoint is your inability to be able to doodle your designs; although there are some work arounds, although not that expansive and detailed; you’re not going to be able to pick from various brushes for example. To sum PowerPoint up, it’s good, but to a basic level, which can be good depending on your project. You can get away with storyboarding on PowerPoint for smaller, low key projects, but no industry expert is ever going near PowerPoint to storyboard
o   Storyboard Quick Direct	Storyboard Quick Direct is another app available on iOS and Android at a cost of $20.00, which while I haven’t used the app, seems expensive for what it offers and many other reviews seem to agree.   To summarise what the app allows you to do would be use backgrounds or take images of your own and add ‘characters’ over the top. These characters are supposed to replicate those you’ll use in your actual movie or animation however from reading reviews, these character also cost to use, depending on their action/ pose.   In my opinion, the worst method of the bunch; they are many other cheaper and more beneficial methods available to use.
o   Storyboard THAT	Moving on from the worst of the bunch, to in my opinion, the best of the bunch.   Storyboard THAT does what most other platform offer, multiple boxes in which for you to create a storyboard. And so you’re now wanting to know how this makes it any better than any other platform? The answer? They provide you with multiple background choices, ranging from a shop, a train cockpit to a sports field; so you’re bound to find a background close to what you’re looking for. To build on this, they also have different characters on offer, from builders to doctors to even a bunch of monsters, all of which are to represent those in your movie or animation. Want your character to wear a blue apron? Well they allow for customisation too! So you can change your characters facial expression, to their stance or the colour of their clothing. It doesn’t stop their either, you can change the styling of your background, and to some degree the colours of that too.    Not only do they provide backgrounds and characters, they also have other random vectors, such as gestures, which you could use to indicate what you want the user to do. I’ll post some examples of the vectors they provide below.   Having all this allows you to build your scene, now you want to add notes? Well you can! Change the layout of your storyboard to include titles, notes, descriptions or a combination. You can also change your layout to better suit your style, so if you want, you could make a spider diagram, a timeline or a frayer model. You can even resize your cells to increase the amount of room you have to work with. Got them in the wrong order? Not to panic, you can rearrange them too! Want to ensure things are aligned? Add grid lines and you can do just that!   To summarise, Storyboard THAT is a conventional storyboarding platform that provides the content for you, you just have to position it together. All this is great for someone who wants to get their ideas down quickly, doesn’t want to spend too long storyboarding or simply cannot or doesn’t want to draw!

 

Advantages and Disadvantages

Now you know what each of the different techniques offer and how they differ from each other, I’m now going to give some advantages and disadvantages to each of them, to further help you understand which is more beneficial than the other. Following the advantages and disadvantages I’m briefly going to give you my thoughts and opinions on each technique too.
 

Method of Storyboarding	Advantages	Disadvantages
o   Handwritten/ Hand drawn	o   It’s exactly how you want it. You draw your scenery, backgrounds and characters so you can draw them how you want them, and then be able to build them exactly how you want. o   You can add your own notes, which help you when you come to finally building your movie, animation or eLearning package. o   Clear, you drew and wrote everything so you should have a clear understanding of it. o   There’s no set way you have to storyboard, it’s in your hands.	o   You can easily lose a physical copy. o   A physical copy can also get damaged by rain, fire or general wear. o   If you made your storyboard using anything other than a pencil, then making changes is going to be difficult. o   You’re required to have materials, such as paper, pencils, brushes etc to get all the effects already available on a computer. o   If you scribbled your notes down in a rush, you, or anyone else for that matter might struggle to read them at a later date.
o   Microsoft Sway	o   Add images and notes to your storyboards o   Looks professional, especially if you’re using your storyboards to present an idea to someone. o   Clutter free. o   Carrying a device with Sway installed is much easier than carrying physical equipment. o   Can share your ideas with multiple people.	o   Almost impossible to add your own designs or drawings which limits how much you can storyboard. o   Drawing and note making is going to take longer to complete compared to drawing it all by hand. o   Nothing quite compares to having the storyboards in hand.
o   Forge	o   Multiple brushes and affects available for you to use help create and style your storyboard. o   Again easier to carry and edit on the fly, while on the train for instance. o   You have access to a large database of images, including those on your camera roll to those made available by Adobe. o   You can export your storyboard ideas to Photoshop where you can add the finer details. o   All your saved storyboards are grouped together on your homescreen which can be used as inspiration for other storyboards. o   Can be emailed and shared with others’.	o   For best results you’ll need a Mac or iPad, both of which require peripherals to get the best experience. For instance, you’ll need a stylus to use an iPad otherwise you’ll struggle to draw using your finger. o   Consider the life of your device’s battery.
o   Microsoft OneNote	o   Great for note taking, or just jotting down your ideas in a hurry. o   Quickly share your ideas and notes with others using email. o   Share your notes and ideas with others, live!	o   Not all that different from drawing your own storyboards on paper. o   You’ll need some form of computer device capable of running OneNote.
o   Microsoft PowerPoint	o   Each PowerPoint slide can act as a new scene. o   PowerPoint also has a notes section, perfect for you to add those lengthy notes explaining how the scene is going to play out. o   It’s a program everyone feels comfortable with. o   Add animation to characters to help show what you want to happen. o   PowerPoint gives that professional feel.	o   It’s a struggle getting your own drawings and illustrations. o   There’s no brush options so adding affects isn’t possible, however most storyboards don’t need to include detail.
o   Storyboard Quick Direct	o   Provides backgrounds and character vectors for you in order to save time. o   Plenty of stances, backgrounds and poses available so you should be able to get a storyboard close to what you were imagining.	o   Expensive for what you get. o   Doesn’t allow for much detail. o   Additional characters also cost.
o   Storyboard THAT	o   Provides the vectors for you so you don’t have to spend time drawing them. o   They also offer lots of options in terms of customisation, facial expression, stance, position and poses, so you’ll have an easy time getting your storyboard close to what you want. o   You can freely move and resize anything and everything should you want to make changes. o   They also offer motion graphics which is great if you want to identify a select scene as requiring user input. o   You can save storyboards and visit them later. o   Offers more than one storyboarding technique, such as spider diagrams or timelines. o   Add descriptions or note below each scene for the things you can’t add using images.	o   It does cost. The free version allows you to create up to six cells, to build beyond that you have to pay, but that also unlocks another image library, building on the already expansive one. o   I’d imagine with multiple characters on one scene it would get a bit fiddly to select and edit each of the different characters.

 

Evaluation

Now I’ve explained the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the different techniques, I’m going to evaluate each of them, giving some of my own thoughts.
 

Technique	Evaluation
o   Handwritten/ Hand Drawn	Handwritten storyboards are the most accessible way of storyboarding, you don’t need any device such as a PC or tablet, and you can take them with you to edit them wherever you like; they also don’t require knowledge of how to use the different programs. One big benefit of using hand drawn storyboards is that you’re free to do what you like, you’re not limited by any program and you can create your storyboard in a way which works best for you. For example, on a program such as PowerPoint, Sway or Storyboard THAT you’re limited to using the shapes and tools available to you; with PowerPoint and Sway only having basic shapes available which aren’t exactly ideal for drawing characters or backgrounds.
o   Microsoft Sway	Microsoft Sway isn’t a program I’d instantly think of using for storyboarding. Similar to PowerPoint, Sway doesn’t offer any creative tools for drawing characters etc which is why I’d stay away from trying to use it to create a storyboard.   While I wouldn’t use Sway to create a storyboard, it could be a good program to help explain you them. For example, you could hand draw each of your scenes and then import the images into Sway and add the notes within Sway; this could be something very useful should you be explaining or pitching your idea to someone else. This would be a lengthy process so any ideas you have, you may want to note down.
o   Forge	I haven’t used this app before, so I cannot give my thoughts on it exactly, but from my understanding you get a blank canvas in which you can use the tools, such as brushes of different sizes and styles along with text to create your each scene of your storyboard. This is very similar to hand drawing your storyboards, however it’s all digital which is great for anyone who prefers that aspect. For example, rather than carrying your storyboards, pens, pencils etc around with you, it’s all on your iPad or Macbook. The only downside to this app is that it’s only available for iOS which can limit who it’s available to.
o   Microsoft OneNote	Microsoft OneNote is very similar to Forge, it gives you a blank canvas in which to doodle on, however it is more limited on the tools, so you won’t be able to change the brush stroke for instance, but I don’t see this as much of an issue given you’re only using it for storyboarding, which doesn’t really need different effects.   Given that OneNote is available on all devices, I’d say this could be a good option, especially if you don’t need the different effects. It’s also worth noting that your Microsoft Office is synced across all your devices so you can carry on editing on a different device.
o   Microsoft PowerPoint	PowerPoint is another program that I wouldn’t instantly use for storyboarding due to how limited it is for creating and designing content to go in your storyboards; the same issue that Sway has. Again like Sway, it could be a good idea for presenting any ideas in PowerPoint, but other than adding slides & notes, I don’t think PowerPoint is suited for storyboarding.
o   Storyboard Quick Direct	Storyboard Quick Direct is another app that I haven’t used, but I have done some research into and I don’t think it’s complete enough to be used for storyboarding. To begin with it costs $20.00 when there are better alternatives available for free. Once past the cost to buy the program, it doesn’t offer much, you add your background and characters over top; it doesn’t allow you to add notes about that particular scene. The character options are also limited without paying more money, on top of the original $20.00. In conclusion, I feel that Storyboard Quick Direct is an app that I don’t feel is complete and is way too expensive for what it offers.
o   Storyboard THAT	The perfect app for someone who can’t or doesn’t want to draw their own characters or backgrounds. Storyboard THAT provides you with plenty of vector options, which is perfect for finding what you want. The only downside to this is that there are no other vectors available, such as vehicles, props etc which can limit some of the creativeness.   There are also several storyboarding options available, you might even find a new way to storyboard on there!

 

In summary

So after all that, which do I think is best? Well my answer would depend on a few things. First do you enjoy drawing and are able to draw multiple scenes? Where do you tend to come up with your ideas? And finally, are you able to read your own writing? If you answered, ‘Yes, at home and yes’ then I’d suggest drawing your storyboards on paper using a pencil as to help erase anything you don’t want at a later date. Add your notes below each cell, such as the things that you want to happen, how it’ll transition in and any effects. I’d also suggest adding small amounts of colour, just to give you an idea of the colour you want to use; colouring everything in fully and perfectly is just a waste of time since these aren’t going to be seen or used by anyone but yourself.

Now if you answered no to any of those questions, or anywhere but at home or office, then I’d strongly suggest using an app on your device; the choice of app is again down to your preference. If you feel like you would rather create your own characters from scratch as to give yourself a better idea of what you want in the future, then I’d suggest using Forge for instance. However, if you’d rather create your characters on the fly and just want to get the ideas for your movie or animation down, such as the story, then Storyboard THAT is definitely the best option for you, as you won’t be spending long creating those storyboards and you only want to storyboard the story, without focusing on the characters looks for instance.

If you’re looking for a way you can complete a storyboard on a computer without much hassle then I’d suggest using either Microsoft Sway or PowerPoint, as these are simple to grasp programs capable of doing a fair good job if you use the pen too built into the presentation tools.