Subject Name: Television Programming & Production

Department of Media & Communication Studies

Created By: Ms. Sanyogita Phogat

Jagannath International Management School

Vasant Kunj, New Delhi - 110070
(Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi)
Recognized u/s 2(f) by UGC & Accredited with ‘A’ Grade by NAAC
Participant of UNGC & UNPRME, New York
ISO 9001:2015 Quality Certified
Programme : BA(JMC)
Semester : IV
Subject Code : BA(JMC)-206
Subject : Television Programming & Production
Topic : Story Boarding and Script Breakdown
Lecture No. : 09
Faculty
: Ms. Sanyogita Phogat
Storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed
in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion
graphic or interactive media sequence.
The storyboarding process, in the form it is known today, was developed at Walt
Disney Productions during the early 1930s, after several years of similar processes
being in use at Walt Disney and other animation studios.
Storyboard means a detailed, shot-by-shot description of the programme on a sheet
of paper divided into two vertical columns.
Storyboards are simple, cartoon-like sketches of each scene in a script. They are
numbered boxes with a drawing inside; each box refers to a scene or shot number
from the script.
When the image or camera angle changes, so does the content of the box. Each
sketch is a rough portrait of the scene being shot: the location of one character in
relation to another, the surroundings, the colors or lighting in a scene. (Kellison
2005, 58).
The rectangular boxes (3:4) in the left hand column are used for drawing
pictures/sketches with shot-size described on each and the right-hand column is
used for writing supporting words, sound effects and music, as shown here.
A film storyboard (sometimes referred to as a shooting board), is essentially a series
of frames, with drawings of the sequence of events in a film, similar to a comic
book of the film or some section of the film produced beforehand.
It helps film directors, cinematographers and television commercial advertising
clients visualize the scenes and find potential problems before they occur.
Besides this, storyboards also help estimate the cost of the overall production and
save time. Often storyboards include arrows or instructions that indicate movement.
For fast-paced action scenes, monochrome line art might suffice. For slower-paced
dramatic films with an emphasis on lighting, color impressionist style art might be
necessary.
In creating a motion picture with any degree of fidelity to a script, a storyboard
provides a visual layout of events as they are to be seen through the camera lens.
And in the case of interactive media, it is the layout and sequence in which the user
or viewer sees the content or information.
In the storyboarding process, most technical details involved in crafting a film or
interactive media project can be efficiently described either in a picture or in
additional text.
While storyboards originated in and remain prevalent with the art & design
community, they are ultimately a practical tool.
The first documented use of storyboards in their modern form was by the team at
Disney working on the ‘3 Little Pigs’ movie. Before that, the animators would work
in a room together and just hope that all their hard work was on target and made
sense together.
Storyboards are a kind of prototype- something we create to bring our idea to life
quickly and cheaply. We use it to vet the idea before we waste time & money on
something no one wants.
The story board is important because:
•It forces the writer to think in terms of visuals.
•It is at this stage that the TV/video script begins to appear as evolving, into a series
of pictures in sequential continuity, with sound and action described alongside.
•It is easily possible to study the overall development and progression of the script
with the use of the storyboard.
•It is possible and advisable to make script changes, if any, by adding, deleting,
shifting or reshaping of shots and sequences.
•It is useful for all members of the production team to study the storyboard.
 Stages of script development
There are three main stages of script development:
Draft script: First fill-length script with a complete listing and description of all
visuals/captions, accompanying commentary or dialogue, music and sound effects.
Discuss your draft script with your colleagues, experts and production team members to
get their reactions and suggestions. Be ready to accept criticism of your draft script and
be open to ideas for improvement.
Final script: At this stage, all suggestions made at the draft script stage are
incorporated. And the final script goes over to the producer who should analyse it
from the viewpoint of production and should work out a camera script.
Usually, the scriptwriter goes off the scene after this stage, and the producer takes
over, but the interaction between the scriptwriter and the producer continues upto
the point the programme has been finally produced.
Camera script: This is the critical phase of script development: the final script
prepared by the scriptwriter is converted into a camera script for the use of the
producer and his team.
It is indeed a technical script in which shot division is done; instruction for
production crew are given; music, effects and dialogue are indicated in a logical
sequence. In short, a camera script represents the inter-relationships of all
programme elements and resources. It is an important working document for the
producer.
Testing of the script: The last stage of script development is the testing of its
effectiveness.
Testing the script with the target audience is advisable at least once when the production
of a series of several programmes is to be undertaken. The main idea of script-testing is
to assess the presentation and comprehensibility of the content, the difficulty level of
the language and the relevance and variety of materials used to be used in the
programme.
In the case of a complete script, the contents are actually read out to the target group
for testing their strengths and weaknesses. Some researchers attempt to dramatize
the story sequences as they appear in the actual script.
In the light of the feedback obtained through such testing, the content and
organisation of the script and the design, sequence and number of visuals may be
altered by the scriptwriter.
Script-testing is a technique of formative evaluation which provides a quick
feedback on various aspects of the product which can then be suitably modified
before its actual production.
Thank You !!