From script to shooting script to film

So you’ve thought of an idea. The trouble is, how to turn it into a movie. The same problem faces all film makers. Professionals call in a professional script writer for which a fee is paid and he produces a shooting script. Producing a script to work from is always the next step and it is never easy. Some may manage to produce a reasonable video by going through what they have shot and just putting it together. This is how many may work, but I feel this way is only practical with a short coverage of an event or holiday film, if it is not too long. My holiday videos tend to be quite long, so the first thing I do, is to make a shot list, timing each shot and indicating whether the take is “Good, Bad or Ugly!” marked by numbers or symbols.

If you are writing an original script based on your idea, the first thing you will probably do is to write it in story form. This will have to be broken down into a shooting script, which takes some working out and can be mind boggling. All those words in your written story rearranged in your mind over and over again.

A suitable location is found and explored, the cast approached and the crew assembledTo bring all these things together in a visual expression the story board is an immense aid. So you set aside time to sit down and pour over the shooting script and using your imagination, make a story board. It is not necessary to be an artist, the most basic diagrammatic sketches will do as a reminderTo see each shot marked out on paper, be it L/S, M/S, C/U, BCU etc. is helpful at every stage of the production from start of shooting through to the finish with the final edit.

Story board sheets can be obtained pre-printed or copied from those held by club members. They are simple to draw, see example diagram below.

Having made the drawing, with 15 or 20 squares on an A4 sheet, just go along to the

nearest copying service.

Why do we need a story board?
Answer: It helps you to visualise and get shots edited into the best sequence for continuity.

There are two kinds of story board
1. At the treatment stage. When preparing a script, it can assist in visualising the whole script, shot by shot, for each scene. Each drawing should be in a 4:3 (or 16:9) layout to match the shooting format.

Numbered shots drawn on A4 card ready for shooting

2. After you have it all in the can, a story board is useful for getting it into the best order for the final edit.

Post production story board ready for adding drawings

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A useful method, (if you don’t have a computer editing package) is to have the drawings on thin card, cut them out and juggle them around. The result is a useful guide to where sequences require to be broken down in order to allow the story to flow.


You don’t have to be good at drawing, use diagrammatic pictures, figures can be in match stick form. (I like to use coloured pencils.)

John Woolmer

[If you’re feeling really adventurous, and if you have a computer-based editing system, you can even try making your story board into a movie before you start shooting. This can give a very good feel for the pace of the planned movie and can be especially useful when fitting pictures to music or pre-prepared commentary.

Simply scan in your story board, or draw it in the computer in the first place, and place the drawings for the individual shots on the timeline with appropriate durations. Then play the completed story board sequence out to tape so it can be reviewed easily by the Director and production team.

For the final edit, it is then easy to swap drawings one by one for the real shots and make final small adjustments as necessary.

We used this technique, called animatic story boarding, for Soon, a pop music video made by several club members a couple of years ago. It demonstrated clearly that greater variety of shots was needed before shooting even started. As a result, the shooting sequences were replanned and the required material was shot much more efficiently. Ed]