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Struggling with Storyboarding? Here Are Some Storyboarding Ideas to Get You Back on Track

  • MatthewWatts
  • October 9, 2019
  • 3 Comments
clapperboard, storyboard on wood

In 2018, 85% of internet users in the United States watched video content. Video marketing is an excellent way to reach more people when growing your business.

 

Reading is not only informed by what’s going on with us at that moment, but also governed by how our eyes and brains work to process information. What you see and what you’re experiencing as you read these words is quite different.
Jason Maria
A guy pressing a laptop on a couch

V

ideo production is the process of planning, filming, and finalizing a video. Producing videos is a great way to tell stories or implement a new marketing strategy. If you understand the basics of video production, you will know that it can take a while to create a video. However, when done well, a video can be an amazing piece of content. Whether you want to tell a story or market your next product, you should consider the stages of video production. Of course, no two videos will take the same length of time to produce. Some may move through the steps quickly, while others may take longer. One video might get stuck in one stage, while a different video will get stuck in a different part of the process. Still, you should know the different video production stages so that you can plan for them when creating a video.

Almost every video goes through the same basic steps, from coming up with an idea to premiering the video. It doesn’t matter if you’re making a short marketing clip or a full-length movie.

You need to take your video through the following stages:

  • Pre-production
  • Production
  • Post-production

While you might be able to breeze through these steps, take them seriously. You want to put out the best video that you can, and that can take time. Of course, you might be able to create a marketing video within a week or two. However, a longer movie could take months to complete. Before you begin making your first video, you should know what each stage entails. Then, you can account for the different stages when planning and scheduling everything.

Two colleagues, male and female sharing ideas
There is no sincerer love than the love of food.

One essential part of pre-production is finalizing the script. You don’t want to start shooting if you don’t know what you’re going to talk about. You should also list out all of the shots you want to get and what order they will go in. Creating a storyboard will help you visualize what your video will look like. Next, you should consider your budget. A music video will probably have a bigger budget than a customer testimonial. However, you need to know how much money you can spend for the rest of this stage. If you’ll have other people in the video, you should look for your cast. Of course, you can’t film your video if you don’t have all of the necessary people. Because of this, you should also look for any crew members, especially if you have a longer video to shoot. At this point, you’ll need to make sure you have all of the necessary equipment. You’ll need cameras, lights, sound equipment and a filming location. Depending on your video, you may need someone to manage hair and makeup. Make sure you have everything ironed out before you move onto the next stage

The production stage is probably the most exciting part of the process. You’ve done all of the planning, you have a great idea and you have a cast and crew to help.

Now, you need to film all of the shots and scenes for your video. Depending on how long the video will be, this could take a few hours. On the other hand, it could take weeks to get all of the footage that you need.

During this stage, don’t be afraid to get multiple takes of the same scene. While you might like the first take, you want to have options so that you can include the best footage.

Even if you’re making a short video for a marketing campaign, you want to get every possible shot now. If you realize later that you forgot something, it can be a pain to set up all of the equipment and film it again.

Make sure that you use the best equipment that you can. Set up lighting so that it looks good on the people in your video.

Use external microphones to capture voices more easily.

The more you do now to improve the quality of the video, the easier it will be in the final stage of video production.

Post-Production

Possibly the hardest step in video production is the post-production stage. It is where you take all of the footage you have and combine it into a high-quality video.

If you’ve never worked with video, this step can be intimidating. Luckily, a video production company can help you out.

You can edit the video by splicing the footage like you would with film. Then, you can cut out awkward pauses so that you only keep the footage that you want.

You’ll also need to make sure that the audio syncs up with the video. If you haven’t already, you should also get the rights to any music that you want to use.

Adding music can add more depth and interest to the video, which can make people want to watch it and share it.

If you have other sounds besides music, you may need to do foley. Foley involves creating sounds for a video but those sounds may not be music. One example would be using wood blocks to replicate the sound of horse hooves.

After you add everything in, you can review the video. Once you’re happy with the product, you can release it to the public.

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Herman Miller
Herman Miller

Video production can seem intimidating if you don’t have experience. However, if you know the three stages of creating a video, it can be less daunting. You can break everything into smaller steps to make it easier to do.

Still need help? Contact us to get a quote for your video project!

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clapperboard, storyboard on wood

Are you feeling like a bit of a cliche right now? Surrounded by wadded up pieces of paper that you tried to create a storyboard for a video on?

It’s okay if none of your ideas are panning out. It’s not that you don’t have a good idea – it’s that you need help with the process.

Reading is not only informed by what’s going on with us at that moment, but also governed by how our eyes and brains work to process information. What you see and what you’re experiencing as you read these words is quite different.
Jason Maria
storyboarding

And coming up with good storyboarding ideas is just that – a process. The easier you make the process, the easier the ideas will flow.

Here are a few tips on how to fluidly get down your storyboarding ideas below.

Video Storytelling
There is no sincerer love than the love of food.

Have Different Templates for Different Video Types

When someone sets out to write a fiction story, do you think they plan it out the same way they plan out a mystery?

Of course not. Different writing genres need different storyboards. As do different video types.

For example, you’re not going to spend lots of time showing what the problem is (see step 4 below) if you’re doing a tutorial video. They’re watching this video because they already know the problem – they just need your help fixing it.

Keep that in mind when you read the next storyboard creation tip, and change the plan around as you need to.

Start Big, Then Get Small With Story Planning

We see a lot of people try to sit down to a blank storyboard and hash out all their ideas. That’s a little bit crazy.

You don’t open your fridge when you’re having a dinner party and stare at whatever you have, then try to come up with a recipe. You may do that when it’s just you eating – but not when it really matters.

Instead, what do you do? You find a recipe or you start with an idea of what you want to make. The same is true for making videos.

Even if it’s an ad campaign, it has a plot – if it doesn’t, then the ad will fail.

So how do you create a recipe for your ad campaign without starting with a blank storyboard? You use a story planning grid.

This one was created for story writers by the National Literacy Trust, but it works for video creators as well.

The Story Planning Grid: Questions to Ask

You don’t have to use their template if you don’t want to. If you didn’t get a chance to take a look at it, here are some of the questions/categories it establishes.

1. Who?

This is a two-part question when it comes to creating ad videos or at least videos that have a designated audience. You want to ask yourself 1. Who will watch this? but also 2. who is the main character(s)?

Once you have that down, you can move on to step 2.

2. Where?

Again, this is two part. Where will you put the ad so that your audience will see it?

But also, where does this ad take place. Where will your main characters be? Where will you film? The more details you mark down in every box, the smoother the actual process will be.

3. What?

What are you trying to communicate? What’s the end goal? Is it a sale, a conversion, or education? Write the goal of the video here.

Then, write down what the character is trying to do. They’re usually trying to do something you do like your service or something your product helps with – yet they’re failing without professional help.

4. Problem or Threat

This is where you get specific. What are they failing at, in the specific thing they’re doing? Maybe their laundry detergent isn’t getting out all the stains in their clothes.

It doesn’t matter what the problem actually is, in terms of literary interest. It needs to matter to your audience and if you sell laundry detergent, like the example we just used, you know that it does.

5. Setbacks

What did the character try before they came to your product? There are some funny acne ads that show people trying crazy online “hacks” to heal their acne. Those would be the setbacks.

You don’t necessarily need this step. It adds interest to the video, but you don’t always have time for it, so decide for yourself what you’d like to incorporate.

6. Help or Intervention

Finally – your product or service is here to save the day! This is where you can really brag about the details of how you can help or what you can do to fix the problem that you noted in step four.

Don’t be shy – this is your time to shine.

7. The Resolution

In video writing, the resolution is more like a summary. This person had this problem, they tried to fix it but they had these setbacks until your product finally helped.

Now they are happy/cleaner/safer – whatever you want them to be.

8. The Ending

Finally, your video should have an ending note that sticks in peoples brains. The Geico commercials do this well.

They always end their ad with how you could save time and money by switching to Geico. They do it in a unique way, by integrating their solution into a problem you wouldn’t expect.

Just don’t try the caveman thing they attempted in the mid-’00s. That crashed and burned.

Skipping Planning Steps

We know that you only have so much time to get your message across, but if you’re going to use the guide above – there are two steps you can skip – and no more.

You can skip the setbacks and the ending if you have a strong resolution. But other than that, make sure your frames go in that order.

Other Things to Note

Since this storyboard plan is made for writers, it leaves some of the things we need out. Like a goal. What is the goal of making this video for business?

Then what is the goal or thing you want your clients to do? Develop your goal first, before you work on the rest of your video.

Starting from the vague (goal) and getting more specific will make sure your video does what you intended it to do.

Write Your Script After You Plan 

Another mistake we see people make is that they sit down to write a script without making their plan. 

Let’s say that you followed the story planning method we laid out above. Now you know exactly what’s going to happen in your video, you have the characters and the events.

Now all you need to do, to write the script, is follow the story planning guide. You’ll still have to decide things like how to open the video, but you know where it’s going.

When you’re writing your script – there’s one essential thing that will decide if your video succeeds or fails: if you write to your audience or not.

Writing for Your Audience

Knowing your audience is the best tool you have ever as a business. It comes in handy for SEO, for making visual ads, for writing social media posts – there’s really nothing knowing your audience doesn’t help with.

And that extends to script writing. If you’re making a video that’s for a product or service older adults use, you’re not going to use slang.

They won’t get what you’re saying, they’ll get annoyed, and your video will get clicked off.

But writing to your audience is more than just your word choices. You need to know what your audience wants or needs.

For example, younger generations want entertainment, while older ones prefer an explanation of value. If you’re selling something, you need to focus on ease of access for younger people. They love convenience.

Older people will happily wait for a product if they think they’re getting the best value for their money.

You can write these things into your script.

Ask for Help if You Need It

Writing a storyboard for videos isn’t something you learn in school. Your parents don’t teach you – it’s something you have to figure out by yourself.

But not truly by yourself. There are video production companies (like us) who will happily help you get the hang of things, along with providing you tools and the studio to do it in.

Even if you think you’re being silly to ask for help, do it anyways. Everyone is still learning in this field, our employees included.

Your question may be one we’ve never figured out before, but we’ll find a solution together. Now you’ve not only gotten your question answered, but you’ve helped us grow our skills and our business!

Storyboarding Ideas: Still Stuck?

If you’re a-ok with the process now, but don’t have any inspiration on what to fill in the boxes with, do some competitor research. Do they have any videos on their page? What do they seem to be used as a structure?

Obviously, you don’t want to copy their storyboarding ideas, but it can give you a place to start.

Ready to talk about your video idea, in whatever stage it’s in? Click here. 

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Herman Miller
Herman Miller

Video production can seem intimidating if you don’t have experience. However, if you know the three stages of creating a video, it can be less daunting. You can break everything into smaller steps to make it easier to do.

Still need help? Contact us to get a quote for your video project!

All Author Posts

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About Me
A man smiling at his computer
Hello, my name is caitlyn vine jony. my job is to do lovely things to fill my little house in my free time.

Let’s Socialize

Facebook-f Twitter Pinterest-p Linkedin-in
Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated to our offers and deals!

We are committed to protecting your privacy

Popular Post
fitness instagram

6 Ways to Make Your Fitness Instagram Stand Out

June 30, 2022
video production

7 Tips for Hiring a Video Production Company

June 23, 2022
video ideas

The Ultimate Guide to Video Ideas for Business Marketing

June 9, 2022
video production for business

Video Production for Business: What You Should Know

July 27, 2021
video production mistakes

7 Video Production Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

July 14, 2021
video production companies

7 Factors to Consider When Hiring Video Production Companies

July 1, 2021
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Viva Media Inc.

777 The Queensway
Unit 1
Toronto, ON
Canada

Facebook Linkedin Youtube
ABOUT
  • About Us
  • Our Process
  • Blog
INDUSTRIES
  • Startups
  • Technology
  • Financial services
  • Healthcare services
  • Nonprofit
  • Educational services
  • Agency video partners
SERVICES
  • Kickstarter video
  • Promo video
  • Internal communications video
  • Social media video
  • Tutorial video
  • Educational video
  • Explainer video
  • Food video
  • Customer testimonial video
  • Event video
  • Product video
  • Branded video
  • Corporate video
  • Commercial video
WORK
  • Our Work
  • Live-Action Videos
  • Mixed-Media Videos
  • Animation & Motion Graphics
  • Pricing
Capabilities
  • Concept & Creative Development
  • Pre-Production
  • Live-Action Production
  • VFX & Animation
  • Post-Production
  • Sound Design
Contact
  • Contact Us
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