To story-board or not to story-board?

This is a conversation I have regularly have with DoP’s, cinematographers, and visual artists working with the moving-image. Personally, I enjoy the process of planning shots through methods of story-boarding. Yet, in some situations, the structure and rigour of a story-board can get in the way of capturing a moment. Over the years I have developed a variety of approaches to story-boarding from the elaborate to the doodle on a scrap of paper. At times they function as a basic document which is only for me to think through a production. In other circumstances, they provide a way to communicate the sequence of the shot-list, the technical considerations of framing, action, and style of shot, and also offers a way into the narrative of the work when discussing the production with the DoP and cinematographer. They have been integral to inform choices around what lenses to acquire, what lighting to use, where lighting should be staged or use available and natural light, and if we need other ranges of gear on-set or location to achieve the type of shot(s).

I’m a big fan of the podcast channel Team Deakins, hosted by the acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins with his wife and collaborator James Ellis Deakins, where they discuss the role, function, and business of cinematography. Roger and James interview fellow established producers, directors, cinematographers, camera operators, lighting specialists, and the list goes on. Team Deakins offers the listener a rich insight into the working methods and processes used by their peers in the industry. One question which commonly crops up in nearly every podcast is their thoughts on and work with story-boarding. It has been fascinating to here peoples opinions on story-boarding, the if, when, and how they use them, if at all. Weaving through this debate is a focus on whether the interviewee works with analog film or digital cinema cameras. A sort of never-ending discussion, and conversations I am drawn too.

In the past, when I heard the word story-board, it conjured up references in my mind to intricately executed illustrations like you would see as preparatory work for animation. I have learned that a story-board can be as calculated, concise, intricate, or as basic as you like. It’s just got to serve its purpose and function, as long as it is eligible. Like a sketch towards a the larger painting. There are so many ways to make story-boards and my thoughts on the matter are - it has just got to make sense for you as the director, no matter how it aesthetically or stylistically it looks. If you go Googling around for samples of story-boards by well known directors, it throws up quite a surprising range of results. I get some comfort when I see Scorsese’s story-boarding for Taxi-Driver (1976). There is nothing elaborate about it. It establishes the action, cut, and sequence of the scene with basic drawing and text.

Martin Scorsese story-board for Taxi Driver.

(Image downloaded from https://boords.com/blog/martin-scorseses-hand-drawn-taxi-driver-storyboards-and-the-stories-behind)

One early example of when I had to work through a production by using a story-board, was for the work A Line of Inquiry (2014). This shoot took place in a very remote location at an abandoned military site in the north-west of Donegal, Ireland, called Fort Dunree. The budget was limited, and there was no way I could afford to bring the crew to the location to do a recce. The only way I could think through the shoot, and develop conversations with the crew on how best to shoot it, was to create a 3D representation of the location using Sketch-Up. I knew I was going to be shooting with a variety of cameras and equipment such as with the CineStar Quadrocopter 8 drone, two GoPros attached to it, and a C300 on the ground. Therefore, I had to work out 3 camera positions and perspectives, and how the drone would fly through the landscape. Using 3D software provided me with the ability to basically construct the shoot in advance taking into consideration the 3 camera points of view. I had to do it this way for the reason that the when the crew landed on location, we where all set and ready to go straight into it, knowing exactly the task ahead. Also, the camera operators and drone pilot where able to practice difficult manoeuvres in advance of arriving on location. When I completed the 3D Sketch-Up of the shoot, I was then able to export stills from the 3D animation. The stills where used to assemble a shot-list, a visual shot-list in this case. When I knew we got the shot in sequence, I was able to tick the shot-list box, and make notes when and where needed. If I did not have this visual representation of the shoot, and the ability to mark off the required shots, things could have been very confusing for all. After 12 hours of shooting that day, we all walked away exhausted, but we got everything we needed. A very technically ambitious production, and where I learned the value of the story-board, having a shot-list, and the importance of pre-planning with everyone involved in the production, saving time and saving money. Below are examples of the story-board, shot-list, and the 3D representation of the shoot with a link to the completed work. My work with story-boarding and assembling shot-lists has evolved since the making of this work where, instead of blocking-off scenes in this way, I work through the production in terms of themes. A discussion for another time.

Video still from A Line of Inquiry, 2014.

A 3D representation of A Line of Inquiry constructed in Sketch-Up. Using 3D software to create a story-board and assemble a shot-list.

The work A Line of Inquiry is available to view in full here.