Storyboarding

STORYBOARDING

"The storyboard department doesn't talk to the layout department, which doesn't talk to the writing department. They're all jealous of each other"
John Kricfalusi

Why Storyboarding is essential:

• It helps show the production crew how the director envisages the film
• Snags and flaws are more easily identifiable when using a storyboard
• The crew can begin to plan their part of the shot
• The narrative can be easily followed
• They can work as a visual reminder of the shot order in post-production

P is for Psycho

1. The opening sequence for 'P is for Psycho' begins with an opening shot of a mens toilet, followed by a tilt up of a man hunched over the sink. A CU on the side shows some of his personal possessions, which is succeeded by blood from the mans hand flowing down the plughole. He bandages his band and clenches his fist, but his attention is then caught by a boy who has just come in. The man tucks the gun into his belt, surveys the boy, comments 'Bad move, Kid', then a bullet is fired, by an anonymous source.
2. By using the image of a closed door as the opening shot, the audience can immediately recognise that the character is not going to be easy to understand as a closed door shows connotations of secrets and withheld information.The first character is slowly revealed through alternating camera shots, which gives out a sense of mystery, especially as his actions are currently unexplained, mainly due to the lack of dialogue. The ECU of the man's eyes in conjunction with the under lighting suggest to the audience that he is thinking dark thoughts, which is supported by the first piece of dialogue 'Bad move, kid..' which is a threatening concept, something that can be expected to remain as a theme throughout the film.
3. If I were to direct this storyboard, to elaborate on the tension being created I would introduce the sound of a dripping tap, and would cut to a ECU of the tap after shot 4, and pan down, following a reduced-speed droplet until it hit the sink and splashed in the blood, which mirrors shot 5. To make the boy's entrance appear more significant, I would make shot 9 an over-the-shoulder shot, taken so that the boy can be seen coming through the door from behind the original characters shoulder, which connects the two characters. When the man tucks the gun into his belt, I would start with a CU of his gun taken in the mirror, and then snap up to a profile CU of the man to catch his expression and show the audience that the action is caused as a result of the boy's entrance. On shot 11, I would also experiment with keeping the ECU, but after the line of dialogue, having the barrel of the gun being lifted to point directly down the lens, to increase fear in the viewer. This, of course, is reliant on the first character actually being the one to fire the weapon.