THE PERFECT STORYBOARD AND HOW TO GET AWAY WITH IT:

IN THE EARLY LAYOUT STAGE, ONE FRAME SHOULD NEVER SHOW MORE THAN THE AUDIENCE CAN DIGEST IN TEN SECONDS: After establishing these primary components, detail the boards later, adding extra frames to enhance certain effects, emotions and camera movements. This is a major help in planning it all out first, but it doesn't mean you can't include a lot of information in your preliminary drawings and notes. Consider the audience’s 15-second attention span. Ideally, finished storyboards show approximately 5 seconds in each frame.

'INTENT' COMES BEFORE STORYBOARDING: All communication has a purpose and so do storyboards. Use the storyboard to tell the STORY. Remember it's an art form, but not an end in itself. Storyboards are only one step in a process that may have already been planned, thought out right to the very end, in some other creative form - like film scripts or interactive flowcharts.

KEEP THE VISUAL DESIGN COHERENT AND RELEVANT TO THE MESSAGE: Make certain that all the elements you're placing on the screen will enhance the message; e.g. to expose the pleasant side of driving, don't include images of cars and trucks stuck in smog-infested traffic jams. Visual coherence is the way an audience easily links images together in the mind.
Without this quality, storyboards quickly become disorganized and cluttered.

STORYBOARDS SHOULD USE COLOUR WHENEVER POSSIBLE: We are visual beings, deeply effected by the power of colour. Unless colour palettes are carefully planned beforehand, the entire effect can be lost on the audience. Gather information about which palettes will be used in which storyboard frames, and use them to create/establish your STYLE GUIDES.

STORYBOARDS MUST SHOW SOUND USE WHENEVER POSSIBLE: Most projects require the storyboard artist to insert notes about audio, whether it's speech, music, sound effects, etc.

INTERACTIVE LINKS MUST BE LOGICAL AND APPROPRIATE: Make certain that each location to which the audience goes is planned beforehand. The storyboard must show exactly what will happen when the user clicks on a word, an object or a graphic. This must be done in language that other, 'technical' people (programmers, accountants) can easily understand.

ALL THIS INFORMATION MUST GO ON THE LABELS: What type of sound file, format of graphic, what exact page location. Make certain that each link is carefully outlined and detailed, otherwise there will be problems when producing the final flowcharts, scripts and storyboards.

MEDIA MUST NOT GET IN THE WAY OF THE MESSAGE: Always keep the story and interactive elements manageable in the boards. Don't try to cram in too much and never let any element overpower your intention; e.g. when communicating information on a home page, try not to let the graphics dominate too much space. Instead, give the audience easily manipulated icons and headers that supply the desired information clearly.

Remember the KISS theory; Keep It Simple & Spunky. Don't over-complicate the matter, unless it's your intention to be purposefully cryptic. Brevity is best in web-pages, but sometimes the major parts of a complex entertainment job need to be planned in advance; e.g. plot twists in feature films and 3D gaming red-herrings can be recorded in the 'BACK-STORY BIBLE' material, or they can be cross-referenced in special strategy manuals.

STORYBOARDS SHOULD BE FLEXIBLE: Always keep extra copies of frame templates, labels or other media - so that all members of the team can easily change formats, switch designs or start from scratch. Without flexibility, storyboarding can become a dictatorial task. Be flexible enough to accept criticism, to change techniques or even change the entire content.

STORYBOARDS MUST BE ORGANIZED: The writer must make sure that all the frames are numbered and the administrative details are inserted where required - Client/Project Title, Module Title and Number, and any revision numbers (Re. #), for referring to previous amendments. All this information should be included so that the storyboard can be kept consistent and logical. In addition, this information is usually handwritten in pencil, because it can suddenly all change order, and quite often does. Be organized, but keep things flexible.

STORYBOARDS MUST COME ALIVE: The cardinal rule is "Don't Shoot Unless It's Moving"; this applies in film and also to most storyboards. Something should always be happening within your frame, even if it is only a small movement. Exploit the possibilities of repeating movements for effect; e.g. in Japanese Anime action scenes, simple graphic backgrounds repeat over and over to represent constant frenetic movement.

STORYBOARDS MUST FIT THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE WHOLE PROJECT TEAM: Writers, artists and designers must develop a form for the storyboard that fits the needs of all the members of the development team - or any other group that will be using the panels. This can be very challenging, but new sketches and examples are easily generated and quickly understood by all involved, so that everybody can see the project at a glance. All members of the PROJECT TEAM should agree that the boards can be read easily, so that everybody else will understand what is being communicated.

MOST STORYBOARDS (EVEN ON TECHNICAL PROJECTS) SHOULD HAVE AN ELEMENT OF ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE TEAM: Detail is very important, but so are deadlines. Don't get desperate and above all, have fun - watch some cartoons, make a paper aeroplane, kick a ball, do absolutely anything else for a few minutes. This will do a lot to enliven some otherwise tedious tasks, and can often lead to a breakthrough in the team's creativity. Try going for a wander with your inner child and VOILA..! Bright ideas burst everywhere.

As always, unlimited possibilities are at the artist’s fingertips. Visual storytelling can be a multi-dimensional experience that transcends culture, education, genre, plot and character.

By clearly describing thoughts and actions with consideration for the audience, we can help them discover whole new worlds, inviting them to spend time there, doing whatever they wish.