What is a storyboard?

History
Walt Disney Studios
Storyboarding was first developed in the 1930s at Walt Disney Studios. Disney animator Webb Smith acted on the idea of drawing scenes on separate sheets of paper, and pinning them to a bulletin board in sequential order, creating the first storyboard [1]. In the biography, The Story of Walt Disney (Henry Holt, 1956), Walt’s daughter, Diane Disney Miller, recalls that the first complete storyboards were created for the animated short The Three Little Pigs (Walt Disney Productions, 1933). Disney recognized the necessity for studios to maintain a separate “story department” with storyboard artists because he understood that the story gives audiences a reason to care about the characters. In Paper Dreams: The Art and Artists of Disney Storyboards (1999, Hyperion Press), John Canemaker explains that the first Disney storyboards evolved from “story sketches”. These sketches were like comic book drawings, and illustrated concepts for animated shorts like Plane Crazy (Walt Disney Productions,1928) and Steamboat Willie (Walt Disney Productions,1928).Gone With The Wind
One of the first live action films to be completely storyboarded was Gone With the Wind (Selznick International Pictures, 1939). To design the film’s “look”, William Cameron Menzies painted watercolor storyboard sketches by for every scene of the picture. Selznick was a huge advocate for “pre-cutting” to save time and money. He reportedly claimed in a 1937 memo, “I hope to have Gone with the Wind prepared almost down to the last camera angle before we start shooting.”![DrawingBoard jpg[2]](https://catmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/DrawingBoard-jpg2.jpg)
Why Are Storyboards Important?
The storyboard is the blueprint that communicates your vision to the cast and crew. By planning and drawing each shot beforehand, the production crew can actually “see” what each scene (and ultimately the entire program) will look like. They will have a clear understanding of what they need to accomplish.![dontstall-storyboard[1]](https://catmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/dontstall-storyboard1.jpg)
What’s On a Storyboard?
Storyboards are created in a multi-step process. In a storyboard, scenes and shots are illustrated and can be redrawn before the camera starts rolling. They can be hand drawn or digitally illustrated. Each shot is drawn or sketched in a frame, with written descriptions that explain what is happening. The storyboards show each shot’s angle, perspective, and balance:- Is your shot an interior or exterior shot?
- Is it at an upward angle, or downwards angle?
- Where are the actors positioned? Are they in a close-up, medium or long-distance shot?

- http://www.abramsbooks.com/product/art-of-walt-disney_9780810998148/
- http://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/1004-Winter-2010-11/Drawing-Board-Gone-With-the-Wind.aspx