Reverse Storyboard

By creating a reverse storyboard, meaning composing the storyboard after a video has been finalized, you are given an opportunity to study HOW the video was constructed. In addition, and importantly, you have a chance to practice using the basic vocabulary of video/film.

Your goal is to sketch the storyboard panels one by one, frame by frame, to illustrate what is happening and to write down what you see and hear using the vocabulary introduced today.

Drawing forces you to look far more carefully than one normally does at an image. But you don't have to be an artist to do this. It's not about the quality of the drawing; the purpose is to notice what you might normally overlook, practice articulating it, and log the effect in your memory. This will prepare you to make and articulate wise choices in your own storyboard.

Do not attempt to make detailed drawings.

Pay attention to and write down exactly what the camera sees: camera angle, events, color if significant, lighting, etc. Make note of transitions: dissolve, fade-to-black, etc. And make verbal notations of significant sound – sound effects, tone of voice, music, etc.

This technique is most useful if you are very, very specific and really do a shot-by-shot analysis. The idea is not to simply convey the story, but to convey exactly what the viewer sees and hears, for it is these details that convey the story.