1.9: Storyboard Components

Now it is time for you to make your storyboard! Use the outline below:

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: What you want the viewer to be able to do or understand after watching the video.

AUDIENCE PERSONAS: Who will be your viewers? What are they like, and what do they need from your video?

BASIC OUTLINE: (1) Introduction; (2) Body of video; (3) Credits

VISUAL (left-hand column)

Video
Video filename(s):
In order to keep your video, audio and photo files organized, you must write down the filenames and other descriptive information about the video clip (e.g. short description and length) on your storyboard. Rename them appropriately rather than use the numbered system your camera will assign them. eOrganic will need the correct filenames to manage your materials when editing your video.

Video Length:
How long is are each of your video clips? Time each to the second and record in this format - 2:23 (2 minutes and 23 seconds). This is important information particularly if you will be recording the audio separately. The duration of the video needs to match the duration of the audio.

Title/Text/Graphics:
Are there any on-screen text, titles or graphics you want to add to the scene? Including text on the screen will help visual learners retain the information. Here are some examples for when text/graphics would be useful:

• Names of people talking and their organization
• An arrow to point out something hard to see
• Text to highlight something you want the audience to pay attention to (e.g. the brand name of a piece of equipment being used in the scene)
• Source for equipment shown in the video
• Text, in list format, to accompany a multiple step process being explained
• Credits (for example, names and organizations of people in the video, videotaping and photography credits, and logos of project funding sources)
• If you want to insert a text slide, make a slide in powerpoint, save it as a .jpg, then include it on your storyboard

Video Description:
Exactly what it sounds like... provide a description of the video that will go along with the audio. Your video may be captured with the audio, or the audio and video pieces may be captured separately.

If video and audio are captured separately, you will video tape the audio portion separate from the video portion. The eOrganic video staff will strip the audio from the video and add any video and/or still shots as the visual piece to accompany the audio.

Stills
Still photos are photos that are inserted into the video to provide visual information to the viewer. For example, if the video is showing a person standing in front of the camera talking about a process, you would want to insert still photos (in place of the video of them talking) that show steps in that process. The audio of the person talking about the process continues as the still photos are shown.

Just as for video files, you must write down the still photo filenames and other descriptive information (e.g. short description and size) on your storyboard. Rename them appropriately rather than use the numbered system your camera will assign them. eOrganic will need the correct filenames to manage your materials when editing your video.

AUDIO (right-hand column)

Audio (video) filename(s):
Just as for video files, you must write down the audio filenames and other descriptive information (e.g. short description and length) on your storyboard. Rename them appropriately. eOrganic will need the correct filenames to manage your materials when editing your video.

There are two ways to capture audio for your scene:

(1) Audio + Video are captured together
e.g. You videotape a farmer talking about cover crops in front of his field. You keep the audio and video pieces together because it is appropriate. This is only possible if you are able to capture high quality audio in the field.

(2) Audio + Video are captured separately
e.g. You take a video of a farmer using a tractor to transplant in the field, but you tape the audio of him explaining this in a separate video in a protected location, as you would not be able to hear him well over the tractor noise and wind.

If you are capturing the audio separately from the video, you can simply videotape the person reading a script. You should do this in a protected location with no background noise. When you submit your files to the eOrganic editing group, they will split the audio from the video and re-attach the audio to the video you have indicated.

Audio Length:
How long is the audio? Time it to the second and record in this format - 2:23 (2 minutes and 23 seconds). The duration of the video needs to match the duration of the audio.

As soon as you have written the script, you should timehow long it takes for it to be read by the speaker so you have an idea of how long the scene will take. The accompanying video can be speeded up or slowed down (to a degree) to match the audio. If the video is much longer than the audio, background music can be added to fill in when there is no audio.

Script text:
Write out what your talent will say. Although you may want them to speak more naturally and "off the cuff", work closely with them to develop a scroipt that includes exactly (and only!) what you want them to say. Very few people can stand in front of a camera and clearly and succinctly say what they want to say. Remember what your learning objectives are and who your audience is.

When writing the script, write the way the talent speaks! When your talent reads the script aloud, does it sound as if s/he is talking to an audience (which is what you want) or just reading to an audience?

For this reason, when preparing to capture audio you may want to write out the script on large pads of paper or a big dry-erase board. Place these on an easel or wall, or have someone hold them up, so the person can easily refer to them during filming.