Insights

4 tips on planning and storyboarding a good video

Maddie Prior
April 6, 2023
4 min read
4 tips on planning and storyboarding a good video

You may well have heard of storyboarding and have a pretty good idea of what it looks like, but you might not know why this process actually takes place. No matter how complex or simple your video idea might be, putting together an initial storyboard is a great way of planning everything and helping to visualise finished things.


In this piece we’ll look into 4 reasons why you should be properly planning and storyboarding your next video and the benefits this can bring.

Depending on your artistic ability, storyboards can be simple (L) or complex (R)

Clear shots (establishing shot types/ having a shot list)

Shot lists are extremely important when planning a good video, this is the shot by shot breakdown of each scene. In this breakdown you want to include specific details like camera placement and lighting, by doing this you will be saving a lot of time as you will know what needs to be done without having the stress of it not being planned out. It also helps you see if you’ve missed anything from the story that might mean the video doesn’t then flow as well.

A shot list normally includes; 

  • A scene number 
  • Shot number 
  • Location 
  • Shot description 
  • What / who is needed for the shot 
  • Any extra notes

By having this planned out, you’re ensuring that your shoot day will go more smoothly and hopefully to plan! If you don't plan this out it will cause you more stress and you might forget something important.



Script 

Scripting is a key guide to helping create a better video. This process should take a bit of time done properly, but will save time in the long run on reshoots and coming up with new ideas. Using a well thought through storyboard can help break down the script into manageable chunks for you and your team to manage.

This script will probably go through several drafts before the shoot day, this will make sure you get it perfect. It will be important to get input from other members of your team because different members will speak to different clients so they will have a different idea of what should go into the video. By getting as many peoples input as possible will allow you to have more ideas flowing which will create a better video for you.

Make the message clear 

When creating a good video you want the video to be tailor to a specific message and specific goal, this will make the video more effective as customers will be able to learn more about the product or service this way. What you don't want to do is cram everything about your business into one explainer video as it is likely your business offers different products and services which each one could have a video to go along with it. You want to be making a video that your audience will understand and enjoy watching, these specific tailored videos will be more effective in the long run. For example if you have a complicated concept using animation to explain it will make it easier for your customer to understand. 97% if marketers report video helps users understand their product or services better (source).

Making sure you're using brand colours, logos and images will be important, you want your customer to see a specific colour or image and know that it is your brand. This will help you as a brand in the post production as it will save you from having to go back and correct mistakes that might have been made.


Have a good opening (best 8 seconds go first) 

The average attention span is just 8 seconds (source), after the first 8 seconds viewers will click away. This means your opening will be crucial as it will either keep people interested or make them turn off. However, 8 seconds is the perfect amount of time to capture the customers attention and make them aware of what they can expect from the video. 

Some businesses will start the story in the middle as it will draw the viewer in and that excitement will keep them interested. Once they are engaged they will then hear the “why” of the video, this is where the reason your audience will benefit from your product or service comes in. For your business the “why” could be the problem you can solve for them. By keeping the engagement within the first 8 seconds will more likely keep them on your website longer and audiences tend to spend 88% more time on websites that have video.

There are many other factors to consider before going into making a video. You want to be making sure you are covering all the basics and knowing the purpose of the video before the filming even starts. There is a lot to consider but once you start getting these ideas on board it will make the filming go easier and faster as you would know what you are doing. 


If you haven't started making videos for your business, you want to start. It will help increase engagement and more customers prefer watching video and it will become easier to get your knowledge across. 76% of businesses say it helped them increase sales (source) and as a business and brand this is what you want. To create good video you want to be able to create a good story that you and your team can refer to at any point of the production. The planning and the storyboard will be by your side during the whole process therefore creating a clear and good quality will be useful for everyone to check. It will also allow you to see your storyboard come to life.



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Maddie Prior
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