Creating a Storyboard: Planning Your Multimedia Project

Learning Objectives Define what a storyboard is and why it's a useful plan. Identify the key parts of a storyboard panel: the picture, the action, and the sound/words. Sequence events for a simple story in a logical order (beginning, middle, end). Create a 3-panel storyboard for a short story idea. Use simple drawings and short sentences to describe each scene in their storyboard. Explain how their storyboard plan will help them create a digital story or animation on a computer. Have you ever wanted to make your own cartoon or video game? 🎬 Let's learn the secret first step that all the pros use to plan their amazing creations! Today, we're going to learn how to use a special map for our stories called a storyboard. A storyboard is like a comic strip that he...

TermDefinitionExample StoryboardA plan for your story made of a sequence of drawings, like a comic strip. It shows what will happen and in what order.A page with six boxes drawn on it. The first box shows a cat looking at a tree, the second shows the cat climbing the tree, and so on. Panel (or Scene)One single box on a storyboard. Each panel shows one specific moment or action in your story.In a story about a birthday party, one panel might just show a kid blowing out the candles on a cake. SequenceThe order that your panels go in. A good sequence tells the story from beginning to middle to end.1. A girl gets a new bike. 2. She learns to ride it. 3. She rides happily through the park. This is the correct sequence. ActionWhat the characters are doing in a panel. It's the movement or a...

The Story Sandwich: Beginning, Middle, End Every story needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. Use this rule to structure your storyboard. The first panel(s) should be the beginning, the next few the middle, and the last one(s) the end. This makes sure your story makes sense. One Big Idea Per Panel Each panel should show only one important action or moment. Don't try to fit too much into one box. If a character runs and then jumps, use one panel for running and a second panel for jumping. This keeps your plan clear and easy to follow. Show and Tell Notes Draw the picture (Show) and write short notes for sounds and words (Tell). Your drawing shows what's happening. Below the drawing, write down any important sounds (like 'CRASH!') or what a charac...