Helps the film director visualise the flow of camera shots
Easier to see whether ideas will work on screen
Breaks down complicated action/ special effects/ complicated camera moves so that they can be clearly seen, discussed and planned
No misunderstandings or individual interpretations can be taken from it
‘P’ is for ‘Psycho’ storyboard
Q1. What is happening in the opening sequence of the film?
There is an introduction to the antagonist or antihero who is bandaging and washing their hands after some kind of untold violence, most probably a murder, which involved a struggle. As the scene ends, there is the suggested murder of the young boy that disrupts the scene at frame 9.
The main character is identified through a shot of some of their personal possessions; watch, photo, wallet etc., and by other shots that are progressively insightful into the character’s personality and behaviour. We can tell that the main character in the opening sequence is the ‘bad guy’ through the camera and lighting techniques. When we first see the character the camera is at a low angle and tilts up from his legs to his top half. This implies he has power and is in control. The close up of the bloodied plughole adds to the tension and tells the viewer that the main character uses violence to establish his powerful role. We establish that the film genre is crime/ thriller by the instantaneous sighting of blood, a gun and a murder. The props (gun, bandages) imply further violence as does the introduction of the stranger into the same room as the ‘bad guy’.
Frame 11 highlights the main character’s power by focusing on an extreme close up of his eyes and implying a violent/ negative past by the shot being under lit with shadows. The last frame being of darkness, and the two gun shots reinforce this and set up the viewer for the rest of the film.
Q2. How is the narrative flow established?
The narrative flow is established through sound, camerawork, lighting and mise-en-scene. The first frame is a mid shot that zooms in. This, along with the lighting, implies that the viewer is being invited into the story as a passive audience. The low key lighting establishes a distance between the viewer and characters, and set the mood for the upcoming scene.
The next six frames are a continuation of this inclusiveness; we are being given information continuously about the main character throughout these frames. This is done in stages. First we are shown the legs of the character in frame two. The slow tilt at a low angle join frames two and three gives us a sense of having the character revealed to us. The slow revealing of the character establishes that they are going to be a main focal point in the story.
The fourth frame uses a very slow pan from a high angle over the probable possessions of the main character. The speed and angle infer that we are being laid out part of the character’s life, and that the information being given to us will be integral to the plot line later on in the story.
Frames 5,6 and 7 all show the violent theme of the film and main character; blood-> bandage-> fist show that the character is commonly faced with violence, and is well equipped with dealing with it. This establishes the strength of the character, and the use of the close ups also show the precision and familiarity the character has with his current situation.
Frame eight and nine show a disruption; the variation in the speed of the character's movements from a previous slow and steady pace into ‘blurs quickly’ shows us that the disruption is shocking to the main character. Frames 10, 11 and 12 show his quick and effective removal of the disruption. The first dialogue is also established here, and it comes from the main character, enforcing his power and dominance within the film. The last two frames also set the scene for the rest of the film, so the ‘fading to black’ lighting direction followed by shots is conclusive to the opening sequence but leaves the viewer unaware of the motives of the main character and the future of the plot. This is effective in bridging the gap between the opening sequence and the main film.
Q3. If you were directing this sequence what aspects of the storyboard would you like to change?
If I was directing this sequence, then depending on how i wanted the main character's personality to turn out to be, I my increase the time and detail spent on the cleaning and bandaging of his injury. I would do this if I wanted one of the main character’s defining traits to be precision in his work.
If I was going to make the character incredibly powerful and violent then I would probably remove his injury and replace it with him simply cleaning someone else’s blood off his hands. This still doesn’t give him a ‘leader’ status though, as a violent leader would employ/ be acquaintances with hit men etc. To suit this idea I would probably change the character in this scene into an annonymous hit man who then reported back to the main character via a phone call, the framing being a big close up on one side of his face, shadowed, as he simply says into a mobile, “it’s done”, or something similar.
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