Why Do You Need a Storyboard in an Explainer Video Production?
Having a storyboarding phase can show exactly how your explainer video is going to be mapped out and what it will look like
Every professional video production always includes a storyboarding process in their pre-production (or planning) stage.
The storyboard is a fully developed illustration that is used to connect one scene to another.
In the explainer video production, the illustrator makes a storyboard with images that help the animator understand how the animation should flow without having to explain it to them in detail.
It usually shows a sequence of images or drawings with an accompanying script or text, as well as directions to represent each scene.
All of the static illustrations on the storyboard will be brought to life in the animation stage.
The storyboard might “only” be considered a preliminary step in the process, but it’s a key component and driving force behind how the whole storyline is created.
Your storyboard is one way to see what works and what doesn’t in the video. It saves you time and money by keeping you and your production team on track!
For more detail about why you need a storyboard in an explainer video production, we came up with several points to help you understand it better:
To tell and show your ideas
How many of you here have been struggling with miscommunication in both your personal life and at work? Miscommunication is the cause of so many problems we are facing in this world.
People misinterpret your thoughts, ideas, or feelings because they didn’t understand your actual point of view.
This is why you need to SHOW them, not just with words but also with actual visual images.
People tend to understand better with the help of visualization because it engages more parts of the brain than abstract words alone.
In an explainer video, we call this the storyboard — a fully visual design about what the storyline of the video is going to look like.
Related: The Definitive Guide to Explainer Videos.
In the storyboard, you can help both your client and production team to visualize what the final video will look like.
With the storyboard, you can clear up any confusion or misunderstandings that might otherwise occur in the middle of video production, adding to the time and expense.
Storyboarding is a fantastic way to deliver your ideas to clients. Talking is also an integral way to communicate, of course, but nothing conveys what your video will really look like as does showing them the idea in a sequence of images.
Determine your video budget
Before you start a project, you need to know how much it’s going to cost and if it’s going to be worth the investment or not.
By providing a storyboard, both the client and the production team can track how much of a budget they will need to make the video.
In the storyboard, you can see how much time it would take to finish the desired project, allowing you to know the production cost.
That’s why it is important to totally understand how every decision you make in the storyboard phase is going to affect your audience, production team, cost, and timeline.
Identify problems in the early stage
By providing a sequence of images on the storyboard, you will be able to spot any potential problems or gaps and resolve them early on to get better results.
It’s much easier to make revisions on a storyboard than in the animation stages because you’re still dealing with single images instead of dozens or hundreds of frames.
Also, because of the image sequence, you can ensure that no scenes will be overlooked or duplicated.
That way, you can focus on your message and deliver it in the most efficient way.
Read More: An Ultimate Guide to Video Marketing.
Saving time in production
Look how big of an impact storyboarding will have on your time and money!
During the storyboard stage, you not only provide a visual storyline for the video but also guide the production team in how they will animate each scene.
The storyboard helps the production team see the angles from which the scene will be shot.
It gives them direction about how each scene and character should be animated too.
By providing storyboards, the production team will be able to focus only on how to animate each scene instead of having to worry about the storyline.
Creating a storyboard will make your work and life easier! It acts as a roadmap for your team to finish the video and guides them as they make each image truly come alive.
In an explainer video, having an early, visual representation of the desired final product is important and helpful for everyone involved (both clients and the production team).
Here’s an example of a storyboard made by our production team before they move on into the production stage:
This is what the final result looks like:
By showing the visual images in a storyboard, you are more clearly communicating exactly what kind of video you want to see in the end.
If you want to know more about how to make a good storyboard, check out our article: The Essential Guide to Storyboard for Explainer Videos.
Or, if you are interested in making a professional explainer video for your business, we can help you out. Contact us here.
