storyboarding

=Storyboarding=

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A storyboard is a sketch of a part or all of a story. It helps communicate the ideas beyond just words. It can be used to show the stages of an entire game, to help create a common understanding of the entire game. It can be used to illustrate a shorter, more visually complex piece of action. It can also be used to show change of camera shots such as when a game shifts from 1st person to 3rd person, or the camera rolls around a scene in a cut scene.

Storyboards are heavily used in all time-based visual artworks: television, cinema, animations and games.

They need not be quality artworks, such as this student piece, below:

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They are best done on a plain or graph A4 paper pad with an HB pencil, a sharpener and an eraser to hand. These can be bought cheaply from The Works shop in the Piazza Centre, at the back of the shop. Unless you are a true expert, do not try to use pens or electronic tools (especially not MS Paint!)

There are many examples to be had on the Internet. I found these two using 'game storyboard' on MS's new search tool bing.com:

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The basic skill is sketching, plus confidence that you are getting your rough idea across. Stick man is excellent:

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So, get a pad and pencil and practice drawing stick man! Note that you can make him face different directions depending on how you position his feet and face. Can you sketch stick-man :-

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 * [[image:running-stick-man-300x299.jpg width="189" height="186"]] || * standing still facing you
 * walking to the left (that's two sketches: back foot off ground, front foot off ground)
 * walking to the right
 * running
 * jumping (that's sand, squat, leap)
 * sitting
 * walking his dog
 * skateboarding ||

Each box in the storyboard states a given piece of action. In the sketch below we see three scenes. The first one shows two dudes walking down a city street talking; one is watching the people walking past. The second scene shows the tall one stopping to look at someone standing around. The third box shows the wee dude getting interested in someone sitting down. The sketch could be annotated by such as durations, explanations, dialogue, etc. //([] )//

What story does the student games storyboard below tell? (the image can be expanded) //([] )//

Can you do a sketch (stick man will do) to show the following sequence of events:
 * man steps into lift (elevator); camera behind him
 * he enters the lift and turns to face the camera
 * lift doors close; camera again behind him
 * lift heads up from 3rd floor
 * lift stalls to a stop when man presses emergency stop button
 * man climbs out of lift roof
 * man shimmies up lift cable to roof
 * man dons a rocket pack and flies off the roof of the skyscraper

Take a game, or game action sequence, that you have played and sketch the action sequence in a storyboard.

A last few inspiring images: //([], [] , [] )//

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There are links to some games storyboards on the WoSGamers wiki at http://wosgamedev.wikispaces.com/Storyboards (or via the **Community** tab at [] ).

Finally, here a page of genuine stick-man figures from warning signs around the world!