How to Storyboard a Marketing Video

Knowing how to storyboard a video can be the most challenging part of making a video. Making any sort of video can be hard work. This is where the importance of planning comes in. Nowadays, videos are everywhere. Not too many people want to sit around and read when they can watch something instead. While this has ushered in the creation of more video making tools, it has also created a competitive field. A great video storyboard is a way to get your video to stand out among the crowd. In many ways, it is a visual script that allows you to visualize your work before you begin creating it. If done correctly, you will see your video begin to succeed in just the way you want it to.

video storyboard production

What is a Video Storyboard?

Storyboarding is the act of compiling a series of sketches that will eventually transform into individual stills for your video. It is important to recognize that these sketches are far from a final product. If you later decide to not keep a scene in your video, that’s fine! The purpose of a storyboard is to put an idea down before creating the actual scene. In many ways, they resemble a comic strip. A collection of black and white sketches working together to tell a single story. When it comes to a marketing video, you may be thinking this approach does not apply to you. In this thought, you would be wrong. Marketing video storyboards may not have to be as particular with their approach, but they are still quite important.

Why Do I Need a Marketing Video Storyboard?

It is worth addressing that storyboarding is not only for major Hollywood productions. It is simply a great planning tool for your project, especially in a group atmosphere. If you are working towards creating a video with a collection of people, planning will prove crucial. It is a way of sharing your vision, as well as the vision of your partners, with each other.
 
What colors do you want on a particular image? Do you want voiceover for the still or text? How do you want your audience to react to an image? These are all things to consider when learning how to storyboard a video. In doing so, you will allow yourself the opportunity to work out any kinks in your video. In short, the creation of marketing video storyboards ultimately leads towards a thoroughly planned video.

storyboard drawing

How to Storyboard a Video

Successful marketing videos all follow a specific structure. This structure may ebb and flow depending on what you need for your video, but it should work nonetheless. Here is a step-by-step introduction on how to storyboard a video. It will have you up and running in no time.
  1. Planning
  2. Visualizing key scenes
  3. Providing detail on each individual scene
  4. Script writing
  5. Integrating a storyboarding tool
  6. The sketching of scenes
  7. Revision

1. Planning

When it comes to storyboarding marketing videos, there is nothing more important than planning. This is where you decide exactly what the goal of your video is. Who are you trying to reach? How will you begin your video? What problem are you trying to address? How will you solve that problem? It is rather important to hold these specific goals in your mind as you continue forward with your project. They will begin to manifest from a single idea to a true concept when you enter the scriptwriting phase. For now, just hold onto your specific goal and how you will use it to draw attention to your cause.

2. Visualizing Key Scenes

This step finds itself going hand in hand with planning. In order for you to learn how to storyboard, you must first hold onto the key elements of your marketing video. These are the very same scenes that you have been asked to consider in your planning. What is your problem and how will you present it to your audience? You need to think of an engaging way to complete this task. Some marketing videos have decided on a montage of the product you are trying to market. Something to consider when visualizing your scenes is how you want your audience to react. What action do you want them to take following your video? If you want them to support your cause or buy your product, position your call to action in that manner.

storyboard creation

3. Providing Detail 

For a video storyboard, this step is the pre-scriptwriting. Once you have successfully visualized the key points of your marketing video, open up your favorite word processor. If you truly prefer pen and paper, that works too. Don’t begin writing the narration of your video. Instead, this is only providing a rough outline of your project. You have already decided on the key points of your video, so now you need to expand upon those ideas. Will you use narration? Or will you just use text on a screen? Will video be provided, or animation? Do you have an idea for lighting individual scenes? In many cases, these ideas come down to the budget that you have been given. That is not uncommon when it comes to storyboarding marketing videos, but it is important to consider all your options.

4. Script Writing

This is quite possibly the most daunting task when it comes to how to storyboard a video of any kind. Script writing varies in approach based on your own personal preference. It is a matter of how precise you want to be with your script writing. In a simple approach, you will outline what is said at a specific time marker in your video. This narration will reflect the overall theme of your video, hopefully lending credence to whatever you hope to promote. To take script writing to the next level, you can begin to micromanage every specific part of your marketing video. In order to do this, you would write out many of the directional sequences in your video. A video script is closer to a shot for shot explanation of your video than a traditional script.

script writing

5. Integrating a Storyboarding Tool

At this point, you should have your video storyboard completely written out and in front of you. It is now time to begin creating your storyboard. This can be accomplished in many ways, but one of them is storyboarding tools that can be found online. Boords is an entirely free online storyboarding tool that will allow you to storyboard your perfecting marketing video. Tools such as Boords provide you with the opportunity to compile the frames of your storyboard together. You will be able to rearrange your frames as you see fit until you have accomplished your storyboard. In short, Boords, or any other storyboarding tool, will allow you to put together your marketing video storyboard.

6. Sketching Scenes

It is a good idea to have a storyboarding tool in mind prior to you sketching out your scenes. This way, you will know exactly how your scenes will integrate into your chosen tool. With that said, the sketches that you complete during this step will reflect everything you have planned. The visualization that you had in your head combined with the script you have crafted will come to life in your sketches. The sketches do not have to be perfect. They only have to be satisfactory to your own individual level. As long as you understand your sketches when it comes time to put together your video, they will be successful.

7. Editing

With your sketches complete, it is time to return to your chosen storyboarding tool. In the case of Boords, you will be given a full editing suite that will allow you to complete your video storyboard. With your script and sketches in hand, editing will prove to be easier than expected. It will be a matter of compiling your scenes into their correct order. After this, it will prove useful to begin working on the transitions or cuts of your scenes. Once those are completed, it is a good idea to annotate your scenes. This will provide you further insight when it comes time to turn your storyboard into a full-fledged video.

8. Revision

Now that you know how to storyboard a successful marketing video, it is time to revise it. The process, like many things in this realm, is personal to your own interests. This could involve sending your video storyboard to one of your many contributors on the project. Feedback from partners is an important aspect of this step, ensuring that everyone is on the same page.

video storyboard

A Finished Video Storyboard

A marketing video can do nothing for your company or product if the world never sees it. The creation of a video is no simple task, and knowing how to storyboard a marketing video is the best and quickest way for your video to reach completion. It may seem like an unnecessary and complicated thing to do at first, but it guarantees that your marketing video will hold all the values you need.

FAQs

  • How do you storyboard a video?
  • What is script writing for a storyboard?
  • What to include in a video storyboard?
  • Why should I make a storyboard for a marketing video?
  • Do marketing videos need a storyboard?

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