July 2 – 3 - Sydney Opera House

To plan a storyboard you need to think about the following:
• What do you need to show? (What can the audience assume without needing to see?)
• What shots do you want to use? Where is a long shot/close-up etc required?
• What camera angles are appropriate?
• Where will the actors be? Which direction do they come on and off or move around in the shot?
• Where will the camera be placed?
• What sort of light do you want?
A O'Brien ACM I 2003
Camera Shots, angles and movement
Filmmakers use a variety of shots to tell their story visually. Below are the most common shot types and
camera movement descriptions used in storyboards.
Common shot types include the following:
• WIDE SHOTS – show the whole person or the whole feature object as part of the landscape. This is
often the opening shot since it establishes the location and often the time and mood of the action
• MID SHOTS – show the actors from the waist up
• CLOSE-UPS – show the actor's face or a significant object and allow the audience to judge the
characters’ reaction to the action
• EXTREME CLOSE-UP shots – used for dramatic emphasis
• A POINT OF VIEW (POV) shot – the camera shares a character's point of view, and appears to be
looking through their eyes.
Message Sticks Teacher Kit 2008 ©ACMI 9