While storyboards are common for large-scale film production, the method can bring structure and forethought to all types of video and content projects. The process takes additional upfront time, but the advantages of storyboarding more than make up for the extra work. Here are some of the benefits of integrating storyboarding into the content development process.

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A cohesive, visual storyboard draft makes it easier for your colleagues or clients to truly connect with your idea and creative direction. Instead of verbally describing unfocused concepts, drawing up a storyboard better communicates what you’re envisioning in your head.

 

Similar to how you might build an outline as part of your writing process, storyboarding brings focus to raw concepts while allowing half-baked ideas to develop congruently within a story.

 

In the line of social media content production, for example, turnkey videos and tight deadlines are part of the job. While it may seem more efficient to spend less time in the planning phase, storyboards could save you considerable time at the shoot, ease the post-production phase and bypass the potential need for a reshoot. Thinking through logistics and fleshing out art direction will help plan your shot list and make better-informed decisions on set. By the time your video is in post-production, having a preconceptualized final cut will streamline the editing process.

 

A podcast episode, for example, may benefit from a cohesive outline to ensure engaging and thorough discussion. While podcasts are not a visual platform, production details can be complicated, and planning them out beforehand sets you up for a better recording session. Also, a comprehensive viewpoint before recording allows you to get a better look at the message and the story you’re trying to tell in the episode.

 

Event planning, especially involving staged and/or time-sensitive elements, could be adapted into a storyboard to better visualize run-of-show feasibility, shed light on logistical issues and improve the overall experience you’re aiming to create.

 

Renowned for revolutionizing the travel industry, Airbnb’s brand and business are fueled by storytelling. In an out-of-the-box application, it tapped the storyboard process to take a walk in its customer’s shoes. ("How Airbnb Proved That Storytelling is the Most Important Skill in Design")

 

A story well-told is not an easy feat — but there is nothing more magical than the power to enchant an audience. As the craft of storytelling continues to evolve and becomes more complex, storyboarding is a valuable tool that helps guide creators through the process.