129 A storyboard layout pad can be used for that. Can you guess what it is? A fixed aspect ratio is the unchanging, proportional relationship between the width and height of an image, video, or graphic element, expressed as a ratio like 16:9 or 1:1. Walt Disney credited animator Webb Smith with creating the idea of drawing scenes on separate sheets of paper and pinning them up on a bulletin board to tell a story in sequence, thus creating the first storyboard back in 1927. STORYBOARDS FOR THE FILM INDUSTRY A screenplay describes the characters actions and their dialogue, but doesn t usually focus on describing the setting, physical characteristics of the characters, costumes, or objects. Moreover, actions are divided into scenes, and each scene ends when the location and/or time of the action changes. A screenplay, therefore, is not able to describe individual shots, also because each scene often includes many shots. Decoupage When the director receives the screenplay, he/she must decide which shots to create, how many, at what angles, and with what camera movements. This process of planning the visual and structural elements of a film from the script, detailing how a scene will be shot and edited to create a specific visual rhythm and narrative flow is called decoupage and can be achieved using various methods, one of which is storyboarding. Storyboarding step-by-step A finished script is needed to build a storyboard. When this is available, the story is divided into its main scenes (or shots). Each frame will represent a shot and focus on the most significant moments that move the story forward. Here are a few features of a storyboard: blank: in bianco, vuoto cue: segnale screenplay: copione setting: ambientazione stroke: tratto most storyboards are arranged in a grid layout, with each frame in its box; each frame is accompanied by some blank space for action notes, dialogue, and camera directions; dialogue is shown on an external edge of the frame, is not shown at all, or is replaced by descriptions; camera and character movements are indicated by graphic cues, usually large arrows that can even extend beyond the frame; the frame lines and drawings are at a sketch level; they often need to represent atmosphere as well, so, great importance is placed on lighting; the frames have a fixed aspect ratio , which is that of the film they are intended to display; the frames are arranged in the correct order, from the beginning of the story to the end. If the frames are animated and thus called animatics they also define the timing of each frame and become a quick and easy way to get a sense of a finished piece of moving image. The storyboard artist A storyboard artist is familiar with the language of cinema, knows its various styles and genres, and has a solid understanding of camera angles, cinematic techniques, and animation principles; s/he is also able to draw people, objects, actions, and environments quickly to communicate the concept of a shot with just a few strokes. A storyboard, in fact, is good not necessarily when it is well-drawn, but when it manages to communicate the essence of the shot it refers to in the most efficient way.