Why I Still Storyboard (Badly, in Pencil, on Napkins)

My storyboards look like a child drew them during a mild earthquake. They are also the single most valuable document I bring to set.

The point isn't the drawing

The point is the argument the drawing forces you to have with yourself. Every crooked frame is a decision - lens, height, direction, intent - made before the pressure of a crew watching the clock.

“A bad storyboard beats a beautiful one, because you're willing to throw it away.”

What to keep, what to burn

• Keep: the intent of the shot in one sentence.
• Keep: the transition into and out of the frame.
• Burn: the illusion of control.

I've never had a producer ask to see the storyboards after wrap. I've had many ask, mid-shoot, 'what's the next shot' - and every time, I've been glad to have a napkin with an answer.