“The card is small, and it is finite. It seems possible, and perhaps even easy to fill. So for the novice, in other words, we are saying, ‘Just get this much down, and we’ll work from there.’ And for writers confident in their ability to write countless pages of prose, this exercise is a creative challenge. To them, we say, ‘We know you could write a novel, now just try and say it in only this much space.’” (Lambert, 2010, p.27).

The text advocates the use of a three by five notecard as an initial approach to scripting. I appreciate that they address two different kinds of writers, as I often find myself being both. They begin by addressing the typical problem of someone who may think that they have nothing to say. By taking the huge task of a storyboard and breaking it down to small card, the task seems less insurmountable. But often we have too many ideas.

I personally love to talk about myself, probably a little too much, and I could probably go on and on in an autobiographical assignment. But the idea of condensing it down into the space of small card can help me focus my point and make the story smoother and more structured.

“As we talk about storyboarding and structure, the notion of illustrating the script, or accentuating the writing with images, is emphasized as an outgrowth of a successful draft of the narrative. However, some people that come to the workshop have taken the absolutely opposite approach to the process” (Lambert, 2010, p.25).

Having completed my storyboard, I understand how some would chose to take a different approach. For many of my scenes, I could not think of any pictures, but flipping through my phone’s album actually helped me develop a better script. We know that not everyone has the same strength in learning via hearing or seeing, so storyboards are a great way to create something from a different angle, and maybe discover a new part of the story coming together.

Below I’ve included an article with tips for filmmakers from my favorite screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin. As we discuss successful storyboards, I keep imagining all the behind-the-scenes specials I’ve seen about his shows and his writing process, so I’m happy to take his advice.