Part of the
film-making process. After the
script
has been written, as part of
preproduction,
it is converted into a sequence of
comic strip like
pictures. Each storyboard typically consists of
six
frames, each depicting a different part of the
dialogue or a
shot -- e.g. shift in
camera
position.
These storyboards are then used by the director and
producers to work out shots and so on and to give
the actors a good idea of what the director wants.
The word can also be used as a verb as well as a noun:
i.e. you can say "We're still storyboarding the climax."
It is typically used for feature films and animations;
less so for sitcoms and the like. It's usually
done either by hand or increasingly these days using
computers. They are usually done as pen or pencil
sketches, mostly just outline views, very rarely
are they shaded in or coloured.
For some good examples of storyboards, see the southparkstudios.com
web site.