you’re scrolling through Instagram when a video ad – a perfectly timed, emotionally compelling story that feels like it was made for you – arrests your attention and you watch. Now imagine if I told you that mastering the process behind that video – storyboarding – is actually pretty simple?
If you’re a marketing jobber at an Indian startup, or a veteran content creator who works with big brands, you know one thing is true: video campaigns are powerful. With over 500 million people watching digital video on a regular basis in this country alone, it’s important to know what stories work – and the best way to tell them. So, how do you make an ad that stands out? Storyboarding, of course.
Storyboarding is the building plan of a house, a way of ensuring your video is structured, every frame is meaningful and your message is right where it should be. In a market as fiercely contested as India’s, where brands such as Swiggy and Tata Tea lead the way in emotive and effective storytelling, storyboarding could be the skill that makes you stand out.
Want to learn how storyboarding can transform the way you run your video campaign? Here we go.
What is Storyboarding?
And before we dive into the details, it’s important to clear up exactly what storyboarding is. A storyboard is a visual representation of how a video will play out on a shot-by-shot basis. It’s a series of images or drawings that demonstrate the narrative, providing everyone from the director to the marketing department with a thorough understanding of what the end result should look like.
Think of it like a comic strip for the videographer. It’s a static picture that represents a moment in time, with notes for dialogue, camera angle or backing music. It’s essential not just for filmmakers but for advertising, especially when budget and time are tight.
Why Storyboarding is Essential for Video Campaigns
1. Clarity of Vision
A storyboard will help make sure that you and your team are all on the same page. If you are working with a director and camera crew then you might have people reading the script on set. On a larger scale, if you are working on a production in a studio with a post-production team, then a picture board will mean that there is less room for miscommunication.
Real-Life Example: Swiggy’s IPL Campaign
Swiggy ran a series of quick, funny, barely 15-second ads during the IPL. My favorite was about a man ordering food while pretending to be on a Zoom call. How did they make something so simple feel so funny and intuitive? It was the perfect timing. Each frame was storyboarded to form the various expressions on the man’s face to even the activity in the background, so that the punchline delivers at the right moment.
2. Cost Efficiency
Time is money, and there is no better place than video production where that proverb rings true. A well-conceived storyboard can help save you money on your video shoot. By knowing what shots you want upfront, you’ll have fewer reshoots or unnecessary changes.
Real-Life Example: Tata Tea’s “Jaago Re” Campaign
Tata Tea’s ‘Jaago Re’, a campaign that addressed social issues and also promoted its product, was about people, multiple locations and action – sometimes, even actor changes in a shot. These shoots would have needed more control than a verbal brief, or else the enterprise could easily run out of money and time; one aspect that storyboarding introduces is for everyone to see exactly what is expected of them.
3. Emotional Resonance
In a storyboard you plan not only what the viewer will see, but also the shape of your emotional ride: where you want the viewer to gasp, lose heart or rejoice while watching your story.
Real-Life Example: Vicks’ Touch of Care Campaign
Gauri Sawant, a transgender mother, and her daughter, by VicksIndeed, the short film by Vicks (a North American cough and cold medicine brand) featuring Gauri Sawant, a transgender mother, and her adopted daughter, is deeply touching, though each shot is carefully calculated to elicit sympathy. The composition of the scenes, each framing and edit, the close-ups of Gauri’s face, the lighting and music, and the pace of the scenes were all meticulously planned on a storyboard before production even started.
How to Create a Storyboard for Your Video Campaign
Before we discuss making one, let’s go over why storyboarding is so critical. Here’s how to do it: Ways of accessing or using the step-by-step list are all excellent ‘answers’ to the above direction.
Step 1: Understand the Objective
First, before you pick up your pencil or design tool, make sure that you know what you want your video to accomplish. Are you selling a product? Building a brand? Raising awareness about an issue? That single question will dictate a lot about the story that you end up telling.
Step 2: Break Down the Script
If you have a script, break it down into scenes. Each scene will be a beating of the story’s pulse, and each of those moments will require a frame in your storyboard.
Step 3: Visualize the Shots
Think how you want to shoot each scene: is it a wide angle or close up? What is going on behind a character? What lighting is used? Draw simple frames for these ideas. Don’t be an artist if you don’t want to be – stick figures are amazing!
Step 4: Add Notes
Next to each frame, make notes about what is happening: camera angles, dialogue, music cues. The more detailed your notes, the easier it should be for your team to execute the vision.
Step 5: Review and Revise
After you create a storyboard, you should do a story review with the team. Is this shot not working? What about this shot? What is the pace like? This is your near-final draft.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Storyboarding
Storyboarding can be a very powerful tool in your design process, but every tool in the shed includes some surprise delights as well as some nasty pincers that get in your way. Here are a few of the latter to watch out for:
Overcomplicating the Shots – Sometimes less is more, try not to overpack frames.
Don’t Let Transitions Count: How you get from one scene to the next is just as important as the scenes themselves.
A Skip The Feedback Loop: When you’re through, show your storyboard to your team. New eyes will see what’s missing.
The Impact of Storyboarding on Indian Brands
Storyboarding is not just a Western filmmaking device. Indian brands are increasingly using the technique to make sure their video campaigns are on target.
Real-Life Example – Zomato’s “Har Customer Hai Star” Campaign
For a campaign that celebrated its customers, Zomato took an irreverent path. Its ads featured different personas in different avatars, and Zomato had to board each of these stories before it could run the campaign. Storyboarding helped them keep consistency across several iterations of the same ad, so that the team could continue to brainstorm.
Soft Pitch – How Reset Media Can Help
And we also know that every detail in video production matters – from your storyboard to the emotions your audiences will feel when they press that play button. We work with startups and old brands alike who want their next big campaign or project to shine. Our team of experienced producers, editors and writers has years of experience working with Indian brands, and we’re experts at crafting stories that will stick.
Conclusion – The Power of a Well-Planned Storyboard
There’s a lot at stake when you create a video campaign in the field of digital marketing, especially in India, where there’s a lot of competition. But with a good storyboard, your message won’t just reach your target audience; it’ll stay with them.
Therefore, the next time you prepare a video campaign, don’t forget to stop and storyboard. It might just be the difference between forgettable advertising and a truly memorable piece.
Ready to storyboard your next big idea? Contact us at Reset Media to make it a reality.