Planning: Story Boarding

  Storyboarding is an essential part of the planning process. With storyboarding, Zunairah and I can have a visual idea of what our brief is going to look like. We can have our angles, shots, sets, and more planned out from the beginning. Zunairah and I have experience storyboarding since we have had similar projects where we needed to plan. Zunairah found a template from Canva that will be perfect for storyboarding. Filling it out will let us prepare for our portfolio better.

This is the blank template!

Research Inspiration:

After analyzing 2 romcom openings, Anyone But You and Ticket to Paradise, this gave me a clear idea of what a romcom opening should be like. In Anyone But You, I learned the importance of immediate character conflict. The film open with Bea and Ben in a playful yet tense encounter, and this fast-paced, humorous tension grabs the audience’s attention. I want to incorporate that idea in a way because this will hint at a comedic effect and the hint of a romance. 

From Ticket to Paradise, I focused on setting, lighting, and character dynamics. My analysis highlighted how warm, visually appealing environments, like tropical beaches, can immediately establish mood while supporting romantic and comedic beats. My partner, Zunairah, wanted a similar location; However, I was against the idea. When I thought about it, filming at a beach would be complicated. We are not a rich company. The lighting and sand would be frustrating. So,  to keep the idea of an appealing environment, I suggested a park. Parks would be more convenient since there are multiple around where we live. A park can accomplish the same a beach can!

Another insight I took from Ticket to Paradise was the idea of characters already knowing each other. I liked how David and Georgia’s shared history adds humor and tension without needing a classic meet-cute. Breaking the expectation is another way of luring the audience in. Making the love interest have previous history can lead to cute tropes like enemies to lover and friends to lovers. I would really love having a cute trope like that in our brief!

Completed Storyboard:

Zunairah and I brainstormed a story that follows Audrey, a competitive track athlete preparing for her upcoming birthday through daily workouts and healthy diets. On one of her daily runs she collides with Mattias, a hockey player from her high school and long-time rival. Although they’ve known of each other for years, this moment forces their first real interaction. When they are paired together on a school project tied to a major achievement award, their rivalry intensifies before slowly turning into unexpected chemistry.

This storyline connects directly to my research on Anyone But You and Ticket to Paradise. From Anyone But You, I was inspired by the use of immediate conflict and rivalry to create humor and tension, which shaped Audrey and Mattias’ enemies-to-lovers dynamic. From Ticket to Paradise, I liked the idea of characters already knowing each other before the story begins, allowing the relationship to start with history rather than a traditional meet-cute. 

Storyboard break down:

The opening shot is a smooth tracking shot of Audrey jogging through the park during golden hour. The camera moves alongside her, keeping her centered in the frame to immediately establish her as the protagonist. The warm, natural lighting creates a romantic-comedy tone while visually reinforcing her identity as a disciplined track athlete preparing for her birthday.

The scene cuts to a close-up of Audrey checking her phone or calendar, where she notices her birthday is coming up. The shot is mostly static with a subtle push-in, allowing the audience to register the importance of this moment. This shot gives context to her motivation without using dialogue.

A hockey stick or ball suddenly flies into frame from off-screen. The camera uses a fast tracking movement or whip pan to follow the object, sharply shifting the energy of the scene from calm to chaotic and signaling the arrival of conflict.

The object hits Audrey, and we cut to a tight close-up reaction shot. Her expression moves from shock to anger within the same shot, clearly communicating her emotional shift and setting up the rivalry.

Mattias enters the frame wearing his hockey gear. A boom reveals him, visually establishing his athletic identity and placing him in a confident position within the frame. His initial apologetic expression contrasts with Audrey’s growing frustration.

Audrey recognizes Mattias as her rival, and the argument begins. The scene switches to shot-reverse-shot coverage, using static framing to focus on dialogue, facial expressions, and passive-aggressive tension between the two characters.

The argument becomes physical as they both reach for the hockey stick or ball. This is shown in a mid shot, allowing the audience to see both characters’ body language and competitive energy. The struggle escalates into physical comedy, with pushing and pulling over the object. The camera becomes slightly handheld, adding movement and chaos that shows their rivalry. The handheld movement continues as the struggle intensifies. These shots emphasize timing, awkward positioning, and exaggerated reactions to heighten the comedic effect.

The hockey stick or ball breaks free and flies directly toward the camera. A zoom or dolly-in heightens the dramatic tension and transitions the scene toward its climax.

As the object leaves the frame, Audrey and Mattias stumble and fall into each other’s arms in slow motion. The camera stabilizes and holds steady. The shot uses the rule of thirds, placing the hockey equipment sharp and prominent in the foreground while Audrey and Mattias are softly out of focus in the background. The title appears, symbolizing how competition stands between them even as romantic tension begins to form.

Technical elements in depth:

I really like our movie concept but we have to take into consideration the technical elements since that will make our film possible.

For the tracking shot, we need to decide whether to use a stabilizer or rely on controlled handheld movement. Smooth motion is important here because this shot sets the tone and introduces Audrey in a calm, focused way. Any shakiness would distract from that intention.

Lighting is another consideration. Since we want a golden-hour look, timing is crucial. We will need to plan our shoot around natural light and possibly adjust camera settings such as white balance and exposure to maintain a warm, romantic tone without overexposing highlights. This will make color grading a simpler process.

The random movement shots during the argument are more forgiving technically, since slight shakiness actually supports the emotional energy of the scene. However, we still need to maintain clear framing so the action and facial expressions remain readable.

The most challenging shot will be the final slow-motion composition. Achieving shallow depth of field requires careful lens choice and focus control so the hockey equipment remains sharp while Audrey and Mattias are softly blurred. We’ll need to test this beforehand to ensure the focus pull and framing work as intended. Camera placement will also be critical so the foreground object doesn’t fully block the characters, maintaining visual balance.

Self Reflection:

Overall, the storyboard is effective because it clearly establishes genre, character dynamics, and narrative direction within the opening moments. The combination of warm lighting, a realistic setting, and immediate conflict tell the audience that this is a romantic comedy while also introducing the central rivalry between Audrey and Mattias. The physical meet-cute and fast shift from calm to chaos successfully hook the audience and set up the popular enemies-to-lovers dynamic that will carry through the rest of the story.

Planning the opening shot-by-shot helped me understand how technical choices directly impact storytelling. Camera movement, framing, and pacing are tools to express competition, tension, and growing chemistry. For example, the contrast between smooth tracking shots and chaotic handheld shots reinforced the shift from control to conflict, while the final slow-motion shot visually hinted at romance before the characters fully realize it themselves.

This process also made me reflect on how research strengthens creative work. By applying ideas from my rom-com analysis, I was able to make intentional choices rather than relying on clichés. I learned that effective storytelling comes from balancing genre conventions with originality, and that planning visually through a storyboard is essential for translating abstract ideas into clear, filmable moments.

Sources:

https://www.canva.com/create/storyboards/