From Hollywood to the Corporate Office-Why Storyboarding Works

Hollywood cubicles

Everyone knows that moviemakers use storyboards to visually organize a film's progression shot by shot. Alfred Hitchcock was famous for his meticulous storyboards- scenes so well planned that often it was unnecessary to do more than a couple of takes.

Why has the practice lasted for generations?
1.   It saves time. By putting effort and organization into preproduction, final production can run quickly and smoothly.

2.   It saves money. Constantly reshooting a scene that wasn't planned well is not only time consuming but money draining.

3.   It produces a cohesive work. When every scene of a film is laid out for all to see, the opportunity exists to make sure the film is fluid, thematic, and cohesive. At this point its easy to reorganize, because you just have to move pieces of paper around.

When filmmaker Howard Hughes was working with his airline company, it is rumored that one night he said to his proposal team that he needed to see the proposal laid out visually. He needed a storyboard. Apparently his team was so successful using this method that it spread across the corporate world.

Why is storyboarding going to work for you?
1.   It saves time. When proposal teams take the time to organize together, they grow to understand the win themes and produce writing that does not need to be rewritten again and again.

2.   It saves money. Hardly ever is a proposal writer ever just a proposal writer. They have their own work to work on, so minimizing helps get them back to what is making the company money.

3.   It produces a winning cohesive proposal. When everyone has a chance to present outlines of their sections, a team can quickly make sure everyone is emphasizing the same win themes before writers write their sections. Organizing together creates unity.