Storyboards are a simple but crucial tool for any production. Commercials, feature films, and music videos all start with a script and a storyboard. They are a very free-form medium that can be made of pencil drawings, still photos, or computer graphics. For purposes of the contest, your storyboard submission does not have to be professional-looking or perfect. Our example shows stick-figure drawings, a photo taken with a camera phone, and some storyboard panels by Alex Ross of Marvel Comics, Inc to give a sense of how a storyboard can be made and the wide range of media available. Entry submissions do not need to use the storyboard templates provided below, but you may use them if you think they are helpful. You could make your storyboard out of pictures clipped from magazines, photos of clay models/classmates/action figures, or a home movie that shows roughly what the shots look like. The only purpose is to show the judges what you want your commercial to look like, and that you’ve put some thought into how the finished project should look.
Look at everything that’s in the viewfinder. Sometimes you get so focused on what you’re trying to get in the shot, that you don’t notice something distracting in the background.
2.
Use your imagination and trust your judgment. If it looks cool to you, it’ll probably look cool to other people. If it looks boring to you, it’ll probably be very boring for everyone else.
3.
Remember that if you put a bright light in the background (the sun, headlights, etc.), the person in front of it will turn into a silhouette. If you want a silhouette, that’s fine. But if you want to see the person’s expressions or movement, then move the person away from the light.
4.
Be inventive and creative. For steady shots, you could use a tripod, or set the camera on a table or chair. For shooting at night, you could light the scene with streetlights, headlights, or even hold a flashlight next to the camera, pointing it at your subject.
5.
Try not to mix lighting. Daylight has a blue color (like the sky) and inside light has an orange or green tint to it. If you’re inside near a window, close the blinds so blue light doesn’t come in. Or only use the blue light from outside, turn off the lights inside.
6.
Watch for reflective surfaces. Nothing ruins the effect of a shot quicker than seeing the cameraman reflected in a car window. Try to shoot mirrors from an angle, generally a low angle, where the camera is a little lower than the mirror, works best.
7.
Remember the difference between “pretty good” and “perfect.” If you keep trying to get it perfect, you may run out of time. Just do the best you can, and move on to the next shot. You’re shooting the pre-visualization, or moving storyboard, not the actual finished product.
2009 SOUND OFF! CONTEST WINNERS
Congratulations to students from Deer Lakes Middle School and Phoenixville Area Middle School for winning Drug Free Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania National Guard Counterdrug Program’s
2009 Sound Off! PSA contest for middle school students.
Students from the winning schools were recognized at Drug Free
Pennsylvania's 2009 Media Literacy Conference in Harrisburg.
The winning television PSA, from Deer Lakes Middle School, was created by Ashley Bizon, Adam Smoulder and Aaron Zufall.
“Ask Us” (:30)
The winning radio PSA, from Phoenixville Area Middle School, was created by Alexander D’Antonio and Kahjnel Norwood.
“Cocaine” (:30)
2008 SOUND OFF! CONTEST WINNERS
Congratulations to students from Mechanicsburg Middle School and Phoenixville Area Middle School for winning
the 2008 Sound Off! PSA contest. Students from the winning schools were recognized at Drug Free
Pennsylvania's 2008 Media Literacy Conference in Harrisburg.
The winning television PSA, from Mechanicsburg Middle School, was created by Brittany Barlup, Joanne Drawbaugh, Shannan Eagan, Madison Northrup, Leah Parrish and Paden Stewart.
“Throwing Your Life Away” (:30)
The winning radio PSA, from Phoenixville Area Middle School, was created by Shae Ferguson and Joe McEarlean.
