Storyboards

The following storyboards were created using a digital camera and a model of the set, designed and built by Production Designer, Luke Smith. We basically had two models, one of Tommy's attic bedroom and one for the action taking place in the hallway, landing and stairs. Not having the finance available to pay for a storyboard artists, and not knowing anyone who could do it for free, Luke and I devised the following process to create a full set of storyboards for the film.

• Set Model

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  The main action of the film takes place in Tommy's attic bedroom. The first picture shows the model of the set and the other two show the interior of the bedroom with various walls removed. The middle picture is minus the walls left and right of the main bedroom window, showing the main door into the room, fireplace and double door walk in cupboard. The final picture is a reverse of this angle, looking across the room, back towards the main window.

• Scene 1

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  The scale of the model was based on the scale of the two plastic figures for Bill and Angela, that Luke found in a local model shop. We weren't able to find a suitable figure for Tommy, so Luke made several out of balsa wood in specific poses. I'd planned a rough shot list which I used to set up each scene. Then, using the digital camera, I could explore each shot, snapping away and storing the photos onto my laptop.

• Scene 5

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  This process of photographing the model was very quick and satisfying and was a great way to explore all the angles of the set. It was immediately clear which shots worked and which didn't. The model also allowed us to explore simple lighting options, as you'll see in the storyboards on the right, helping to create more mood and atmosphere. We also got more adventurous with the model's production design, adding props, scale pictures and posters to Tommy's bedroom wall. I even managed to make a scale lamp fitted with a grain of wheat bulb and a 9v battery as this was an important prop in the film.

• Scene 8

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  As we worked over a period of 6 days I was able to constantly reassess the shot list, refining as we went along. The photographs were then cropped in Photoshop to the correct aspect ratio (1.85:1). I also found I was able to crop, zoom and re-frame to create new shots. Overall, we photographed just under 1000 individual frames, which were refined down to the 226 frames that made up the full set of storyboards.