Storyboards Video Storyboard Terms 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'cutaway' in storyboard sequencing?
- A transition where one image gradually replaces another
- A shot that interrupts the main action to show something else related to the scene (Correct answer)
- A panel removed from the storyboard during revisions
- A camera move that cuts diagonally across the frame
Correct answer: A shot that interrupts the main action to show something else related to the scene
A cutaway is a shot that briefly leaves the main action to show a related detail, reaction, or environment, then returns to the primary scene.
Question 2: What does 'continuity editing' mean in the context of storyboarding?
- Ensuring every storyboard panel uses the same drawing style
- Planning shots so that spatial and temporal relationships remain consistent across cuts (Correct answer)
- Reusing the same backgrounds in multiple panels to save time
- Numbering panels in continuous order without gaps
Correct answer: Planning shots so that spatial and temporal relationships remain consistent across cuts
Continuity editing means staging and ordering shots so that action, screen direction, and time flow logically and seamlessly for the viewer.
Question 3: What is 'leading room' (also called 'lead room' or 'look room') in storyboard framing?
- Space reserved in the frame in the direction a subject is moving or looking (Correct answer)
- The blank margin around the edge of a storyboard panel
- The first panel in a sequence that sets up the main action
- The area in front of the camera lens kept clear of obstacles
Correct answer: Space reserved in the frame in the direction a subject is moving or looking
Lead room is the empty space left in the frame ahead of a moving or looking subject, preventing the shot from feeling cramped or cut off.
Question 4: In video storyboarding, what is a 'transition wipe'?
- Erasing pencil lines from a storyboard panel
- A transition where one shot is replaced by another via a moving line or shape sweeping across the screen (Correct answer)
- Cleaning up digital storyboard files before delivery
- A camera pan so fast it blurs the image
Correct answer: A transition where one shot is replaced by another via a moving line or shape sweeping across the screen
A wipe transition replaces one shot with another using a moving boundary — a line, shape, or pattern — that sweeps across the frame.
Question 5: What is 'blocking' in pre-production storyboarding?
- Preventing a shot from being approved
- Planning and mapping out the movement of actors and cameras within a scene (Correct answer)
- Filling in dark areas with solid black ink
- Removing rejected panels from the storyboard
Correct answer: Planning and mapping out the movement of actors and cameras within a scene
Blocking refers to choreographing where actors move and where the camera is positioned relative to them throughout a scene.
Question 6: What is a 'reaction shot' and how is it indicated in a storyboard?
- A shot showing a character's emotional response to an event or line of dialogue (Correct answer)
- A quick-cut montage reaction sequence
- A reshooting note added to a storyboard panel
- A frame showing the camera operator reacting to a mistake
Correct answer: A shot showing a character's emotional response to an event or line of dialogue
A reaction shot captures a character's facial or physical response to something that just happened, and is noted in the storyboard with the character's expression shown and 'REACTION' labeled.
Question 7: What does the term 'safe area' refer to in video storyboarding?
- A padded section of the set where actors can fall safely
- The portion of the frame guaranteed to be visible on all screens, inside the outer edges (Correct answer)
- The legally approved content zone for broadcast
- A locked folder where approved storyboards are stored
Correct answer: The portion of the frame guaranteed to be visible on all screens, inside the outer edges
The safe area (action safe and title safe zones) is the inner region of the frame that is certain to be displayed on all monitors and TVs without cropping.
Storyboards Video Storyboard Terms 4
What is a 'cutaway' in storyboard sequencing?