These are Bong Joon Ho’s complete storyboards
for Parasite. They’re meticulous, and with few exceptions
the film is a pretty direct translation of them. One of the clear things we can see comparing
the storyboards to the film, is that most of the differences are places where Bong ended
up going with something simpler than his storyboards. You can see this in the example I used earlier,
where the storyboard indicates the peach be put into a bag while the camera tracks down. In the film This is simplified by removing
the camera pan. One reason Bong might have made this change
is if the action of blowing on the peach was discovered in the performance, by actress
Park So Dam on set, and simplifying the shot better showcase that piece of performance. Here’s another example of how Bong simplifies
things. In
this scene Bong eliminates some dialogue, an entire shot, and simplifies these two shots
into a single shot. BUT, while he’ll make small changes, simplify
things, or eliminate shots, he almost never adds something that isn’t in the storyboard. If he does add or change something it’s
usually fairly small details. Like moving the arrow the housekeeper grabs
from the wall to above the door or adding fairly simple shot stationary shot. Bong is giving the actors room to shift some
things in performance. But he’s obviously not doing a lot of improvisational
work on set in terms of coming up with camera movements or character blocking. This is all established ahead of time. Coming up with something complicated on the
spot is a lot harder than simplifying a complex plan. So don’t be afraid to make your scenes as
complex as you want in the storyboards- you can always simplify on set. While the camera movements and scenes you’re
storyboarding might be complex, the storyboards themselves don’t need to be. Focus on conveying the key elements of the
scene as simply as possible. Character and Camera movement are the first
priority. But you can also convey a key element of performance
fairly simply. Some lines, or a head turn can indicate surprise
or amazement. Some things might be too tricky to draw, that’s
okay. You can always just use a label. Smaller details like lighting and subtle emotions
you can leave out. And sometimes the environment around the characters
isn’t important to the shot. Especially if this has been previously established
in the storyboards. Just make sure you have the core elements
of the shot laid out in a clear way. The most important things being the actors
position relative to the camera, their movement, and the movement of the camera. But even though you don’t need to include
everything in your storyboards, and keeping them simple is good, no detail is too subtle
to be included if it’s important. This shot has an extremely subtle camera move,
subtle enough that even though I’ve watched this film many times, and scrutinized the
cinematography and editing of this scene for other videos I never noticed the movement
until I saw it noted in the storyboards. So however subtle a detail, if it’s important
to you, you can include it in the storyboards. In Parasite Bong’s camera is almost always
moving, this movement and how it should be done is all laid out in the storyboards. Don’t just stop at drawing an arrow that
shows the camera moves- give detail about how that zoom is going to be done, is the
camera doing the zooming, is it a dolly push, is it a digital zoom in post? The crew should be able to know what camera
equipment they’ll need to pull the shot off. If a movement is too difficult to draw, you
can add some diagrams to help the crew better understand how you want to move the camera. Bong does this, especially with the more complex
scenes involving a lot of people. And it’s not just for the camera movement,
for the chaotic finale, he includes a diagram just to show the position of everything and
where all the characters are moving. Don’t be afraid to whip out that iphone. If you’re planning to shoot in real locations,
and you know what they are already- you might as well integrate them into the storyboards. For the mansion, which Bong designed as a
set, he occasionally used 3D renderings to show what the house would look like once it
was built. If you have stunts or action you have to storyboard
it in a way that’s actually possible. For example if you need to swap between stunt
performers and actors you need to plan a cut into the storyboard to cover up that swap. As you draw your storyboards you’re essentially
pre-editing the film, so you have to think about the things that would usually be covered
over with editing. It’s possible to storyboard things that
would be impossible to shoot, so make sure you’re thinking ahead to production and
post-production. It’s also important to think about the transitions
between shots and scenes and how you can use juxtaposition for your story. An edit like this one, that contrasts the
poor family in the dark getting wet, against the rich family, high, dry and in the sun- or this that contrasts the rich family’s
closet against the poor families trying to find clothes- are specifically planned out
in the storyboards. Finally don’t forget to draw little devil
horns on your characters when they’re being bad! Storyboards are a powerful tool. But in the book’s introduction Bong says
that he doesn’t think storyboarding is necessary for making good films. Bong worries that being so structured eliminates
some of the magic that comes from spontaneity on set. He admits that his main motivation for storyboarding
is to alleviate his anxiety. If Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho is anxious about
the work he does, then you and I can take comfort in the fact having anxiety about our
work, doesn’t mean we don’t have the skill. And if we’re willing, like Bong, we can
find methods that help us overcome that anxiety. If meticulously planning things out and then
translating those plans straight to film is what works for you then go ahead- Storyboard
like Bong Joon-Ho.
