Steve Hickner- Do's and Dont's of Storyboarding

The legend himself Steve Hickner gave a couple big talks at the school here recently and holy cow were they informative. So here's a basic list of what he talked about in his lecture on storyboarding :

• Good framing is important.
• DO NOT under-board. At least 2 boards are essential for an expression and 3 for an action or sound effect.
• DO keep vital information in the frame. Leave no important information that could be essential for the story out of the picture!
• DO NOT cut off characters at joints or awkward places within the frame. For example, keeping the frame of a face from the inside of the forehead to the chin is good but if you go either way from that it could look weird. 
• DO use the Golden Egg. The Golden Egg Rule is your best friend- Don't push a character out of it. Actions within the golden egg should not be to the side.
• DO NOT keep every shot at eye level. Create diverse angles to spice up the shots and create interesting visuals.
• DO place characters in interesting places for a cool eye trace from cut to cut.
• DO separate planes totally-> Foreground, Middle Ground, and Background. Focus on what's important.
• DO watch perspective.
• DO line up images that are connected to an action.
• DO visualize everything that matters.
• DO logical actions and visuals. Everything in your shots should make sense.
• DO put emphasis on important motifs and visuals.
• DO always consider the camera and where it is placed in a shot.
• DO opposing actions! Like jump cuts.
• DO create readable cuts. The viewer shouldn't have to watch a scene again and again to figure out what's going on.
• Very important. DO consider the amount of shots you need to communicate an idea.
• DO go for emotional impact. You want a viewer to feel a connection to your work.
• DO show a clear direction in the story.
• DO establish a relationship between characters.
• DO establish where everything is located in a shot. Centralize important visuals.
• REMEMBER, the shorter your shots the more drawings you need, especially for actions.
• DO cut anything out that isn't important.
• DO consider the characters and props you want to use for a story.
• DO NOT distance from the main character or narrative.
• DO NOT block characters from interacting.
• DO connect narrative points!