

Cinematography (shot sizes, angles, etc.).Think of all the departments that need to be covered (casting, location scouting, cinematography, lighting, production design, etc.) and translate those into visual cues. As mentioned, the mood board functions as a useful reference throughout pre-production and even during shooting. What elements of a video should a mood board communicate? An effective mood board should be clear, efficient, and ultimately inspiring so that people will want to support or get involved with the project. Mood boards are still creative pieces you can’t really identify one as being right or wrong, but you can deem it effective or ineffective. It packs that visual punch that, if done well, can appeal to your audience on a more visceral level. Looking at a mood board is faster than reading over a script, treatment, or creative brief. Guide to reference as you move forward with the development of your video.Ī mood board can be a powerful tool as part of your pitch for a film or video project, whether you need to secure funding, present to clients, or convince potential collaborators/cast/crew to join your production.clients, creative collaborators, other team members). Tool to communicate your creative vision to others (i.e.Creative exercise in brainstorming, finding inspiration, and/or narrowing down your ideas.The purpose of a mood board is threefold: You’re still in the relatively early stages of pre-production at this point, but you’ve got bare-bone ideas to work off of, and ideally some meat as well. What role does a mood board play in video pre-production?Ĭreating a mood board ideally happens after the creative brief, treatment, and script but before the storyboard and shot list. One look at a mood board should be sufficient to communicate the aesthetics and atmosphere you’re going for.

A bit like scrapbooking, making a mood board involves putting together a set of already existing images and/or objects to represent the world that you seek to create with your project. Mood boards are handy design tools used not only in film and video but also in fashion, photography, graphic design, interior design, etc. Also known as an inspiration board, theme board, or idea board. Mood board: a collage that expresses the look and feel of a project. If you’re familiar with those aesthetic image layouts on Pinterest or Tumblr, you know what we’re about to get into. As you hash out your project in the early stages of creative development, there may come a point when you realize that you’ve done a lot of writing (for the treatment, script, etc.).Įnter the mood board – a chance for you to put down the pen and communicate your ideas visually. Video is a dynamic medium – a marriage of audio and visuals, with immense room for varied creative expressions.
