My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick

Then it blinked
This is a creepy and tense chapter where Peter confronts the horrors of the undead in
the graveyard. It would make a gripping scene in a film.

In many ways the book feels very ‘filmic’ – the events and scenes unfold and are
described in a way that helps readers imagine them as if they are on a screen.

Your task is to storyboard Chapter 23, planning out the different camera
angles and the shots that you want as a director.

Before you begin you need to think carefully about:

• what effect you want to create

• what mood you want to build up
• how you want the audience to see the different sections
• what you will do to achieve the effects

Remember: different camera angles do different jobs so you should vary the shots that
you use.

Make sure you re-read the chapter carefully before beginning; you need to
keep the action tight to build up the suspense for the viewer.
1 2

Your storyboard will need to show lots of different information. Use 4

the box below as guidelines as to how your shot should be set out in
order to complete the grid on page 2.

1. You should jot down the camera shot you want to use. What exactly do you want the
camera to show? (See page 3 for ideas.)

2. Write the angle you are shooting the shot at in this box.

3. In this box do a quick sketch of the scene you will be showing: you can do stick people
if you are not so good at drawing.

4. At the bottom of your storyboard write brief notes about the section you are shooting
– you could choose a quotation from the text. Include what sounds you would use - or
whether you just want a creepy, menacing, growing silence!
My Swordhand is Singing Chapter 23 Storyboard Then it blinked...