Good afternoon GDNet! So I'm working on the narrative script for one of my games and I'm trying to do some storyboarding. I know that the typical storyboard has dialogue, fx, description, notes, etc., my question lies more with the illustration. When drawing the illustration for the shot, what elements should I include in the illustration? (For example, I know you have to make note of the camera angles in a storyboard). As always I appreciate all replies.

In each frame, you need to illustrate the thing that the frame is intended to illustrate. Some frames are to illustrate an advance in the storyline. Some frames might be to illustrate how the UI should act. Camera angles are shown - so don't need to be explained.

Oh ok. For some reason I was under the belief that you need to identify the angle, lighting, etc. So basically just give a rough illustration?

Are you just storyboarding the game's cinematics? Or are you storyboarding the gameplay?

Hmm is gameplay storyboard necessary/important? I was just gonna do cinematics, then do some UI concept sketches and concept art. 

So you're storyboarding the cinematics. (You could have mentioned that in the initial question.) 

18 hours ago, Novadude987 said:

what elements should I include in the illustration?

The important ones. I'm moving this out of Game Design and over to the art forum.

Edit: Nova, first you just need to know who you're writing the storyboard for. It's for the people who are going to create your cinematics, right? So then, what do those animators need to be told (what do you know that they don't know)? They surely know about framing a shot, about choreographing a scene, and about camera angles - do you know that stuff better than they do? If you have it all very clear in your head, and you don't want them to exercise any of their own creativity in the cinematic, then spell it all out as clearly and succinctly as you know how. YOU get to decide what elements are important to include.

11 hours ago, Novadude987 said:

I was just gonna do cinematics

Story boards even in AAA games are very simple things. They are just a visual idea, not any final work.

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Final_Fantasy_X_storyboard_artwork

...not really sure my question belongs in the art forum, as storyboarding is an integral part of game design, but it is what it is. Either way I appreciate all responses!

21 minutes ago, Novadude987 said:

...not really sure my question belongs in the art forum, as storyboarding is an integral part of game design

But you're storyboarding a cinematic, which is both art and writing. The main point of all the above is: remember that what you put in the storyboard is information for the people who are going to create your vision for you. Therefore, what you need to put in your storyboard is whatever it is that you want or need the team to know.

Storyboards are meant to block out scenes and show how they progress. This can apply to narrative scenes, action scenes, gameplay scenes, anything. They're meant to help show the flow so that the team can get a better grasp on what you're trying to tell them