I was at a film festival for my short Suit & Bone when I got the call from producer Stella Nwimo about storyboarding a serial TV narrative. After getting into the details, I learned it was for Three Little Birds – a Sir Lenny Henry-helmed project destined for ITV. And it finally got released, and at the right time with it being Black History Month.

It reveals the story of Leah Whittaker (Rochelle Neil – The Nevers, Guilt) who tussles with her conscience about what she has left behind in Jamaica. Running out on her abusive husband, Leah packs her three children off to live with her mother whilst she travels to Britain determined to make a new life for herself and to bring her children over once she has settled there. However, every step of her journey is dogged by guilt, fear and fresh challenges in the hostile mother country of England.

Storyboarding for this series was a lovely experience, getting quite the insight from the DOP, the writer and the director for their vision and ideas. Storyboards often involve condensing these views and presenting it in a way that bolsters them whilst accentuating the emotive qualities and solving pragmatic issues. Sprinkled with your own magic of course.

The results were phenomenal, and a special co-sign email from Sir Henry does not hurt either. Truly enjoyed being a part of this project. And it certainly hit home differently for me for personal reasons:

I storyboarded scenes from Episodes 3 and 4, which involved medium to heavy action sequences that needed some quarterbacking. The series is now live on ITV, so be sure to check it out!