The storyboard is a cornerstone in the art of visual media, serving as the initial blueprint for how a scene will visually appear. There’s no rocket science behind the concept; a storyboard is a straightforward sequence of illustrations that depict the filmmakers’ vision—usually the director’s—of scenes throughout the film. This process is invaluable for shaping ideas from script to screen and providing a clear visual guide for executing each shot.
If you’re not the world’s best illustrator, that’s okay. Storyboards can vary widely, from simple, almost child-like sketches to detailed, professional renderings by skilled artists. In this post, we’ll cover how to storyboard a video, basic rules to follow, and give you a free video storyboard template for you to get started fast.
Table of contents
The purpose of a storyboard
For those new to the filmmaking scene, storyboards can become a helpful source for communicating your creative vision. Without first-hand experience on set, the language used to communicate the visual narrative to your crew, even with a script, can get lost in translation.
A storyboard can serve as a visual aid, showing your crew and cast what you are aiming for. This not only saves the struggle of verbally describing what you want but also saves time during production. Even if you’re creating content yourself, a storyboard can help you visualize what needs to be captured on the day. Nothing is worse than heading out to a location to capture some scene shots, arriving, and then realizing you’re not sure what you want your scenes to look like.
As a novice, you don’t have as many resources as a professional production. You won’t have the luxury of time to try and find the shot when you’re racing against the setting sun during golden hour.
Whereas if you have a storyboard on set, it can help you maximize your limited resources and avoid unnecessary retakes. On a larger scale, a storyboard can provide a collective understanding, bridging the gap between vision and execution within your team.
In the video below, renowned director Steven Spielberg explains his storyboarding process. Despite only being able to draw stick figures, he effectively conveys depth, which allows an illustrator to create a visual guide for the sequence.
How to make a storyboard
So, how do we actually create a storyboard? The good news is that storyboards have very few rules, unlike the rigid formality found in many other areas of filmmaking. The storyboard panels can range in detail, from incorporating just the sequence of shots to including information on set design, props, camera movement, and lighting setups.
Storyboarding software and apps
You can use specialized storyboard software, such as Storyboard Animator, Plot, Previs Pro, or Procreate. Or you can simply sketch your ideas on pre-cut storyboard cards that you can buy from places like Amazon. Ultimately, the main objective is to convey the intended shots clearly. The more detail your storyboard includes, the better it will communicate your vision and give structure to your video.
However, if you intend to opt for a more formal approach, there are certainly a few helpful guidelines you can follow.
Video storyboarding basics
Before we start the storyboard process, it’s important to have a firm understanding of your film’s main plot and how your characters shape the story. Consider the following:
- Plot Outline: Identify your story’s beginning, middle, and end. Outline the key events and turning points that will drive your narrative forward.
- Character Development: Define your characters. Who are they, their motivations, and how do they change throughout the story? Well-developed characters are crucial for engaging storytelling.
These two elements are vital for storyboarding your scenes. For example, items or characters that are significant to the story may require a more refined approach to framing.
Breaking down a scene
Look at a legendary scene from The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
There are two shots to point out. At 00:35, we transition from a medium shot of Aragorn into a close-up, where he whispers, “For Frodo.” This personal statement signifies that this might be their last fight—they may not win, but they will fight for their friend. Given the significance of both the plot and the character in this situation, imagine how the scene would feel if we stayed in the medium shot. Not as personal, right?
The second shot to acknowledge is at 00:45, where we see the two Hobbits charging into battle alongside the central character of this scene. The Hobbits, half the size of the human characters, are at a great disadvantage in this battle, but their bravery is displayed in the extreme long shot. How would this moment compare if we stayed in a close-up and couldn’t see them running into battle first instead of the battle-hardened human characters? The payoff would not have been the same.
When you have these elements of the narrative down, they will form the basis for your storyboard choices, ensuring that your visual plan aligns with your narrative structure. With that concept covered, let’s examine this script extract from my short film “The Red Canal” and how we would break it down for video storyboarding.
Building your storyboard
Once you have your script or narrative, you can break it out into a shot list. In our script sequence, it could visually be laid out like this.
- Establishing Shot: A wide view of the garden.
- Close-Up: The courier walking up the garden path.
- Close-Up: A close-up of the parcel.
- Close-Up: The courier knocking at the door.
- Medium Shot: The courier waiting.
- Medium Close-up: The courier hears sounds from behind the cottage.
Thematically, choosing these shots puts more importance on the parcel than the person who is delivering it.
Once you know what shots you want to do, you can start sketching your frames. Within a storyboard, it could be illustrated like such:
Question: Which way did you read that sequence? Most likely left-to-right, right? While that’s how you would read a graphic novel, storyboards are typically read from top-to-bottom, the same way a script is read.
Adding storyboard shot information and annotations
This storyboard is great because it provides a visual blueprint for how the scene should be shot. However, the technical details of the sequence are still vague.
Now, your next step is to include details about the shot beside each panel. Unlike graphic novels that can use elaborate art, written sound effects, and motion lines, it’s not as obvious to the rest of the crew how the movement would be displayed in a shot. So it’s useful to note the shot type and describe any camera movements with annotations. With that in mind, our storyboard could now look like this.
We now know that the shot of the parcel and feet is moving and would, therefore, require the use of a dolly or at least a gimbal. At this point, you can see the storyboard transitions not only how the script will be visually conveyed but also what equipment is required. Including such details can significantly enhance the clarity of your vision and help your filming crew prep for each specific shot.
Here’s a brief glossary of shot information you can include in your storyboard notes:
• ES – Establishing shot
• ELS – Extreme long shot
• LS – Long shot
• MLS – Medium long shot
• MS – Medium shot
• MCU – Medium close-up
• OTS – Over the shoulder
• POV – Point of view
• CU – Close-up
• ECU – Extreme close-up
Conveying character movement
Halfway through the scene, we have the character knocking on the door. While in this example, it’s pretty apparent what the actor would need to do, conveying character motion in storyboards can be challenging.
For example, in the 5th shot, we want to display that the character steps back away from the door. And in the 6th shot, he hears something off-screen. To depict character and object movement, filmmakers often use arrows like you can see in the example below. These arrows effectively communicate the intended motion and action flow.
Numbering your shots
Ideally, you should number your shots first, but we saved the boring part for the end of this lesson. Adding shot numbers or letters to your scenes is extremely helpful and practically standard in the storyboard process. These identifiers should align with the scene numbers in your script, aiding in organization.
For instance, in the storyboard for The Red Canal, this is Scene 5. Therefore, when referring to a shot, you can say “Scene 5, Shot D,” and the film crew can immediately locate it, instead of saying “the shot with the door,” which could refer to at least four different shots in this storyboard.
Understanding scene composition
While your camera operating skills will bring this sequence to life, there’s nothing wrong with perfecting each scene’s composition while creating your storyboard. It allows you to adjust your camera angle and framing without waiting until you’re on set, which can eat up valuable time. When creating your storyboard, think about some of these core concepts.
Rule of Thirds composition
This technique involves dividing the frame into a 3×3 grid and positioning the subject along these lines or at their intersections to create a balanced and visually appealing image. In our establishing shot, shot 5a, we can see how the rules of thirds help create an aesthetically pleasing frame with the slightly centered house.
Leading Lines composition
Leading lines guide the viewer’s eye through the image, often directing attention to the main subject. These lines can be straight, diagonal, or curved and help create a sense of depth and movement. In shot 5b, note how the path leads directly toward the house in the background. This subconsciously tells the audience this is where we are going.
Frame within a Frame composition
This method uses elements within the scene, such as windows, doorways, or natural features, to create a frame around the subject. This technique adds depth and focus to the main subject while enhancing the overall composition. This video tutorial from NerdWriter delves into this compositional element in detail and is well worth the ten-minute watch to improve your cinematography and storyboarding skills.
Download your free video storyboard template
The storyboard used throughout this article is a good example of the rough concept of storyboarding, featuring pencil illustrations and handwritten information. However, if you’re looking for a video storyboard template to keep things neat and organized, you’re in luck. We’re giving away a free storyboard template that you can download to make this process even more efficient.
It’s worth noting that the storyboard template freebie is just one of many free templates you’ll find inside Storyblocks’ Ultimate Video Marketing Toolkit. From a script template to a video goal tracker, everything inside the toolkit was curated to help streamline your entire video production process from start to finish.
Using AI for storyboarding
Over the past two years, generative AI has evolved significantly, from creating images of Will Smith eating spaghetti to generating lifelike images. This progress can be somewhat concerning, especially now that creating images with photorealistic subjects, colors, and lighting is possible. The question arises whether tools like DALL-E or Midjourney are worth using to fill your storyboards.
While these AI tools can certainly give your storyboard a more professional and polished look, the time required could be detrimental to the storyboarding process. Using generative AI to create a few mood board images might benefit concept art, but constantly refining prompts to achieve the exact angle you want can be tedious.
Even just drawing stick figures can help you quickly set up a shot in your storyboard and save you a ton of time compared to using AI. Remember, a storyboard’s primary purpose is to convey your idea to the larger group, and it doesn’t have to look polished at this stage.
Examples of film storyboards
One of the core goals of your storyboard should be to enable the reader to visually understand most of what is happening in your film, even if it’s only 75% comprehension. There’s often no better way to master this art than reading and studying storyboards from already-produced movies. They not only serve as inspiration but they are packed with storyboard tips.
Most recently, we had “Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards”. This book focuses on the storyboards for nine of Hitchcock’s classic films, including Vertigo and Psycho. Given Hitchcock’s rich legacy, this should be a first purchase.
The “Studio Ghibli Art of Collection” has seen several releases over the last several years. These books are titled ‘The Art of’ followed by the film’s name, like “The Art of Spirited Away.” However, the books are more than just filled with concept artwork and sketches of the characters. You can also find a good selection of storyboards within each book.
Parasite had the world in the palm of its hand during the 2020 Oscars, and thankfully, there is a storyboard book that can show you just why. Director Bong’s illustrations share the illuminating power of his writing and directing. “Parasite: A Graphic Novel in Storyboards” is worth buying to understand the film’s brilliance.
Do all directors storyboard?
All that being said, a storyboard isn’t essential for filmmaking. In fact, some very high-profile directors don’t storyboard. Christopher Nolan, director of 2023’s biggest film, Oppenheimer, doesn’t use storyboards as part of his pre-production process. In a 2012 interview with DGA, he explained, “I’ve always been able to visualize what I want mentally, and I can lie there at night and cut the film in my head, one shot at a time, all the way through the whole thing.”
However, as a beginner, a storyboard is crucial for laying the foundations of your film. Skipping this step may cause challenges in the production process. So while you may choose to forgo storyboarding in the future, it’s an important skill to build as you learn the ropes of filmmaking.
Final thoughts
Storyboarding is an essential practice for filmmakers, particularly beginners. It bridges the gap between the director’s vision and the crew’s execution, ensuring everyone understands the plan. While everything we’ve covered here is good practice for how to storyboard a video, as you build experience, you’ll learn what process works best for you. But if you’re starting out, it’s a good addition to the pre-production process to help production run smoothly.
Now, you’re ready to start creating your storyboarding using our free template from the Ultimate Video Marketing Toolkit! You can also browse our footage library to find inspiration for scenes or shots that you can add to your storyboard. To get access to over 2 million royalty free 4K and HD footage, exclusive music, templates, sound effects, and more, sign up for a Storyblocks subscription today.
