What a storyboard is
A storyboard is a series of drawings, laid out in order, showing how a video will look shot by shot. Each drawing, called a panel or frame, represents a key moment, usually with a few words underneath describing what is said, what happens or how the camera behaves.
Storyboards are associated with animation and film, but they suit online video as well. They are a way of thinking visually on paper, where changes cost nothing, before you spend time and money on a shoot.
You do not need to draw well. The purpose is communication, not art. Stick figures, boxes and arrows are completely acceptable if they show what you mean.
When a storyboard helps
Not every video needs one. A casual talking-to-camera clip may be fine without. Storyboards tend to be most useful when:
- The video has several locations or setups.
- Actions or demonstrations must happen in a specific order.
- You are working with other people who need to understand your vision.
- The video uses unusual angles, movement, effects or graphics.
- You want to check the flow of a story before committing to filming.
- You are planning something complex, like a short scripted scene.
For simple projects, a written outline or shot list may be enough. A storyboard shows what things look like, while a shot list records what to capture and where. Both are planning tools, and many creators use them together.
What goes into a panel
Each frame is a small rectangle in the same shape as your final video. If you are making a horizontal video, draw wide rectangles, and for vertical content draw tall ones. Sticking to the correct aspect ratios means you will see what will actually fit.
Inside the rectangle, sketch:
- The subject. The person, object or action the viewer should notice.
- Placement. Where the subject sits in the frame: left, center, upper third. This is the heart of shot composition.
- Size. How big the subject is. A wide shot shows a whole scene, a close-up shows a face or detail.
- Background. Just enough to show setting, such as a table, window or horizon line.
- Camera movement. Arrows can show a pan, tilt, zoom or tracking movement.
Underneath or beside the frame, add short notes:
- Shot number so it can be matched to the script and the shot list.
- Action describing what happens.
- Dialogue or narration for that moment.
- Camera notes such as angle, lens or movement.
- Audio such as music or sound effects.
- Duration, if you have an estimate.
Keep notes brief. If a panel needs a paragraph of explanation, the idea may be too complicated for one shot.
How to make a storyboard step by step
1. Start from the script or outline
Read through your script and divide it into beats, each one an idea or action. A storyboard follows the order of the story, so if you have not written the words yet, work out the sequence first. Writing a spoken script and storyboarding often happen together, with each informing the other.
2. Decide which moments need a panel
You do not have to draw every second. Draw the key frames: openings, changes of location, important actions, reveals and endings. Between those, the viewer’s mind will fill in the gaps. A short video might have anywhere from a handful to a few dozen panels, depending on complexity.
3. Prepare a template
Draw a grid of empty rectangles on paper, or use a printable template, a slide deck or a spreadsheet. Leave space under each box for notes. Digital tools allow rearranging, while paper is fast and has no learning curve. Either is fine.
4. Sketch quickly
Use simple shapes. A circle for a head, a line for the body, a rectangle for a table. Do not spend long on any one frame. If you cannot draw something, label it: “laptop”, “plant”, “street”. You can also take photos in the planned location and trace or annotate them, which is especially handy once you have done some location scouting.
5. Think about variety
Look at how the panels work together. If every frame is a medium shot from the same angle, the video may feel static. Mix wide, medium and close shots, and consider changing angle or position from one to the next. At the same time, keep a clear sense of where everything is, so viewers are not confused.
6. Check continuity
Compare adjacent panels. Does a person appear in the same clothes, in the same place, holding the same object? Does the action flow logically from one shot to the next? Storyboards are a cheap way to find continuity problems, which would be expensive to discover in the edit. The principles of cuts and transition types relate closely to this.
7. Review and revise
Lay the panels out in order and tell the story aloud using only the drawings. Ask someone else to follow along and say if anything is unclear. Reorder, remove or redraw panels as needed. This is the stage where a storyboard pays for itself.
Helpful conventions
Some conventions from film are useful, though you can adapt them:
- Arrows in or beside a panel indicate movement of the subject or the camera.
- Numbering keeps panels in order and helps you refer to them quickly.
- Shot abbreviations such as WS (wide shot), MS (medium shot) and CU (close-up) are common, but plain words are fine.
- Safe areas. If your video will be viewed on a phone, leave important details away from the edges, where app interfaces may cover them.
- Color or shading can mark important elements, but keep it simple.
Storyboards and vertical or multi-format video
If you plan to publish in more than one format, such as a horizontal main video and vertical clips, draw panels in both shapes or mark a central safe zone that works for each. Vertical framing changes how much of the sides is visible, so a shot that works wide may need to be reframed. Thinking about this on paper avoids discovering the problem during the edit.
From storyboard to shoot
A storyboard is a guide, not a contract. Real locations, light and people often differ from your drawings, and you may find better ideas on the day. Still, having a plan gives you a baseline to compare against and helps everyone share the same picture.
After drawing, you can translate the panels into a shot list, adding technical notes and grouping shots to make the day efficient. The storyboard answers “what will it look like?”, and the list answers “what do we need to capture, and in what order?”. The overall shape of the story that the panels follow is discussed in video storytelling basics.
Common beginner mistakes
- Spending too long on polished drawings instead of the ideas.
- Drawing every possible frame, which makes the board unmanageable.
- Forgetting to note dialogue or narration, so the board cannot be matched to the script.
- Using one camera distance throughout.
- Ignoring the final aspect ratio and drawing in a shape that does not match.
- Treating the storyboard as fixed and refusing to adapt when something better appears.
A quick starter exercise
Pick a 30-second idea, for example making a cup of tea. Write down five beats: kettle on, cup prepared, water poured, tea stirred, first sip. Draw five rectangles and sketch each moment in a different shot size. Add a one-line note to each. Now read the five panels in order and ask whether the sequence is clear and whether anything is missing. That small exercise contains the whole method.
Storyboarding is ultimately a thinking tool. A few rough sketches can reveal gaps and options early, which makes filming smoother and the final video clearer.