Make a list of the main events of the story in the order they will be told. This is how they will appear on screen. If you’re storyboarding for a commercial, establish what scenes will occur and in what order.

Pick scenes that show the plot developing from start to finish. Turning points are important to show. Any time there’s a plot twist or an important change, include it in the storyboard to move the story along. You may also want to depict changes in setting. If the story begins in one city and moves to another, make sure that will be clear in your illustrations. If you’re storyboarding for a commercial, the process is no different: pick key images that will represent the flow and direction of the film from start to finish. As a general guideline, keep in mind that for a typical 30-second commercial, a storyboard should have no more than 15 frames. Factor in two seconds per frame on average.

If you’re working on a film and breaking it down shot by shot, create what’s called a shot list. For each shot on the list, you’ll need to think about the shot’s composition and other details involving how it will actually be filmed. Remember that the point of the storyboard is to provide visual clarity and keep everyone on the same page. It’s not supposed to be a work of art in and of itself. Take a practical view when it comes to the level of detail you choose for your storyboard. You don’t want your viewer to get lost in trying to interpret your illustrations instead of seeing the bigger picture. A good storyboard will be easily understood by anyone viewing it. Potentially, a director, cameraman, scene selector, or even a prop specialist (just to name a few) may refer to the storyboard for reference, guidance and direction.

For example, you might want to have a cell that depicts a conversation between two main characters. What needs to be conveyed in this image? Are the characters fighting, smiling, or moving toward a destination? Some sort of action should take place in each drawing. Take the setting into account as well. Is it important to have a certain view in the background behind the characters?

The cell sizes should be drawn in the same aspect ratio as the finished video, such as 4:3 for a TV screen or 16:9 for a feature film screen. You can purchase special thumbnail sheets with these dimensions. A storyboard template for advertising should be comprised of rectangular frames into which you insert the visuals. If you want to include captions, make sure there’s space where you can write in video descriptions. There should also be a column for the audio, which is where you include the dialogue and sounds or music. If you find yourself storyboarding for more than one project, it helps to have a good Wacom™ tablet, so you can board directly into Photoshop. If you don’t want to design the images, you can hire a storyboard artist to provide the drawings. You will describe what goes on each frame and give the artist a written script to work from. He or she will provide you with either black and white or color illustrated frames that you can scan into the board in sequential order.

Composition (lighting, foreground/background, color palette, etc.
) Angle from which the camera is shooting (high or low) The type of shot (wide shots, close-ups, over-the-shoulder shots, tracking shots, etc.
)[2] X Research source Props (objects in the frame) Actors (people, animals, cartoon talking couch, etc.
anything that can act rather than be acted upon) Special effects

Consider adding color. If you’re creating an advertising storyboard, this will help your ideas pop. Remember that it’s not necessarily important that the drawings look realistic or perfect. Depending on the viewing audience, simple stick figures might suffice. In most cases, storyboards don’t need to be perfect, they only need to make sense to your team.

Instead of drawing all of your characters as though they were standing on the same horizontal line, put them in perspective. Have some standing a little further from the camera and some standing closer. The ones standing further from the camera should appear smaller, with their feet higher up on the page, and the ones standing closer should appear larger, with their feet lower on the page. When it’s time to translate the storyboard to film, you’ll have a much better idea of how to direct the shot.

For example, if you want to cut from one room to another, have a character in the first room look toward the door because they hear a noise. This helps the story’s continuity and keeps the viewer engaged.

Remember to accept others’ input as you go along, especially if you’re working with a talented film crew. A storyboard is meant to be edited and changed. It can often be improved by ideas you might not have thought up on your own. Most film directors have a different style when it comes to storyboarding. Some map out every last detail, while others use it as a loose guide.