# storyboards Storyboarding is the process of breaking down the visual composition and camera shots of a film or animation through a series of static images. Think of storyboards as a comic book version of the film with notes for dialogue, [[camera shots]], sound effects, character actions, etc. Choose an [[aspect ratios|aspect ratio]] and then use [[framing and blocking]] to plan out the shots. The purpose of a storyboard is to develop a visual understanding of the written [[story]]; to develop a plan before starting to animate or film a sequence. Once storyboards are figured out, the next step is to test out the story by creating [[animatics]] which give time and motion to the storyboards. ![[Pasted image 20221207090537.png]] _copyright [Steve Skroce](https://blog.pond5.com/6727-something-sketchy-a-beginners-guide-to-storyboarding/) through [pond5](https://www.pond5.com/)_ **Storyboards should convey some of the following information:** - What characters are in the frame, and how are they moving? - What are the characters saying to each other, if anything? - How much time has passed between the last frame of the storyboard and the current one? - Where the "camera" is in the scene? Close or far away? Is the camera moving? - What is the focal point of the shot? Since storyboards are for studying sequential flow, they are used for animation and film, but also [website and app interactions](https://www.dotnek.com/Blog/Apps/how-to-create-a-storyboard-for-an-app), [customer onboarding](https://www.storyboardthat.com/create/customer-onboarding-plan), [instructional design](https://www.instructionaldesign.org/concepts/storyboarding/), and [illustrated instructions](https://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page). Storyboards are not meant to be great art. They are simply visual notes on what is supposed to happen in the animation. They are often roughly drawn and may have notes and arrows all over them. As long as users of the storyboard understand what is meant by the scribbles then the drawings are successful. ![[Pasted image 20221207112827.png]] Despite the loose visual approach, storyboards have become a publicly recognized art form in recent times. It is now possible to purchase printed storyboards of big budget movies as finished books in their own right. Many DVDs of movies or streaming services offer storyboards or other development art as part of the extra footage. Complex storyboarding software can be unbelievably expensive. [Storyboarder](https://wonderunit.com/storyboarder/ "opens in new tab") is a free open-source storyboarding app. [Opentoonz](https://opentoonz.github.io/e/ "opens in new tab") is also a good free storyboarding tool. Both of these need to be downloaded and installed on your computer. Any digital drawing program can work just fine for storyboarding. Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator can work well. You may also consider iPad apps such as [Procreate](https://procreate.art/ "opens in new tab") or [Autodesk Sketchbook](https://www.sketchbook.com/ "opens in new tab"). ### storyboarding examples - [pinterest collection](https://pin.it/WbbbvHY "opens in new tab") - [storboard examples from studiobinder](https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/storyboard-examples-film/ "opens in new tab") - [pixar storyboard examples from boords](https://boords.com/blog/7-of-pixars-best-storyboard-examples-and-the-stories-behind-them "opens in new tab") - [storyboards of movie scenes from boredpanda](https://www.boredpanda.com/directors-draw-storyboards-movie-scenes/ "opens in new tab") - [storyboard artists on deviant art](https://www.deviantart.com/storyboard-artists/) - [ridley scott storyboards from napoleon](https://nofilmschool.com/napoleon-storyboards) --- ## storyboard templates A storyboard panel contains more information than just the visual aspects of the shot. As an organizational communication tool, a storyboard notes down important information for directors, cinematographers, animators, actors, crew, etc. to use in setting up shots. > [!right-card] > > ![[storyboard-template.png]] > _an extremely simple storyboard template._ Storyboard templates should always include shot number for sequencing, the scene or shot description, camera shot type, camera movement, and dialogue/audio. Additional information may include camera angles, framing notes, timing, transitions, blocking, lighting, visual effects, etc. Basically, any information that is needed to understand the shot and sequence. Again, this will change depending on project needs. Depending on approach, you can easily print several panels on a single sheet of paper or separate them into individual sheets as needed. There is no right way to set up your storyboard template. Do what works for your needs as the artist and your end users (director, cinematographer, etc.). If you know what information you need, isn't that difficult to create your own template that can be printed out or pulled into your digital software. There are also several places where you can download premade templates. I really like [Storyboard Art](https://storyboardart.org/storyboard-templates-downloads-de46se2/) because they have templates for all the common [[aspect ratios]]. Many of the other sites have limited choices of what aspect ratio you get to use. [StudioBinder](https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/downloads/storyboard-template/) has templates for various digital apps. [Boords](https://boords.com/storyboard-template) has a lot of printable layouts. [Canva](https://www.canva.com/storyboards/templates/) has a lot of examples but they don't seem to be the most usable. --- Learn more… - [what is a storyboard from masterclass](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-a-storyboard-for-a-film#what-is-a-storyboard "opens in new tab") - [what is a storyboard from careerfoundry](https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ui-design/what-is-a-storyboard/ "opens in new tab") - [storyboard tips from nofilmschool](https://nofilmschool.com/storyboarding-tips "opens in new tab") - [how to start storyboarding from nofilmschool](https://nofilmschool.com/learn-how-start-storyboarding-these-invaluable-tips "opens in new tab") - [how to storyboard from boords](https://boords.com/how-to-storyboard) - [start to finish storyboarding from berkley advanced media institute](https://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/start-to-finish-storyboarding/) - [something sketchy from pond5](https://blog.pond5.com/6727-something-sketchy-a-beginners-guide-to-storyboarding/) --- tags: #animation #resources home: [[! animation]]