The Ultimate Guide to Creating Storyboards

Across every branch of the film and video industry, from blockbuster motion pictures to video marketing, creating storyboards is an important step that leads to better final products. 

Why Storyboarding Is a Game‑Changer

Storyboards are visual representations of everything that you see on the screen in a finished video. They use a combination of images and words to describe the events of a video in sequential order. A successful storyboard brings everyone involved in a video production onto the same page and gives them a comprehensive understanding of everything they'll need to bring the video to life. More than that, storyboards can help you flag any production challenges you might face long before they become an issue.

If you've never done it before, creating storyboards can seem like a tremendous challenge. But with an understanding of the various elements of a storyboard and each step that goes into creating one, you can craft a video storyboard that helps you flawlessly execute your project. 

What Makes a Great Storyboard?

An outstanding storyboard is a valuable tool for creating brand videos that connect with your audience. However, a storyboard is only as effective as its individual parts. Before we dive into our step-by-step guide to storyboarding, let's discuss the various parts that make up the whole.

There are several elements that all successful storyboards have in common:

• Panels: Perhaps the most important elements of a good storyboard are the panels. These are the visual depictions of what happens in your videos. Usually, they're illustrations that offer an at-a-glance understanding for each shot of your video. 
• Sequence: In storyboarding, "sequence" refers to the shots that make up each scene in your video. Generally, the scenes in a sequence share a time or location.
• Titles: These accompany each storyboard panel. Panel titles identify the scene and shot that correlates to each panel. For example, the panel representing the second shot of the third scene is labeled S3.2 for "Scene 3, Shot 2." 
• Descriptions: These also accompany each panel. They describe with words what each panel visually conveys so that a viewer can logically follow the narrative progression. Examples include settings, dialogue, sound cues, camera movements, and physical actions.
• Transitions: Many storyboards describe how the video will transition between specific scenes. For example, they use film industry lingo like fade out, cut to, and dissolve, among others.
• Other visual elements: In addition to the illustrated panels, a storyboard may feature other visual elements that help bring the story to life, like images and visualizations of camera angles or shot types. You can even add multimedia elements if you create a storyboard using a computer program.
• Timing and duration: If you know how long each shot or scene is supposed to last, you can also include that information on your storyboard. Doing so helps convey the pacing of the video.

Keep in mind that storyboards are not a one-size-fits-all situation. Although some elements are non-negotiable, like panels, titles, and shot lists, there's a good amount of information that can be useful to include, even if they aren't strictly required. This includes things like props, costumes, sound effects, and special effects, plus any additional notes that give the production team a better understanding of the video's contents.

Essential Tools and Software for Storyboarding

There are several computer programs and other storyboard applications that can simplify the storyboard design process. Gone are the days of a lone storyboard artist or art team drawing storyboards by hand. Nowadays, people create storyboards using design tools like: 

• Professional Design: Photoshop, Illustrator, Clip Studio Paint

• Storyboard-Specific: Storyboard Pro, Storyboarder, Shot Pro, Storyboard That

• User-Friendly Online Options: Canva, Celtx, FrameForge

Steps to Creating Your Own Storyboard

Now that you understand the various elements of a storyboard and have an idea of the resources available for creating one, it's time to go over the steps for creating compelling, creative, and effective storyboards.

1. Define Your Goals and Project

Before you begin putting your video storyboard together, clearly define the purpose and objectives of your project. This is a crucial step of pre-production and the creative process, so get the team together and ask questions like:

• What are we storyboarding? Are we making a traditional television commercial or some other type of online marketing video?
• What is the story we want to tell?
• What is the main message we want the final product to send?
• What are our goals for the project? What do we hope to achieve?

2. Develop Your Script or Narrative

Once you've defined your project's scope and goals, it's time to start developing the narrative or video script. For obvious reasons, you can't create a storyboard without a script to work from. 

The more detail you include in your script, the easier it will be to develop storyboard ideas. You'll have a clearer sense of the various panels you'll need to create and other information you'll need to include. Your script should outline your video in terms of its: 

• Action
• Dialogue
• Sequence of events

The script should be divided into individual scenes and arranged according to the narrative flow. It should also indicate the time and location for each scene, plus transitions between scenes.

3. Choose a Storyboard Structure and Format

Before you jump into the actual storyboarding process, the last step is to decide on a structure and format. Depending on the needs of your project, you'll choose between the following formats: 

• Traditional: These storyboards are sketched in pencil. They're among the most simple storyboarding formats, but they nevertheless include detailed information, such as dialogue, transitions, and camera movements.
• Digital: Instead of hand-drawn illustrations, digital storyboarding uses digital images to convey the narrative. 
• Thumbnail: These feature small, thumbnail-sized images. They're beneficial when you want to present your entire storyboard on a single page.
• Animatic: These storyboards feature illustrations that together provide a detailed visualization of the timing and movement of the video. Think of cartoons, which use a succession of separate images that show each distinct movement in a scene.

When choosing structure and format, be sure to keep your intended aspect ratio in mind. The panels of your story should match the aspect ratio. The most common sizes are: 

• 4:3
• 16:9
• 1.85:1
• 2:1
• 2.39:1

4. Sketch the Frames

Now it's time to pull out your video script and start sketching the various storyboard frames or panels. Remember, the purpose of a storyboard is to visually describe each scene of your video, from the primary action to the props. That means your panel drawings should include the characters in each scene, props, settings, and backgrounds. 

While sketching, be sure that your images represent the composition of each scene. What is the framing like? What are the camera angles for each scene? These are vital for conveying the tone or mood.

Create panels that establish:

• Composition and framing

• Character positioning and movement

• Camera angles (wide-shots, close-ups, OTS)

• Environment and props

5. Annotate Clearly

If you think back to our discussion of the elements of a storyboard, you'll recall that each panel has a description of what it represents. Now is the time to write those. Be sure to include descriptions of the action, dialogue, camera movements, transitions between scenes, and any other relevant details. Aim for clarity and concision so the production team knows what you expect from the finished product.

Alongside each frame, include clear and concise annotations or notes describing the action, dialogue, camera movements and other relevant details. Specify how scenes transition from one to another, including cuts, fades or other visual effects to ensure a smooth flow of the narrative. 

With each visual:

• Note the action and dialogue

• Describe camera movement

• Indicate scene transitions

• Keep descriptions concise yet descriptive

Review and Revise

Now you have the first draft of your storyboard. Is it a perfect representation of the video you plan to shoot? Probably not. But there's a good chance it will be after a little revision! Show your sample storyboard to others interested in the project, such as your collaborators or stakeholders, and ask them for feedback. You can implement their suggestions to boost the clarity of your storyboard.

Invite team feedback:

• Are the visuals clear and easy to interpret?

• Does the narrative flow logically?

• Have key scenes or transitions been overlooked? 

7. Finalize and Distribute

 After making any necessary revisions, it's time to finalize your storyboard. Make sure that all images, descriptions, and other notes are clean, clear, and error-free. Give it one final review to ensure it thoroughly represents your project. Then, you're ready to share it with everyone involved in the project.

Pro Tips from Charter & Co

• Think ahead: Identifying shot challenges early avoids costly reshoots.

• Simplify when needed: Thumbnail or animatic style works well before committing to polish.

• Collaborate visually: Use digital tools that allow sharing and commenting in real time.

• Tailor to team needs: Add or remove detail depending on who’s reading—producers, editors, clients.

• Stay consistent: Labeling and structure save time later during production.

Ready to Bring Your Brand Story to Life?

At Charter & Co., we believe in making video production enjoyable, approachable, and accessible to growing businesses. We can help you marshal the power of video marketing to tell an extraordinary brand story and connect with your customers.

Our video production services guide you through the entire video production process, from crafting your initial concept to shooting and video editing. Our network of top industry talent works with you to bring your brand story to life with branded video content, company culture videos, animations, and more.

Are you ready to get started? Find your video strategy today.