What a storyboard shows
- A picture of each shot: who or what is in the frame, and where.
- The action in that shot, in one line.
- The words spoken, called dialogue, or the voiceover line.
- Sound and music cues.
- Camera notes, such as a close-up or a wide shot.
- How long the shot lasts, in seconds.
The drawings can be simple. Stick figures work if the idea is clear. Some teams use photos or software instead.
Storyboard, script and animatic
These three words often get mixed up.
- Script: the words and actions in text, with no pictures.
- Storyboard: the script shown as frames.
- Animatic: the frames put in order with sound and timing, like a rough video. It lets you feel the pace before the shoot.
A made-up example
Say a sweet shop wants a 20-second ad for its Diwali gift boxes. This is a made-up example. The storyboard has five frames.
- 0 to 4 seconds: a hand opens a gift box. Sound: a soft festival tune.
- 4 to 8 seconds: a close-up of the sweets. Voiceover: "Made fresh this morning."
- 8 to 12 seconds: a family opens the box at the door and smiles.
- 12 to 16 seconds: the shop front and the shop name.
- 16 to 20 seconds: the phone number and the offer: order three days before Diwali.
The owner looks at the board and asks for the shop name to come earlier, so people see it sooner. On paper that change takes minutes. After the shoot, the same change can mean filming again.
How a storyboard helps an Indian business
Many Indian brands make one ad in several languages, for television, cinema and phone screens. A board lets the owner, the agency, the shoot team and the language team agree before the shoot starts. It also helps when many people must approve, such as a founder, a sales head and a dealer.
Draw each frame in the shape of the final screen. A video for phones is tall. A cinema film is wide. Get sign-off on the board in writing. Then a late change is a choice, not a surprise.
Common mistakes
- Nice pictures but no timing, so the film runs long.
- Too many ideas for the length. A 20-second ad cannot hold twelve scenes.
- Leaving out sound and the text shown on screen.
- Showing the product or the call to action only in the last frame.
- Using one frame shape for every screen.
- Approving with a quick nod and no written reply.
For a longer film that explains an idea, read about an explainer video.
Related terms
- TVC (television commercial): an ad film made for television.
- Explainer video: a short video that explains an idea or a product.
- 3D (three-dimensional) walkthrough: an animated tour of a building or space that is not built yet.
To turn a storyboard into a finished film, see our video production work.
