How to Make a Storyboard

A storyboard is a scene from your screenplay drawn out shot by shot: each frame shows one shot, and next to it you write that shot's size, camera movement and length. The point isn't to make pretty pictures, it's to know what you're going to shoot before you get to set. You don't need to be able to draw — stick figures and arrows are enough. You can print blank frames and fill them in by hand.

What is it for?

It gets the decisions made before the shoot: which shot, which angle, which order — all settled in advance.
It gives the crew a shared language: the cinematographer and the actor picture the same image.
It saves time. A shoot day is the most expensive thing you have; a storyboard makes it shorter.
It stops you coming out of the shoot with missing shots: the transitions are visible on paper.
It shows the budget: a crowded or expensive shot gets noticed while you're drawing it.

Shot sizes

Wide shot (WS): establishes the location and where the character stands in it.
Full shot (FS): the character from head to toe.
Medium long shot / cowboy shot (MLS): from roughly the knees up; shows movement and body together.
Medium close-up (MCU): the main shot size for dialogue.
Close-up (CU): the face and the emotion.
Extreme close-up (ECU): a single detail — an eye, a hand, an object.

I can't draw. What do I do?

A storyboard isn't a drawing competition. A stick figure, a frame border and a movement arrow are enough to carry three pieces of information: who's standing where, where the camera is looking, what's moving.

There are two other methods. The first is a photo storyboard: go to the location, take a photo of each shot on your phone and put them in order. The second is a rough pre-shoot (an animatic): film the scene roughly on your phone from start to finish and edit it — you see the length and the rhythm before the real shoot.

Is a storyboard the same as a shot list?

No, they're two different documents and you need both. A storyboard shows what the film looks like: which framing, which angle. A shot list gives you the order of the shoot day: which shot, at which location, with which actor, in which order you'll film it. A storyboard follows story order; a shot list is grouped by location and actor.

How to do it

Read the scene — Find what changes in the scene: what does the audience walk out of this scene knowing?
Pick the key moment — Which single moment does the scene turn on? That's the one you'll show with your strongest shot size.
Break it into shots — Split the scene into 4–10 shots. In a short scene 3 can be enough; don't invent a shot for every sentence.
Draw the frames — Sketch the rough framing in each box and show movement with arrows.
Write next to it — Shot size, camera movement, length, and a line of dialogue or a sound note if there is one.
Order and check — Read the shots one after another: does the scene make sense? If it doesn't, a shot is missing.
Turn it into a shot list — Group the shots that happen in the same location with the same actor — the shoot day is built around that.

Download as Word and PDF

Open the Word version and write straight over it; the PDF looks the same on every device and prints as it is.

Storyboard templateFrames to draw in + shot, size, movement and timing columns. Print it and fill it in by hand.Word (.docx)PDF

Shot list templateThe order of a shoot day: an empty table with scene, location, shot size, cast and notes.Word (.docx)PDF

Frequently asked questions

I can't draw. Can I still make a storyboard?

Yes. Stick figures, a frame border and a movement arrow are enough; the goal isn't a good drawing, it's knowing what you'll shoot on the day. If you prefer, take photos at the location on your phone and make a photo storyboard.

Does every scene need a storyboard?

No. Always board complex, moving or expensive scenes; for a simple scene of two people sitting and talking, a list of shots may be enough.

What's the difference between a storyboard and a shot list?

A storyboard shows how things will look and is ordered by the story; a shot list gives the order of the shoot day and is grouped by location and actor. You use the two together.

What should I write under each frame?

Four things are enough: the shot size, any camera movement, the rough length in seconds, and the line or sound that plays over it. Number the shots so the storyboard and the shot list can refer to the same shot.

Write the scene you'll storyboard in Senaryum

You can try it without an account; you'll need one to save and download what you write.