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There’s an important step between ideation and creation for films, comic books, and other mediums that require planning out scenes: making a storyboard.

How to Make a Storyboard for Film

 So that first shot, knowing that we're going to be pulling back, we will end up at probably a medium shot. So I'm a terrible drawer. Maybe we'll end up on that. But maybe we started here, or maybe we even started extremely close. Maybe we started on their eyes. So we started on the eyes, and then we came this far, and then we came back here, and then it widened out into that. So I might just make a dumb little arrow that tells you that the camera is coming backwards. If we were to make that as a list-- and this is probably the first shot-- as a list, it very clearly would be close up on Amy, pullback to medium, close close up. And I would-- I would tell you where I was hoping to end. Because if you have a movement in the shot, you're going to want to end that moment, strategically end on the line that you're hoping to end on.

A storyboard is a visual outline of a film (be it a short film or feature film) or animation. It’s an important part of the preproduction process and consists of a series of images that show everything that’s going to happen in your finished piece. 

Many storyboards are hand-drawn, but some creators or animators choose to use storyboarding software. The finished result resembles a comic book or a graphic novel.


If you’re working with a script, you already know the flow of your project. The key is to translate that flow and new ideas from word form to image form. Each image on your storyboard needs to include enough information that someone who has never read your script can look at it and know what’s going on. But it shouldn’t contain *too much* information, as that will crowd out the relevant details. 

- Think of the storyboard as the graphic novelization of your script, where each panel represents a new camera angle or a key moment in the action. 
- The aim of the storyboarding process is twofold: to ensure that you get all the coverage you need on set to craft a coherent and exciting story in the editing room, and to do so in an economical way, so as to avoid spending time filming unnecessary shots or lose money in video production or special effects.
- Good storyboards can be supremely useful when directing big action sequences. Drawing out your shot list can be an organizing principle in the cacophony of producing complicated shoots. Storyboards become a precise map of what’s almost certain to be a hectic shoot day. You want to get this right.
Follow these steps to create your first storyboard.

1. __Make a shot list__. Take a scene from your script and [make a shot list](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/film-101-what-is-a-shot-list-how-to-format-and-create-a-shot-list). How can particular camera angles tell the story, or make a moment more impactful? What can you reveal about your characters and the story via camera angles? Draw a rough sketch of your shot list. 
2. __Sketch it out__. Whether you’re working on a feature film or a short animation, choose one of the more complex sequences, and scope out a vision for the scene. List all of the shots that you anticipate needing as raw material, and then sketch them out in the squares of your storyboard, like a comic strip. If you’re not much of an artist, it’s fine to use basic shapes and stick figures on a piece of paper. But if you’re not getting the effect you want, you can work with a storyboard artist to make changes or map out a proposed sequence. If you need help finding an experienced and qualified artist, consider starting your search on Jorgen’s List, Upwork, or the public Facebook group “Frame Dump.”
3. __Fill in details__. Your storyboard has to contain the most important elements of each scene. But while it’s a static image, the end result will be a moving video or animation that follows the entire storyline. With that in mind, be sure to indicate motion in your storyboard. For example, you can indicate the direction a person is walking with arrows. You’ll also want to include any props that will be present in the final product, as well as the camera angles and framing of each shot. A good rule of thumb is to include a general outline of all of the relevant details of each shot, without going too deep into distracting details.
4. __Add words__. Once you’ve created the images, it might help to add additional words at the bottom of the images to give more context about what’s going on. This is a great place in the storyboard process to include anything that can’t be expressed in your simple drawings, like any voice over you plan to include.



If you have a few hundred bucks to spare, invest in <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-becoming-a-screenwriter' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-becoming-a-screenwriter","linkCopy":"screenwriting","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>screenwriting</a> software. These tools take care of formatting your script for you so that you don’t have to fiddle with margins, spacing, page breaks, and other clunky word processing commands. These programs also feature many other tools to help you create storyboards, shot lists, schedules, and budgets.

Below are the top four storyboarding programs, in order of most expensive to least: 

1. Final Draft 
2. Movie Magic Screenwriter
3. Fade In 
4. Celtx
If you’d rather strip out the bells and whistles and work with a free storyboard template program with the bare formatting essentials, consider these options.

- If you’re already well-versed in __Photoshop__, you can use that to create your storyboard. There are even a bunch of free storyboard templates that you can upload right to Photoshop, making it affordable and easy to create your own storyboards.
- __StudioBinder__ provides customizable solutions for production managers, such as script breakdowns, shot lists, storyboards, shooting schedules, contact lists, task management and calendars, and more. Available at several different subscription levels, as well as for a free trial, the website also publishes a helpful blog filled with tips for preproduction.

As you get started in your own motion picture career, keep in mind that a good storyboard is an integral part of the creative process—one that will help you successfully translate your vision into a work of art.

Become a better director with the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com/). Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by master filmmakers, including Jodi Foster, Mira Nair, Spike Lee, and more.
There’s an important step between ideation and creation for films, comic books, and other mediums that require planning out scenes: making a storyboard.

A storyboard is a visual outline of a film (be it a short film or feature film) or animation. It’s an important part of the preproduction process and consists of a series of images that show everything that’s going to happen in your finished piece. Many storyboards are hand-drawn, but some creators or animators choose to use storyboarding software. The finished result resembles a comic book or a graphic novel.

What Is a Storyboard?

If you’re working with a script, you already know the flow of your project. The key is to translate that flow and new ideas from word form to image form. Each image on your storyboard needs to include enough information that someone who has never read your script can look at it and know what’s going on. But it shouldn’t contain too much information, as that will crowd out the relevant details. <ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Think of the storyboard as the graphic novelization of your script, where each panel represents a new camera angle or a key moment in the action. </li><li class="">The aim of the storyboarding process is twofold: to ensure that you get all the coverage you need on set to craft a coherent and exciting story in the editing room, and to do so in an economical way, so as to avoid spending time filming unnecessary shots or lose money in video production or special effects. </li><li class="">Good storyboards can be supremely useful when directing big action sequences. Drawing out your shot list can be an organizing principle in the cacophony of producing complicated shoots. Storyboards become a precise map of what’s almost certain to be a hectic shoot day. You want to get this right. </li></ul>

Why Is Storyboarding Important?

Follow these steps to create your first storyboard.<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Make a shot list. Take a scene from your script and <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/film-101-what-is-a-shot-list-how-to-format-and-create-a-shot-list' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/film-101-what-is-a-shot-list-how-to-format-and-create-a-shot-list","linkCopy":"make a shot list","category":null}'>make a shot list</a>. How can particular camera angles tell the story, or make a moment more impactful? What can you reveal about your characters and the story via camera angles? Draw a rough sketch of your shot list. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Sketch it out. Whether you’re working on a feature film or a short animation, choose one of the more complex sequences, and scope out a vision for the scene. List all of the shots that you anticipate needing as raw material, and then sketch them out in the squares of your storyboard, like a comic strip. If you’re not much of an artist, it’s fine to use basic shapes and stick figures on a piece of paper. But if you’re not getting the effect you want, you can work with a storyboard artist to make changes or map out a proposed sequence. If you need help finding an experienced and qualified artist, consider starting your search on Jorgen’s List, Upwork, or the public Facebook group “Frame Dump.” </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Fill in details. Your storyboard has to contain the most important elements of each scene. But while it’s a static image, the end result will be a moving video or animation that follows the entire storyline. With that in mind, be sure to indicate motion in your storyboard. For example, you can indicate the direction a person is walking with arrows. You’ll also want to include any props that will be present in the final product, as well as the camera angles and framing of each shot. A good rule of thumb is to include a general outline of all of the relevant details of each shot, without going too deep into distracting details. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Add words. Once you’ve created the images, it might help to add additional words at the bottom of the images to give more context about what’s going on. This is a great place in the storyboard process to include anything that can’t be expressed in your simple drawings, like any voice over you plan to include. </li></ol>

How to Make a Storyboard in 4 Easy Steps

Watch How Award-Winning Director Jodie Foster Makes Storyboards

If you have a few hundred bucks to spare, invest in <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-becoming-a-screenwriter' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-becoming-a-screenwriter","linkCopy":"screenwriting","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>screenwriting</a> software. These tools take care of formatting your script for you so that you don’t have to fiddle with margins, spacing, page breaks, and other clunky word processing commands. These programs also feature many other tools to help you create storyboards, shot lists, schedules, and budgets.Below are the top four storyboarding programs, in order of most expensive to least: <ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Final Draft </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Movie Magic Screenwriter </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Fade In </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Celtx </li></ol>

What Are the Best Storyboard Templates and Programs?

If you’d rather strip out the bells and whistles and work with a free storyboard template program with the bare formatting essentials, consider these options.<ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">If you’re already well-versed in Photoshop, you can use that to create your storyboard. There are even a bunch of free storyboard templates that you can upload right to Photoshop, making it affordable and easy to create your own storyboards. </li><li class="">StudioBinder provides customizable solutions for production managers, such as script breakdowns, shot lists, storyboards, shooting schedules, contact lists, task management and calendars, and more. Available at several different subscription levels, as well as for a free trial, the website also publishes a helpful blog filled with tips for preproduction. </li></ul>As you get started in your own motion picture career, keep in mind that a good storyboard is an integral part of the creative process—one that will help you successfully translate your vision into a work of art.Become a better director with the <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/","linkCopy":"MasterClass Annual Membership","category":null}'>MasterClass Annual Membership</a>. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by master filmmakers, including Jodi Foster, Mira Nair, Spike Lee, and more.

2 Alternative and Free Programs for Storyboarding

There’s an important step between ideation and creation for films, comic books, and other mediums that require planning out scenes: making a storyboard.

There’s an important step between ideation and creation for films, comic books, and other mediums that require planning out scenes: making a storyboard.
