How to Make Storyboards for Film & Animation

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Learn how to storyboard like a professional with our ultimate guide

Co-authored by Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: March 4, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Drawing Storyboards
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• Composition Fundamentals
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• Best Practices
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• Action Scenes
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• If You Can’t Draw…
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• Expert Tips
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• Video
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• Expert Q&A

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Before you jump into shooting a scene or animating, drawing storyboards can help you test shot ideas and plan everything out. Storyboards are an important part of filmmaking, and you don’t even have to know how to draw to make them. We’ll walk you through the fundamentals of storyboarding, the best practices for setting up memorable scenes, and how to get better at drawing them!

Basics to Create Storyboards for a Film

To draw storyboards, break your script into scenes. Sketch in the essential details of the scene, like the location, characters, and any important action they're doing. Write the action, dialogue, and sound effects below the drawing. Whenever there's a significant action or shot change, draw a new storyboard for it.

Steps

Section 1 of 6:

How to Make Storyboards

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1. 
   1
   Break the script into scenes to storyboard. Storyboards are how you visualize how actors, props, backgrounds, and camera angles will all fit together. Before you start, make a list of all the scenes in your script and what happens in them so you can plan out drawing your storyboards.

   • Video content specialist Travis Page notes that storyboarding and pre-production planning help you flesh out your idea and figure out what it will take to actually shoot it.
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   Make panels on a piece of paper for all your shots. Storyboards are similar to comic strips, where each new shot or action has its own panel. Draw rectangles on a sheet of paper or poster board, and leave enough space underneath them to write dialogue and action.

   • Alternatively, get a storyboard notebook or print out a template from online.
   • You can also make storyboards digitally using programs like Storyboarder, MakeStoryboard, and Photoshop.
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   Draw the essential characters and details of your first shot. Establish the location, the characters, and any important objects that are important for understanding the scene. Lightly sketch the shot layout you want for your characters and scene, and darken the lines when you’re happy with the composition.

   • Example: If you’re storyboarding a scene where 2 people are having a conversation in a park, you may draw a wide shot of the characters sitting on a park bench.
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   Fill in the scene's dialogue and sounds underneath the drawing. If someone is talking during the scene in the script, put the character name and the dialogue just below the panel. If there are other important sounds, like background noise or a sound effect, include that information under the panel as well.

   • If a character isn’t talking or there isn’t sound, it’s okay to leave the space below the panel empty. Otherwise, describe the action that’s happening in the storyboard if it’s not clear.
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   Start a new frame for each significant action or camera motion. Whenever a character does something important that you want to capture visually, draw a new storyboard to showcase the change. This helps make it clear what shots a crew has to prepare for, and helps you visualize the action better.

   • Example: If you’re storyboarding a conversation between 2 people, make a new panel whenever you want to cut to the character speaking. Don’t forget to include wide shots that show both characters at the same time to add more variety.
   • Anytime you change locations, draw in a new background. If the background doesn't change between shots, you can leave it blank and focus on the action.
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   Use arrows and notes to show any movement or changes. Arrows can help save you time and show something moving through the frame in a single panel. When there’s an important movement within the shot, draw an arrow in the panel to show the direction it’s moving.

   • Example: If you want one character to punch another, draw one storyboard of the fist with an arrow indicating the movement instead of using multiple.
   • You can also use arrows to indicate camera movements, such as pans or tilts.
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Section 2 of 6:

Storyboarding Composition Fundamentals

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1. 
   1
   State the type of camera angle. Writing down the angles helps camera crews quickly see what shots to prepare for. Using a variety of camera angles can make your storyboards feel dynamic and help viewers focus on different parts of the story.

   • Establishing Shots: quick shots that illustrate the set, location, or start position of the characters.
   • Full (FS): a shot showing a character’s whole body.
   • Medium (MS): a shot of a character from the waist up.
   • Close-up(CU): a shot of a character’s shoulders and head.
   • Extreme Close Up (ECU): a shot that shows a character’s face or a small detail only.
   • Up Shot / Down Shot: a shot looking up at a character from below or down at a character from above. "Worm's Eye" and "Bird's Eye" are the extreme versions of each.
   • Over the Shoulder (OTS): a shot with one person on the side of the frame, facing away from the camera, and another person looking toward them.
   • Two-shot: a shot where 2 characters are both in the frame at once. Two-shots often alternate with OTS shots.
   • POV Shots: a shot mimicking a character’s point of view.
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   Familiarize yourself with camera motions to illustrate moving or changing shots. Camera motions show how a camera moves throughout a scene without any cuts. Use arrows to connect frames and show the camera movement when you’re illustrating your storyboards. Write the actual camera motion on the storyboard as well so it’s clear to anyone else who views them.

   • Tracking is when the camera follows the action without cutting, like following someone as they walk down the street. Use arrows to indicate motion, and multiple frames if important actions happen during the shot.
   • Pans are when the camera simply rotates in one direction, often following a character as they move or exposing something near them. Draw an arrow illustrating the camera's direction.
   • Trucks are when the camera physically moves in or out. Imagine a shot of a TV, then the camera slowly "trucking" back to reveal a family watching the TV in the living room. Use 4 lines, pointing from the center of the screen out to the corners, to show trucking.
   • Rack Focus is when something in the background looks blurry and something else is clear in the foreground. Then the focus shifts from one to the other. Draw a line indicating where the focus starts and where it moves to.
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   Make notes for transitions between shots. If you don’t want one shot to cut directly to another, use a transition in between them. Each transition requires a small drawing alongside the words below the storyboard. Start with a small rectangle, representing the screen, right before the dialogue, then fill it in with the type of transition:

   • Fade In/Fade Out: This is simply when the image appears or disappears slowly from a blank screen. For a fade in, draw a triangle pointing left. For a fade out, draw a triangle pointing right.
   • Cross Dissolve: When one image is slowly faded into the next one. To draw it, make an X through the center of the rectangle that goes to the corners.
   • Wipe: When one image physically moves across the screen, revealing the next shot underneath it. Simply draw a vertical line in the center of the rectangle, and an arrow running through it to indicate which way the first image is moving.
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   Use basic blocking instructions to set the scene and actors. Blocking refers to an object's position in the shot. Including blocking notes in your storyboards also helps you direct motion, such as if a character walks from the back of the shot to the front.

   • Foreground (FG): The area close up to the camera.
   • Midground (MG): The center of the frame
   • Background (BG): The area furthest from the camera.
   • Off-screen (O/S): In the scene, but not visible on camera. Use O/S for a noise or dialogue that viewers can't see, or if a character enters or exits the frame completely.
   • Overlay (OL): When 2 objects or images are superimposed on each other and they’re both visible.
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Section 3 of 6:

Storyboarding Best Practices

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1. 
   1
   Find ways to express the script's themes visually. In each scene, ask yourself what the goal, the mood or tone, and the most important props, characters, or moments are to bring the story to life. Find the most crucial element of the scene, and find a way to draw the audience's attention to it in each shot.

   • Example: To show that he is surprising and unexpected, Willy Wonka fakes walking with a cane, trips, and somersaults when he’s first introduced in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. For the rest of the movie, a viewer can’t be sure if they can trust anything he says or does.
2. 
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   Change camera angles when there’s an emotional or narrative reason. Even if you want to include a lot of cool shots or camera angles in your film, make sure each change in perspective serves a purpose. Think about how a new camera angle adds to the plot, character emotions, themes, or where you want the viewers to shift their attention.

   • Example: In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the opening scene cuts from a bone club flying through the air to a satellite in space, implying how man hasn’t really changed between the primitive and the future.
   • If a character is speaking, cut to show them or stay on the character who’s listening to focus on their reaction.
   • If someone hears a noise behind them, cut to where the noise came from.
3. 
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   Angle the shot to avoid flat, two-dimensional compositions. Having a straight-on shot with a flat horizon line can make your storyboard look flat and less dynamic. Tilting the shot slightly and adding perspective lines makes your storyboard three-dimensional and more exciting to look at.

   • Use the foreground and background to your advantage by putting characters and items at different depths.
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   Label your shots correctly so the rest of the crew can read them. In general, a "scene" on a storyboard actually refers to a single unbroken camera movement. Whenever the camera cuts, you must change the scene number to indicate a new shot. These scenes are added together to form a "sequence" of the whole action or conversation you're portraying.

   • If a single scene requires multiple actions without changing the camera angle, label each storyboard, such as 1/3, 2/3, and 3/3.
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Section 4 of 6:

How to Storyboard Memorable Action Scenes

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1. 
   1
   Use the camera angle to indicate character relationships and feelings. The angle of your shot tells the audience how to feel about the characters or their situations. Looking down on a character makes them seem weak, fearful, or powerless. Looking up makes someone seem powerful, confident, and dominant. Play with the different angles to show who has the upper hand during a fight.
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   Maintain consistent positions for your characters. There’s usually a lot going on in an action scene, and repositioning your characters in frame might get confusing to a viewer. Try to keep the same camera angle and perspective through most of the action, and only change the angle if there’s a specific reason. Make sure the characters are moving in the same direction throughout your boards so it doesn’t become disorienting.

   • Follow the 180-degree rule when you’re positioning your characters in frame. If a character starts a scene on the right side of the frame, avoid suddenly placing them on the right side of the frame.
3. 
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   Include boards showing the characters’ emotions. Showing how characters react during a fight can really help set the tone for a scene. While it’s fun to focus on the cool fight scenes and poses, add in shots that show the characters’ body language and expression to give the action more emotional weight.

   • Example: If a villain dodges a punch from your character, you could show a look of surprise on their face before cutting back to a wide angle of the fight.
4. 
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   Add motion lines and sound effects for a bigger impact. Motion lines show what direction something is moving and how fast it's going. Short lines make the motion seem slower, and longer lines make it appear faster.​​ To help people imagine the scene even more, write sound effects directly in the storyboard or below it by the dialogue.

   • Example: If a character is throwing a punch, draw motion lines trailing off their fist. Below the storyboard, add a “WHAM” or “BOOM!” sound effect.
5. 
   5
   Fill in essential notes about special effects. If a scene requires a little fake blood, then make a note of it in the storyboard using a red pen or jot it down in the notes below the frame. If you want something like a long, continuous take, use multiple storyboards with arrows to indicate how they all flow together.

   • If the camera isn't cutting, but lots of things happen on screen, use multiple boxes for one "cut." Whenever an important action happens, start a new storyboard even if the camera doesn't move.
6. 
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   Use references for complicated poses. Action and fight scenes usually include stunts that involve difficult poses or body positions. If you’re not sure how to draw the exact position for a character, look for example poses online or from action scenes that inspire you. Lightly sketch the poses into your storyboards to rough them in.

   • Ask friends to strike a pose for you, or take a picture of yourself doing the pose so you can get your vision across clearly.
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Section 5 of 6:

How to Create Storyboards If You Can’t Draw

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1. 
   1
   Draw simple stick figures and basic actions. Even if you don’t think you can draw well, stick figures are more than enough to get your basic ideas across in a storyboard. Just take a moment to consider where you want the characters to be in the frame, and use simple shapes to fill in the background.

   • Just be sure to leave clear notes about the actions and movements in the scene so everyone who looks at your storyboards is on the same page.
2. 
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   Try writing the scene out as prose if you're struggling to get started. Write out the scene like a short story with descriptive language so someone reading it can picture the shot in their head. Imagine that you’re explaining the shot to a person, and write down the important details and actions in a couple of sentences.

   • Example: Establishing shot of an empty road in the middle of nowhere. A lonely car drives toward the camera and turns the corner. The camera pans to follow the car as it parks in an abandoned gas station parking lot.
3. 
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   Use still frames of similar shots from movies. If you remember specific shots from movies that you want to replicate, find the frame from the movie online. Make notes about what aspects you want to include in your shot, including the backgrounds, camera angles, and character positions. Even if it’s not a perfect match, it gives someone behind the camera an idea of the compositions you like.
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   Take pictures of the shots you want. Rather than drawing your storyboards, set up the camera angles and shots you want to make. Have other people stand in for your characters so you can figure out the compositions. After you take all the pictures, put them into a document and write down the dialogue and what happens in each scene.

   • If you can’t find the perfect background, take a picture of the angle and composition you like and make notes of what you want the background to actually look like.
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Section 6 of 6:

Expert Tips to Improve Drawing Skills

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1. 
   1
   Draw quick warm-up poses before you start. Award-winning artist Claire Wentzel recommends fast sketches when you’re warming up because “it forces you to get down the essential information as quickly as possible” without getting “bogged down in the details.” Try making some quick sketches of your storyboards that only show the important details.
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   Give characters recognizable silhouettes. Manga experts Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber say, “The most important thing when it comes to characters is that they are recognizable by silhouette.” Try blacking out your characters to see if you’re able to tell them apart, and change how one of them looks if they look too similar.
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   Use anatomy books for reference. Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber agree that an anatomy book is one of the most important things to keep nearby while drawing. If you’re struggling with how a pose should look, use the anatomy book as a direct reference so you can probably draw it.
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   Simplify objects in the background. Wentzel notes, “If you have something really detailed in the background, it’s going to compete with your foreground. Try to simplify the [background details] and tone them down to push them back.
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   Practice drawing every day. Professional artist Kelly Medford says, “Draw something every day and take your time to really study how things actually are.” Keep a sketchbook nearby and carve out a little time to practice your skills. She adds, “Anyone can learn to draw, and with patience, you can train yourself.”
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  When should I put the storyboard together if I'm making a movie?

  

  Travis Page
  Brand & Product Specialist

  Travis Page is the Head of Product at Cinebody. Cinebody is a user-directed video content software company headquartered in Denver, Colorado that empowers brands to create instant, authentic, and engaging video content with anyone on earth. He holds a BS in Finance from the University of Colorado, Denver.

  

  Travis Page

  Brand & Product Specialist

  Expert Answer

  It's important to start with your idea first. You can't craft a great storyboard if you don't know where the story is going. Start with the idea and really lock that in before you do anything else. You should have a sense for what the script will be, so you can complete that entirely if you'd like. Then, get to work on your storyboard. It's really not going to be helpful if you don't understand the idea and story first, though.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 2 Helpful 6
• Question

  How do I communicate "or" in a storyboard?

  

  Community Answer

  Create two sub-storyboards branching off of the most recent frame. That way, you can play out each event then decide which one you like better WITHOUT having to start all over.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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• Question

  Do storyboards have to go into detail?

  

  Community Answer

  No, they need not. The goal of a storyboard is mainly to divide the big story line into little scenes in order to get a clear vision of the whole structure, and aspects such as transitions between scenes, the placement of actors, etc. You can of course include details if you want to, but during the further development many details will usually be changed anyway.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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