Use a numbering system

To keep the overview over your story, it is important to number each scene. When you have shots that take up multiple frames, you can work with secondary numbers like 2a, 2b and 2c. This will help you to stay clear about the order.

Add camera movement

In case you want to indicate the way the camera should move in the final video, you can put arrows into your illustrations. The arrows simply point to the direction in which you want the camera to move.

A more subtle way to indicate camera movement are motion lines. They emphasize the velocity towards an object. Another way to show a camera movement is to work with multiple frames showing the same object from a different angle.

Logically group characters

In case you deal with multiple characters, you should logically group them. This is especially helpful when it comes to editing. It’s way easier for your audience to cut back and forth between them. Having a certain order prevents you from confusing your team. Another strategy is to label your characters with A to D for example. (Nofilmschool)

Part 4: Revision and fine tuning

The last step in creating a storyboard should be the review and revision part. As soon as you have the first draft of your storyboard ready and you feel quite good about it, it’s time to get qualified feedback.

But before you ask somebody else, it is helpful to let your storyboard sit for some time. I had the best experience, when I didn’t touch it for a while and then went back to it with a fresh mind. Sometimes, even one night can be enough.

When you have done your personal review, you should get feedback from others. In case you don’t sit in the same room with your sparring partners, you can try our web app, Filestage, to discuss your storyboard. It is an easy way to manage feedback and work collaboratively.

Storyboard Templates

As a marketing and/or creative professional, you’ll work on a wide variety of projects over the course of your career. The success of each project will largely depend on the amount and quality of your planning process.

While storyboards are most commonly associated with film and television, this useful tool can also be applied to a range of other formats, which will help improve the quality of your projects. To help you find the storyboards you need, we’ve put together this comprehensive collection. We hope it serves you well and improves your projects!

30+ Storyboard Examples

Animation and Motion Graphics Storyboard Examples

Animation and motion graphics are a particularly challenging area of storyboarding. Everything must be meticulously outlined and clearly presented. Here’s a closer look:

Pixar Storyboard

This storyboard from Wall-E outlines an interaction between the eponymous (and adorable) robot and the famous Pixar lamp. In just four panels, basic sketches are used to portray a simple story. You’ll also see how implied action is introduced between each panel.

Samurai Jack Storyboard

This storyboard from Samurai Jack captures the pastel tone of this show, then introduces movement and dynamism in the final frame. This shot-for-shot storyboard will give your animators a clear idea of their requirements.

Minions Storyboard

This storyboard from Despicable Me shows the cute minions in action. The animators are given an extra hand with the inclusion of an arrow in the eighth frame that indicates the way the camera is supposed to travel. Splashes of purple are also added to provide some additional detail.

Disney Dumbo Storyboard

This storyboard from Dumbo is a work of art in and of itself. The storyboard outlines a cute interaction between Dumbo and his mother, which gives a sense of scale and movement in each frame. After viewing this storyboard, it’s easy to see how Disney earned its reputation as an animation powerhouse.

Website Storyboard Examples

When planning out the user experience (UX) of a given website, storyboarding can be used to great effect. Using a storyboard really helps drive home the idea that using a website should provide a memorable experience. Here’s a look at some examples:

Amazon UX Storyboard

This storyboard for Amazon goes beyond mere wireframes, captures the UX, and shapes the story. For the world’s largest e-commerce platform, this task is essential.

UI Storyboard

This UI storyboard shows the viewer how various UI elements might look at a glance. Since a storyboard is viewed as a sequence, it illustrates the way the UI develops as it becomes more detailed.

Wireframe Storyboard

This wireframe storyboard shows how the various pages and key areas of a website will come together. Precise and elegant, these notes are a big help for web developers who have to execute the wireframes.

Video and TV Storyboard Examples

Video and TV make great use of storyboards, as they plan compelling stories and dramatic visual content. To help inspire you, here’s a closer look at some of the best examples of video and TV storyboards. .

Tom and Jerry Storyboard

This Tom and Jerry storyboard shows the staggering amount of work that went into creating one of the world’s most beloved cartoons. The comprehensiveness of the details and direction help clarify the process for the illustrators and animators.

Steven Universe Storyboard

This Steven Universe storyboard gives you a detailed glimpse into how a full storyboard looks. This storyboard example will really help you get a grasp of the codes and conventions of storyboards.

Adventure Time Storyboard

This Adventure Time storyboard shows how one of the funniest, most irreverent cartoons starts out. Movement and causality are effectively clarified in ways that help tell the story.

Spongebob Storyboard

This Spongebob Squarepants storyboard gives you a glimpse into the way a high-quality show is put together. Even at this stage, dialogue and direction are well-utilized to create a compelling story.

Rick and Morty Storyboard

This Rick and Morty storyboard shows how the iconic opening was planned out. The comic style vividly brings the characters to life, which makes it much easier for the animators to know how to create compelling characters.

South Park Storyboard

This collection of South Park storyboards gives you a chance to learn from the best. Since the show’s creators are renowned for working at a breakneck pace, this storyboard provides a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the show.

Gorillaz Storyboard

This Gorillaz storyboard is a testament to how unique and diverse storyboards can be. While a different technique and layout were utilized here, it still created an effective story that contributed to an amazing piece.

Movie Storyboard Examples

Looking for some inspiring movie storyboard examples to get the inspiration flowing? Here’s a look at how iconic movies first came to life as storyboards.

Firefly: Still Flying Storyboard

This Firefly: Still Flying storyboard gives some stunning insight into the level of planning that went into this production. The sketches were geometrically accurate, which gave it a sense of scale and positioning that helped provide direction during shooting.

Lion King Storyboard

This Lion King storyboard captures emotion in a vivid way. Even in this early stage, the illustrators vividly depicted the emotional crux of the story.

Lion King 2 Storyboard

This Lion King 2 storyboard is so detailed that it almost reads like a comic book. Dialogue was also included on the relevant frames, which indicates that it was created during a late stage of planning.

The Dark Knight Rises Storyboard

This storyboard from The Dark Knight Rises shows how Christopher Nolan and his team planned out a famous chase scene in excruciating detail. Since the various camera movements were essential to the mood of the scene, they were planned out at this stage.

Toy Story Storyboard

This Toy Story storyboard reiterates how important it is for illustrators to capture emotions, even during the early stages of the process.

Gravity Falls Storyboard

This Gravity Falls storyboard shows how storyboards can be used during the early stages of creating an environment and background.

Star Wars Storyboard

This Star Wars storyboard shows how it’s possible to use storyboards to choreograph action scenes and human movement. The camera angles are also carefully planned out here.

Mad Max: Fury Road Storyboard

This Mad Max: Fury Road storyboard was very sparse on dialogue, so it relied on action and pure spectacle. This example shows how the storyboard was used to reflect this focus on visuals and action.

Jurassic Park Storyboard

This Jurassic Park storyboard is so detailed that it’s almost possible to see each frame moving before your eyes.

The Matrix Reloaded Storyboard

This storyboard from The Matrix Reloaded shows how live-action movies can be storyboarded by using simple sketches. However, the movement of each character is very impressive, which helps create a sense of action and fluidity.

Advertising Storyboard Examples

Storyboards are extensively used throughout the world of advertising. This format helps marketers and advertisers ensure that every single shot is accounted for, and pushes their highly condensed stories forward.

La Paulina Storyboard

This La Paulina storyboard is a great example of the ways shots can create a sense of narrative and mood.in quick succession. In fact, this storyboard quickly established the tone of this ad.

Cube Rewards Storyboard

This Cube Rewards storyboard is very effective at creating a sense of narrative within a few frames. The little details included in the storyboard helped set the tone and created a sense of a believable world.

NIVEA Ad Storyboard

This NIVEA ad storyboard is a great example of ways to effectively use a range of shots and angles that create intrigue and establish a sense of narrative when time is of the essence.

Commercial Storyboard Examples

Are you looking to create an effective storyboard because you’re planning a commercial and? It’s a difficult task, so you can help yourself out by looking for successful examples from the past.

Storyboard from a TV Commercial

This storyboard for a TV commercial is a wonderful example of a way to structure a TV commercial that will immediately capture the attention of a viewer. This storyboard made it possible to see the narrative from beginning to end, and identified weak spots.

Storyboard for a Soda Commercial

This storyboard for a soda commercial used beautiful sketches to create a striking picture. This level of detail will really help scouting departments find an appropriate location, and it will make casting the ad much easier.

Teeter Strider Storyboard

This Teeter Strider storyboard is a great example of a way to structure an infomercial with a voiceover. The dialogue was shown alongside each corresponding shot, which made it easy to imagine the story.

Cheetos Storyboard

This Cheetos storyboard uses illustration to evoke vivid feelings. This level of detail and emotions will make it easy for creative departments to get the sign-off they need to get the ball rolling.

Prego Storyboard

This Prego storyboard uses a similarly rich level of detail. Every area of the frame contains the required amount of detail, which shows why it’s it easier to plan those details in a storyboard than waiting till the day of shooting: If you wait till the last minute, it’s easier to make mistakes.

Conclusion

Once you are ready with you storyboard and you finally go into the video’s production, your storyboard will be a big help. But even if you’ve invested a lot of time and effort to work out your storyboard, you should still be open to new input. You can always come across new ideas for shots you couldn’t imagine before. That’s what makes filming such an amazing thing.