Storyboarding

Storyboarding is a pre-visualization process used in film, television, animation, and related media in which a sequence of drawings, thumbnails, or images outlines each shot or scene. A storyboard acts as a blueprint for production, indicating composition, camera angles, movement, timing, and the progression of events, with notes on dialogue, sound effects, and transitions.

Storyboards are typically organized into panels in chronological order. Each panel conveys a shot with details such as framing (close-up, medium, long), camera moves, character positions, and action. Notes may include timing, lighting cues, sound, and special effects. An animatic combines storyboard panels with a soundtrack to test pacing before animation or live-action shoot.

The process usually starts with the script or treatment, followed by rough thumbnails, shot planning, and refinement. Artists adjust composition and timing, and teams add notes for directors, editors, and crews. Digital tools such as Storyboard Pro, Toon Boom, Photoshop, and Blender are common, though traditional hand-drawn boards are still used.

Historically, storyboarding traces to early 20th-century animation and was popularized by Walt Disney Studio in the 1930s, with Webb Smith credited with coining the term storyboard. Today, storyboards guide production in film, television, animation, advertising, game design, and interactive media, helping communication, budgeting, and scheduling, and serving as a basis for animatics and shot lists.