The short answer
A storyboard is a visual plan for your video, one rough drawing per shot, showing what will be in the frame at each key moment. To make one, break the video into its main shots, sketch each shot in a small box, note the camera angle and any important action, and arrange the boxes in order. Stick figures are enough. The point is planning, not art.
A storyboard is the pre-production step that separates videos that work from videos that wander. Even a rough storyboard forces the creator to make decisions before showing up on set, which is where good ideas usually get made and bad ones get caught. This guide covers making a storyboard for a video, whether short form phone content or longer form work.
What a storyboard actually is
A sequence of rough drawings, one per shot, arranged in order. Each box shows what the camera will see at that moment. Each box typically includes brief notes: camera angle (wide, medium, close), any camera movement (static, pan, dolly), any specific action happening, and any dialogue or voice over associated with that shot.
Why storyboards matter for phone-shot video
Storyboards used to be exclusive to serious film production, but they matter even more for phone-shot video because the temptation to just start recording is stronger. Ten minutes of storyboarding usually prevents an hour of wasted shooting. The video comes out of the shoot closer to what was intended because the intention was already worked out on paper.
Break the video into shots first
Every video is a sequence of specific shots. A one minute video usually contains ten to thirty distinct shots. Before drawing anything, write out the shot list: shot one is the wide establishing shot; shot two is the medium of the subject; shot three is the close reaction; and so on. The storyboard just adds visual detail to a shot list you already have.
Sketch each shot in a small box
A storyboard box is typically the size of a playing card. Sketch what the camera will see: the subject's position in the frame, any important background, the general framing. Stick figures work fine. Details don't matter; composition does. The sketch is a planning tool, not an art piece.
Storyboards do not need to look good. They need to communicate what will be in each specific shot. The rough sketch of a professional director's storyboard usually looks like a five year old made it. This is fine.
Note the camera angle and any movement
Under each box, note: WIDE, MED, or CLOSE for framing. STATIC, PAN, TILT, or DOLLY for camera movement. HANDHELD or LOCKED for stability approach. A quick note like "3s pan left, subject walks out" captures both timing and movement in one line. These notes let you (or anyone helping) shoot the specific shot without ambiguity later.
Include dialogue or voice over per shot
If the video has dialogue or narration, write the specific words under the specific shot they play over. This matches audio timing to visual timing during shooting, so the shots run long enough to cover the words. Skipping this step is why many first videos have shots that end awkwardly before the narrator finishes speaking.
Making a storyboard on paper
The fastest method for solo creators. Use a blank page, divide into six or eight boxes with a marker, sketch each shot with a pencil. Free storyboard templates are downloadable online if you want pre-formatted boxes. The entire storyboard for a two minute video typically takes twenty to thirty minutes to draw. Well spent time.
Making a storyboard digitally
For collaborative work or complex projects, digital storyboard apps let you draw or assemble stock shots into a storyboard, add notes, and share with collaborators. Free options exist for solo use. Paid options (like Storyboard That, Studiobinder, or others) offer templates and export options useful for professional work. For solo phone-shot video, paper is usually faster.
Common storyboarding mistakes
Trying to make the storyboard look pretty instead of communicative. Skipping the shot list before drawing. Storyboarding after shooting (defeats the purpose entirely). Not including camera angle or movement notes. Ignoring dialogue timing so the shots don't match the words. Making the storyboard so detailed it takes longer than the actual shoot would have.
When to skip the storyboard entirely
Very short casual content (three second boomerangs, quick reactions, spontaneous moments) doesn't need a storyboard. If the whole video will be one shot, storyboarding is overkill. Documentary or interview content shot as-happening usually skips storyboards for main content but may storyboard b-roll separately. The storyboard pays off most for planned narrative or promotional videos with multiple shots.
How storyboards make shooting faster and better
On the shoot day, the storyboard becomes the shot list. You know exactly what to capture and roughly how it should look. Instead of wasting time deciding shots on set, you spend that time actually getting them. Videos shot from a storyboard usually finish faster with less footage waste and cut together more cleanly because the shots were designed to work together.
Where planned videos meet the audience that notices the planning
Videos made from a storyboard usually feel intentional to viewers even when they don't know why. On community based platforms, where reach is earned through voted, deliberate audience backing rather than opaque feed decisions, deliberate video work finds the specific audience that appreciates the specific care that went in. Cracy is built for this shape.
Read next: how to write a video script, how to make videos cinematic, and video editing basics for beginners.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- How do you make a storyboard for a video?
- Break the video into its main shots first. Sketch each shot in a small box (stick figures are fine). Under each box note camera angle (wide, medium, close), movement (static, pan, dolly), and any dialogue or voice over. Arrange the boxes in order.
- Do you need to draw well to make a storyboard?
- No. Storyboards are planning tools, not art. Stick figures work. The point is communicating what will be in each shot, not producing a beautiful drawing.
- When should you skip the storyboard?
- Very short casual content (boomerangs, quick reactions, spontaneous moments) doesn't need one. Single-shot videos don't need one. Storyboards pay off most for planned narrative or promotional videos with multiple shots.
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