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Storyboard Template

What is a storyboard template?

A storyboard template is a blank grid you can fill in to plan each shot of a video. Each panel stands for one shot. The template keeps your ideas organized so you can see the whole project before you start shooting or generating video. This page has a free printable template: a 6-panel grid you can print from this page. You can use it for live-action shoots, animation, or AI video projects.

• Use one panel per shot.
• Keep panels in story order.
• Fill in the template before you open your AI video tool.

What should each storyboard panel hold?

Each panel should hold a frame sketch, the shot type, the camera move, the action, the dialogue or sound, and the duration. You can write the notes under or beside the frame. Clarity is more important than drawing skill.

• Frame sketch: a rough drawing of what the viewer sees.
• Shot type: wide, medium, close-up, or another framing.
• Camera move: static, pan, tilt, push in, pull back, or dolly.
• Action: what the subject does in that shot.
• Dialogue or sound: any words, music, or effects the audience hears.
• Duration: how long the shot should stay on screen.

How much detail should a storyboard drawing include?

A storyboard drawing only needs to show the basic composition. You do not need to be an artist. Draw the main subject, the horizon line, and the rough shape of the background. The notes carry the technical details. If the frame looks like a simple sketch, that is fine. It is a plan, not a finished artwork.

• Show where the subject sits in the frame.
• Show the general angle: high, low, or eye level.
• Leave complex character expressions to the notes.
• Use arrows to show the direction the subject or camera moves.

How do you fill in a storyboard template?

Fill in the action first, then add the camera details. Put a simple drawing in the panel, even if it is just stick figures and a box for the background. Under the panel, write the shot type, camera move, sound, and duration.

• Write one shot per panel.
• Keep drawings simple. Show where the subject is and what matters most in the frame.
• Add dialogue on the same panel as the shot where it happens.
• Put panels in order from left to right, top to bottom.

How does a storyboard help with AI video?

A storyboard gives you a reference frame for every AI video prompt. Each panel can become a still image that you feed into the model as the start frame or end frame. You can also copy the action and camera notes into the prompt text.

• Use each panel drawing as a rough reference image.
• The shot type tells the model the framing.
• The camera move tells the model how the shot should move.
• The duration tells you how many seconds to set in the model.
• The template makes it easier to keep characters and locations consistent across shots.

Related: Shot list template, AI filmmaking