A car chase that runs 90 seconds on screen might take a week to shoot with two units, a stunt team, picture car doubles, and a VFX crew adding a truck that isn't there. Nobody can budget or schedule that from a paragraph of action lines. The storyboard artist turns the paragraph into 120 panels, and every department starts planning from those panels.
What a board actually contains
A storyboard panel is a rectangle in the aspect ratio of the film with a drawing of one shot or one moment inside it. Around each panel the artist adds the information that turns a drawing into a plan:
- Scene and shot number (for example, 42A, 42B, 42C)
- Arrows for camera moves (push in, pan, crane up) and for character or vehicle movement
- A short action description or line of dialogue
- Notes like "VFX: add truck" or "stunt double" when a department needs to see them
Rough boards can be quick gesture sketches. Presentation boards for a studio or an advertising client get more finish, sometimes in color.
How the work gets done
Storyboard artists usually start in prep, often before the DP is hired, and work directly with the director. A typical sequence goes like this:
- The director and artist read the scene together and talk through it beat by beat. Some directors bring thumbnail sketches; some act it out.
- The artist draws rough thumbnails quickly, sometimes during the meeting.
- The director reviews and changes them: a different angle, a shot cut, a new insert.
- The artist cleans up the approved boards, numbers the shots, and adds arrows and notes.
- Boards go to the production designer, DP, 1st AD, stunt coordinator, special effects, and VFX.
On larger shows the storyboard artist also reads scout photos and set drawings so the boards match the real space. A shot drawn looking through a wall that exists won't survive the tech scout.
Who uses the boards and for what
| Department | What they get from boards |
|---|---|
| Director and DP | Shot plan, lens and camera move ideas |
| 1st AD | Setup count for scheduling the sequence |
| Stunt coordinator | Beats that need doubles, rigging, or rehearsals |
| Special effects | Where practical effects happen in frame |
| VFX supervisor | Which shots need elements, plates, or set extensions |
| Art department | What parts of the set will be seen and what won't need building |
The 1st AD often counts setups straight from the boards when estimating how many days a sequence needs. A stunt sequence broken into 60 shots with three camera positions each doesn't fit into one day, and boards make that obvious early. The guide to breaking down stunts, SFX, and VFX covers how those elements go into the schedule.
Boards, shot lists, and previs
Boards sit between a shot list and previs. A shot list names shots in text. Boards show them. Previs, handled by a previs artist, animates a sequence in rough 3D with timing and camera moves. Big action films commonly use all three, starting from boards.
Tools
Many storyboard artists still draw by hand, but most now work digitally on tablets using Photoshop, Procreate, or Toon Boom Storyboard Pro, which also exports animatics: boards timed out with temp sound. Artists usually own their hardware and software. On union and larger productions, that equipment may be paid through a weekly kit rental or box rental on the deal memo, listed with an inventory and kept separate from wages.
Getting work
Storyboard artists come from illustration, animation, comics, and concept art. Directors and producers hire from portfolios of sequential work, so the pages should show action that reads clearly, consistent characters, and camera language a DP can follow. Commercials and music videos are a common way in, because many agencies want boards for client approval before a spot shoots.
In Hollywood, storyboard artists are represented by the Art Directors Guild, IATSE Local 800, under its illustrators and matte artists category. The ADG says anyone doing covered illustrator or matte artist work under a Local 800 or IATSE agreement can apply for membership 30 days after starting that job. To access most union film and TV work, the ADG says you need placement on the Motion Picture Industry Experience Roster, which requires at least 30 days for one or more signatory companies within 365 consecutive calendar days. Contract Services also requires its general safety and harassment prevention courses before placement.
Rates vary by project and are set in the Local 800 wage schedules for union work. Non-union and commercial boards are often quoted by the day, week, or project, so the scope should be written into the deal memo: how many scenes, how many revision rounds, and whether color or animatics are included.
Storiara and boards
Storiara doesn't generate storyboards. Its Shotlist module does let you plan shots per scene, upload images to each shot, and print the list with images, so finished boards can sit next to the shot descriptions the 1st AD and DP are working from. The storyboard template gives a blank panel layout.