Storyboard

8.5 x 11 in CMYK 1.29:1 portrait

An 8.5 by 11 in storyboard sheet. The standard format for film, animation, and live-action storyboards in North American production, with 4 to 6 panels per page.

about the size of a sheet of office paper

About this size

A storyboard is a planning document, not finished art. The job of the page is to communicate what happens in each shot: framing, action, camera movement, dialogue cue, and timing. Decorative rendering is actively unhelpful because it slows the work and obscures what the panel is supposed to show.

Letter is the working standard for North American film and television; A4 is used in the rest of the world. The 4 to 6 panel grid is conventional because it matches how directors and DPs read shot sequences during prep meetings.

Storyboards
Animation planning
Film scenes

Pro tips

1 Draw panels at 16:9 for film or modern television. Match the actual aspect ratio of the production so framing decisions transfer accurately.
2 Leave space below or beside each panel for camera notes, dialogue cues, and timing. The annotations are half the information on the page.
3 Rough silhouettes beat finished art. Clarity of action and framing matters more than detail at this stage of production.