Free short film storyboard template.
A short film does not need every shot drawn before the shoot.
Storyboard the scenes where seeing the sequence in advance will help: difficult blocking, screen direction, a complicated camera move, effects, stunts, transitions or a location where there is little time to work things out on the day.
This template keeps the frame and notes simple so it can be used for a complete short or just the scenes that need it.
What’s inside
Widescreen boxes numbered 1 to 6, three across and two down, so one scene usually sits on one sheet.
Unlabelled, for the shot, the blocking or a note about eyelines and screen direction.
The fields across the top of this sheet, ruled to write on, because a short is boarded scene by scene.
Landscape A4 with the margins inside the page, clear enough to punch. It prints on US Letter scaled to fit.
What to storyboard
Start with the sequences carrying the most uncertainty.
A conventional dialogue scene may be clear enough from the script, recce and shot list. A scene where three people cross through a small location while the camera moves may benefit from a proper board.
The same applies to a visual opening, a transition that needs two locations to match or a final image that the whole scene is building towards.
See also: How to Storyboard
Blocking and screen direction
A storyboard is particularly useful when positions matter.
Show where people enter and leave, where eyelines are going and how the camera relates to the action. If a character crosses the line or the camera deliberately changes screen direction, make the intended change clear enough that the DoP and crew can discuss it before the shoot.
Arrows and short notes are often enough.
Aspect ratio
Choose the intended frame before boarding.
A short framed for 2.39:1 will use space differently from one framed for 1.85:1 or 16:9. Storybrdr currently supports 16:9, 9:16, 2.39:1, 4:3 and 1:1.
If the exact theatrical ratio is not available, use the closest useful planning frame and be clear about the intended delivery ratio in the production notes.
See also: 16:9 Template
Storyboard and shot list
The board shows the sequence visually.
The shot list carries the practical list of coverage and is usually easier to use for shots that do not need a drawing.
Use both where they help. There is no prize for turning straightforward coverage into dozens of unnecessary frames.
In Storybrdr, boarded shots can continue into the shot list so the visual plan and production list do not have to be rebuilt separately.
See also: Storyboard vs Shot List · Storyboard App
Worked scene example
For a short scene in a kitchen:
- What happens
- wide establishes both characters and the doorway.
- What happens
- over shoulder as the second character enters.
- What happens
- close reaction, eyeline established.
- What happens
- camera tracks with the first character crossing to the sink.
- What happens
- insert of the object being placed down.
- What happens
- return to the wide, now with the characters in reversed positions.
The board is useful here because blocking changes the geography of the scene. Additional dialogue coverage can sit in the shot list without needing a drawn frame.
See also: Storyboard Examples
Keep it proportionate to the production
On a small short, the director may also be producing, operating or handling several other jobs.
The board should reduce decisions on the day, not become another document that takes longer to maintain than it saves.
Board the difficult parts properly. Keep the straightforward parts straightforward.
Build your storyboard in Storybrdr
Boards share by link, export as a PDF, and open on a phone on the day.
The exported PDF is printed by the same engine that printed the blank sheet at the top of this page, which is why the two are the same document.
More on what that looks like: the features tour.