Intro to Shai
With Shai’s AI Storyboard Generator, filmmakers and creatives can turn scripts into detailed visual storyboards in seconds—without needing advanced drawing skills. Whether you prefer sketching or relying on text, Shai helps you communicate your vision clearly to your team.
Summary of video
This tutorial explains how to create A-grade storyboards, even if you can’t draw. It demonstrates two approaches—one for visually confident artists and another relying more on written details—to convey camera movements, lighting, sound, and scene composition. The key takeaway: clarity is more important than artistic perfection.
hi guys in this video I want to talk about how to do the best storyboards you can.
I want to start off by dispelling two myths: one, you need to be a great artist to be a great storyboarder—I don’t believe this at all; and two, there’s a right and a wrong way to storyboard. Use storyboarding however you need to.
In this video I’m going to show you two different ways of storyboarding, but in both examples they would absolutely get an A grade.
For those of you here for the quick answer, the golden rule for a great storyboard is simple: a good storyboard is one that you can watch and absolutely experience—beyond just the camera angle and action.
What can you hear? What’s the lighting like? It needs to have all the details you’d need in the full film.
As Martin Scorsese said, the storyboard is the way to visualize the entire movie in advance.
Before the expense of getting all of your crew and equipment on set, it’s a way of seeing every single shot with music, lighting, and understanding what works and what doesn’t.
Peter Jackson did this extensively during The Lord of the Rings, even hiring voice actors so he could watch the entire film in storyboard form before filming.
You’re all going to have different levels of artistic ability, so I’ll draw this twice: once for people who have a visual way of working, and once for those who believe they have no artistic ability, using more text.
These are two storyboard templates I’ve made. There are many online, but I like these because they adapt to your style.
Here, we’ll put most of the information in the frame; here, we’ll make lots of notes down the side.
Let’s start by watching a clip from Jurassic Park and thinking beyond the camera and action—what elements do we need to translate into a two-dimensional storyboard?
What is it? So let’s take a look at how we would do this visually.
In this one, I’m going to try and draw with as much artistic ability as I can—which isn’t actually that much.
I’m going to draw the whole scene including the movement of the camera—everything that we see when the frame starts and everything when it finishes.
Down here, there was the little girl, the little boy, and a couple of raptors.
Here I’ve tried to draw the entire scene.
We need to include things like lighting—lots of shadows on the wall, very low-key lighting.
If you’ve got the artistic confidence, you can literally just show where shadows will be.
The background is shadowy, almost iris-like, surrounding the characters.
Don’t worry too much about frame lines—make sure lighting is clear.
Don’t be afraid to write on the frame: low-key lighting focusing on characters.
If something isn’t obvious—like this counter—label it. Girl, boy, raptors, counter.
Make sure it’s clear to someone else, not just you.
Next, camera movement: this shot had a dolly-crane move down.
You can literally draw arrows showing the movement.
First frame starts here, ends with a mid close-up of the boy and girl—show how it pans down.
This example is all about visuals; now, let’s try the same thing more simply.
If you don’t enjoy drawing or want to stick to stick figures, you can still do it.
Draw something resembling a raptor—it doesn’t have to be good.
Write it down: “Raptors appear at kitchen door.”
Clarify setting: “Kitchen is very low-key lighting.”
Add sound: “Raptors scream as they enter.”
If your drawings aren’t clear, rely more on text.
Include action descriptions: “Raptors enter, boy and girl look scared.”
Back to this shot—we end up on a second frame: draw the girl and boy looking scared, label them.
You can use color cues: this character always has a yellow top, the other an orange top.
This helps distinguish shots.
Still show camera movement—here, these are one shot, but might look like two edits.
Label them: Shot 1a, Shot 1b.
To show the movement from 1a to 1b, write: “Camera pans across to shot 1b.”
I’ve done the same as before, but in a simpler form—composition and camera movement are still clear.
Other information to include: sound.
Even if you don’t know the final soundtrack, give an impression of what’s heard.
Draw a music note and write: “Low, chilling cello music.”
Add sound effects: “Boy and girl panting,” “Raptors in background.”
If visuals are minimal, be more descriptive: “Boy and girl look panicked, camera finishes on mid shot.”
Use film terminology: mid shot, long shot, close-up, high-key lighting, low-key lighting, diegetic sound, voiceover.
This boosts your grade.
We’ve covered mise-en-scène, camera composition and movement, and now editing.
Show whether there’s a straight cut, dip to white, dip to black, or crossfade.
You can use symbols like in old Final Cut Pro, or write it: “Crossfade to shot 2.”
The important thing is that the information is clear.
Other details: depth of field and focus pulls.
You can write: “Focus pull from background to foreground,” or show it as two frames with crosshatch indicating blur.
Label what’s in focus.
Lighting from a specific source can be drawn—lamp icon showing direction—or written: “Spotlight from above.”
These examples aren’t impressive artistically, but they make intentions clear.
The point of storyboarding is to prepare before spending money on set.
Quick recap:
-
Show mise-en-scène—draw or describe.
-
Show camera work—focus, composition, movement.
-
Show editing—transitions and shot duration.
-
Show sound—effects and music cues.
You don’t need to be an artist, and there’s no single “right” way—just make your ideas clear.