storyboard

name	storyboard
description	Storyboard linear or interactive motion using beats, framing, action, transitions, timing intent, audio or dialogue relationships, and production dependencies before expensive animation begins.

Motion Storyboard

Use when a trailer, explainer, UI sequence, cutscene, campaign asset, or complex motion piece needs sequence planning.

Procedure

1. Define audience, objective, duration, format or aspect ratio, message or narrative arc, and production constraints.
2. Break the piece into beats that each advance information, emotion, or action rather than evenly dividing time.
3. Sketch framing, composition, subject movement, camera movement, text, transitions, and interaction branches at the fidelity needed to test sequence.
4. Annotate approximate timing, dialogue or voice-over, music or SFX cues, and moments whose duration depends on reading or user input.
5. Check continuity of screen direction, spatial logic, visual hierarchy, and whether critical information has enough time to register.
6. Identify asset, footage, 3D, UI, illustration, copy, and audio dependencies before animation production starts.
7. Build an animatic when timing or music and dialogue relationships are high-risk.
8. Review the sequence against the original objective and remove beats that are attractive but do not advance it.

Decision rules

• A storyboard proves sequence and timing intent, not final polish.
• Every beat should earn its time.
• Use an animatic when timing is the uncertainty.
• Interactive branches need state and trigger annotation, not only linear frames.

Quality gate

The storyboard is ready when the sequence communicates the intended arc, timing and continuity are plausible, major dependencies are known, high-risk timing has been tested where needed, and production teams can begin without inventing missing beats or transitions.