Storyboard Template

Printable Storyboard Template for Film, Animation, and Media

A clean, printable storyboard with six numbered 16:9 frames arranged in a 2×3 portrait grid. Below every frame sits a caption strip for shot notes, dialogue, or timing. Use it to plan short films, animated sequences, video-essay coursework, and YouTube scripts.

The widescreen frame shape matches standard video aspect ratios, so what you sketch on paper translates directly to the viewfinder or edit timeline. Output is a single-page PDF in A4 or US Letter, printable at 100% scale on any printer.

Because the frames and captions are blank, the same template works for live-action shot planning, 2D animation, stop-motion, and short advert concepts.

Why storyboard before you shoot?

A storyboard is a plan on paper before anyone picks up a camera. It forces decisions about framing, movement, and pacing early, which saves hours of re-shooting or re-editing later. Common uses include:

• short-film pre-production
• animation planning — 2D, 3D, and stop-motion
• music-video shot lists
• advert pitches for clients
• YouTube and TikTok video scripting
• media studies and film coursework
• training-video pre-visualisation
• game cutscene planning

Even a rough stick-figure storyboard is more useful than none — the thinking that goes into filling in six frames reveals plot gaps and shot-match problems before they cost anything.

What the template contains

Each page holds six numbered frames laid out 2×3 on a portrait orientation. The frames are drawn in the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio — the same shape as YouTube, television, and cinema output. Below every frame is a caption strip, roughly one-third of the frame's height, for shot notes such as "close-up, tracking right," dialogue snippets, or timing codes.

Frames are numbered from 1 to 6 down the page, making it easy to reference a specific shot in conversation or an edit note. Generous gaps around each frame leave room for arrows, camera-movement marks, and annotations.

Who this template is for

Designers and filmmakers

Pre-visualise shots before a shoot. A paper storyboard is faster to sketch than any digital tool and can be marked up on the shoot day with new ideas.

Animators

Plan keyframes, camera moves, and transitions. Use one frame per key beat, then re-time on the edit timeline.

Students

Complete media-studies coursework, GCSE Film Studies practicals, and A-level Media Studies projects on a template that matches industry layout.

Hobbyists

Plan travel vlogs, family event videos, or simple product reviews so your final edit tells a clear story.

How to use the template

1. Print as many pages as you need — most short scenes need two or three pages.
2. Sketch the frame composition in pencil. Stick figures are fine.
3. Add arrows to show camera moves — a horizontal arrow for a pan, a vertical arrow for a tilt, and a line with a "dolly" note for a tracking move.
4. Write the shot description in the caption strip below: shot type, subject, action, and any dialogue.
5. Add the estimated duration in seconds at the corner of each frame.
6. Number the pages continuously so frames 1–6 are page 1, frames 7–12 are page 2, and so on.

Worked example

Suppose you are planning a 45-second opening sequence for a short film. Use a storyboard template with six 16:9 frames at roughly 80 mm wide, laid 2×3 on portrait A4 — giving about 7.5 seconds per frame on average for a 45-second sequence.

Frame 1: wide establishing shot of the street. Frame 2: medium shot of the character walking. Frame 3: close-up of their face as they stop. Frame 4: their point-of-view — what they are looking at. Frame 5: a reaction close-up. Frame 6: cut to wide, character running out of frame. In the caption strip under each frame, write shot type, duration, and any dialogue. A second person can now read the storyboard and know exactly what to shoot on the day.

Methodology

The 16:9 frame is drawn at exact 16:9 aspect so when you sketch a composition it maps directly onto the camera viewfinder. Frame size is chosen so that six frames and their caption strips fit inside the standard branded margins on A4 portrait. Inner frame borders are drawn at 0.8 pt; caption-strip borders are drawn at 0.4 pt; the page border is heavier still. That hierarchy makes frames pop while keeping captions readable.

The PDF is vector output and prints crisply at 100% scale. Disable "fit to page" if you want every storyboard page to share the same frame size — useful when you are pinning multiple pages to a corkboard.

Designed for A4 and US Letter printing

Both A4 and US Letter are supported. On A4 portrait the 2×3 grid of frames fills the middle of the page with generous margins. On US Letter the frame count stays at six and the 16:9 aspect ratio is preserved — only the absolute frame size in millimetres shifts slightly. US Legal gives you taller caption strips if you typically write longer shot notes.

Storyboarding tips for better videos

• Do not try to draw detailed art. Stick figures with shapes for objects and arrows for movement are enough.
• Vary shot types. A sequence that stays on one focal length feels flat.
• Mark the camera direction in the frame — a small arrow shows which way the camera is tilting or panning.
• Write durations under every frame. A storyboard that sums to five seconds is a very different film to one that sums to fifty.
• Use colour sparingly — a single highlighter to mark lighting changes is useful; more than that is distracting.

Related printable paper templates

You may also find these related printable-paper tools useful:

• Graph Paper Generator
• Lined Paper Generator
• Pixel Art Grid — Large (32×32)
• Two-Column Notes Template