Animation Storyboard | How To Create An Animation Storyboard
Table of Contents
Do you want to create an animation storyboard but aren’t sure how to get started?
Video Igniter’s guide to creating storyboards for animations teaches everything you need to know including:
- How to create an animation storyboard?
- What is a storyboard and why do I need one for my animation?
- How long does it take to make a storyboard?
- What does it cost to make a storyboard?
- Examples of animation storyboards
- And a downloadable storyboard template you can use to create the storyboard for your animation!
Animation Storyboard Template (Free Download)
Download Video Igniter’s free animation storyboard template and storyboard creation guide. Paste our storyboard template into PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides to create the storyboard for your animation.
How Do I Create A Storyboard For My Animation?
1). Write Your Animation Script
The script is the foundation of every storyboard. Before you even begin creating your animation storyboard, make sure you have the script created and locked in.
For tips and templates to help you create the script for your animation, check out these resources:
Animated Video Script Writing Template (Free Download)
How To Write A Script For An Animated Video?
Explainer Video Script Examples + How To Write An Explainer Video Script
2). Download Our Storyboard Template
Now that your script is locked in, download our storyboard template to start making your animation storyboard.
3). Add Template To Presentation App
Open up your favorite presentation app (Google Slides, PowerPoint or Keynote) and paste our storyboard template onto a blank slide. Duplicate that slide 10-20 times to create a blank canvas for your animation storyboard.
4). Add The Script To Your Storyboard
Take the first sentence from your script and paste it on the first page of your storyboard within the section that says, “Script.” Paste the 2nd sentence of your script onto the 2nd slide of your storyboard and repeat this for each sentence in your script.
If a sentence is particularly long, consider breaking it up into 2 separate pages/slides.
5). Brainstorm Visuals
Spend some time brainstorming what you want to show during each sentence of your script. It helps to have an idea of what you want to show before you start adding notes to your storyboard.
If you’re going to tell a story or illustrate a scenario, consider using animated characters to help tell your narrative.
Processes and procedures are best shown with animated diagrams that enable the user to watch the process unfold step by step.
Animated promotional videos use fancy motion graphics to highlight key aspects of the promotional offer.
However you decide you want to bring your animation to life, commit to a plan before you begin documenting your ideas in the storyboard.
6). Document Your Ideas
Now that you have an idea in mind, it’s time to document your instructions for the illustration and animation teams. This means you need to add the following information to each slide of your storyboard:
- A rough sketch or mockup of the scene.
- A bullet point list of instructions to explain step by step how the animation unfolds.
- A list describing all the assets that are needed for the scene (i.e. A miniature island in the middle of an ocean, a treasure chest, a key for the treasure chest, etc)
When you mock up each scene, you can use a rough sketch, take a photo of it and paste it into your storyboard. Or, you can create a mockup using clip art, icons and stock photos to lay out what you want us to show.
When you add instructions to your storyboard, make them simple and concise.
Don’t worry about making every scene look perfect. You just need to give us a general idea of what you want to show in each scene. It’s our job to turn your sketches into beautiful custom illustrations for your animation.
Why Do I Need A Storyboard For My Animation?
The storyboard is the blueprint for your animation. It’s a document of consensus between you and our production team so that we have an understanding of:
- What we show during each scene
- How is everything going to move in each scene?
- How is the motion design supposed to line up with the voiceover?
- What level of detail do we need to accurately depict everything in a scene (particularly important for animated product videos).
- How are motions supposed to line up with the voiceover?
This information helps us figure out who the best illustrators and animators will be for your project. It’s also important that we’re on the same page about what we’re creating before we start animating because there’s a temptation to want to add or change details later in the production process.
Without a storyboard to accurately explain what we’re supposed to create in each scene, we’d be making a lot of guesses for what we’re supposed to illustrate and animate for each scene. This would likely result in increased production costs and missed deadlines (and nobody wants that!)
How Long Does It Take To Make An Animation Storyboard?
Assuming you have your script already created and locked in, storyboard creation can take as little as a few hours to make. In most cases, storyboards tend to take at least a few days to create plus a few more to review and get other people’s feedback.
Video Igniter can create your storyboard for you in about a week. If you need to speed up production, we offer a rush delivery production upgrade.
What Does It Cost To Make An Animation Storyboard?
Video Igniter creates storyboards for $500 for each minute of animation we produce for you. You can skip this production cost by creating the storyboard for your animation.
Animation Storyboard Example
Here’s an example of an animation storyboard that was created for a short animated promotional video. Below the storyboard, you can watch the animation that was created from the storyboard.
Resulting Video:
Still have questions about animation storyboards?
Do you have a question about creating an animation storyboard that wasn’t addressed in this FAQ? Use this form to send us your question and we’ll follow up with an answer. We’ll also post the question and answer to this page so other people can benefit from the knowledge.
What is Video Igniter Animation?
Video Igniter Animation is an online animated video production service. By working with our team online, you can get your custom animated video produced faster and for less than hiring a brick and mortar animation studio.
We can help you create any kind of 2D animated video or 3D animation you can imagine. Check out our animated video portfolio!
Need help syndicating your animated video? Ask us about video promotion!
Do you want to create an explainer video for your cryptocurrency or an animated video to explain how your blockchain technology works? We can help with that too.
Watch our explainer video on our home page to learn more about how we can help you create an animated video. For examples of the kinds of animation our team can produce, check out the demo reel below:
Looking For An Animated Video Company In The U.S.?
Video Igniter is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
Success Stories & Testimonials
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Larry Schlessinger – Sr. Creative Program Manager, Amazon Web Services
“Video Igniter came to us with a number of creative and engaging ideas and were able to create an exciting, impactful video in a short period of time. And the best part was that it cost much less than other options of similar quality. The video they made is a great marketing tool for us.”
Alex Raymond – Founder, Kapta Systems
“Video Igniter were very easy to work with and the entire process for creating and suggesting edits was seamless and stress-free. I would work with them again and would recommend to others looking to create a modern and stylish explainer video.”
Clair Simpson – VP Marketing, Repool.com
“I run a video production company and outsource animation. The team at Video Igniter did a great job in taking the concept I very crudely drew out and making it into a beautiful animation. The review process was easy and their turnaround time was very quick. I’d def recommend them if you’re looking for an animation project.”
Pat Henderson – Founder, Path8 Productions
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