46 Storyboard Examples from Movies, Animation, and Games (with FREE Storyboard Templates)

Movie Story board Examples

1. Alien

Scene: Infirmary Scene

Ridley Scott did not draw stick figures here, and while he probably picked up some pretty slick storyboarding skills when he attended the Royal College of Art, it doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel or that you can’t achieve similar results from following his example.  

Note: “Action inside the egg is beautiful.”

"It’s got a wonderful defense mechanism... molecular acid storyboards."

Movie Storyboard Examples

2. Pacific Rim

Not a lot of wide shots in these storyboards. Going from control room to outside takes careful planning. There is a distinct Japanese/Anime vibe.

Very cool how the negative space works as light in this storyboard. Check out the entire story board with the shot specs and play the storyboard in slideshow mode, take a look below:

And here's the actual scene from the film:

"We can clear a path… for the storyboard."

Movie Storyboard Examples

3. Jurassic Park

Scene: Raptor Attack Scene

The notes help lead you into each new shot. Multiple slides (or cells) for can be used for a single shot, especially if you plan to linger a bit.

Note: “Foot toward camera and…”

"Ah, ah, ah, you didn’t say the magic word (it’s storyboard)."

Movie Storyboard Examples

4. Star Wars: A New Hope

Scene: A Galaxy Far, Far Away

George Lucas did a storyboard for the title sequence. C3PO looks really different in these. Tougher. Lucas knew how he wanted that final shot.

A ton of specific visual goals in this storyboard made it to the screen.

"I am fluent in over six million forms of communication… including storyboards."

Movie Storyboard Examples

5. Transformers

Scene: Blackout’s Rampage

I quickly notice thoughtful sketches of the production design. See how the artists visualize destruction? Blocking of the confused soldiers is very interesting, along with being a really pretty story board example.

Definitely story boards for a Michael Bay film.

"Autobots; assemble... a scene with a storyboard."

Movie Storyboard Examples

6. Inception

Scene: Hallway Fight Scene

How would you draw a rotating room?  The ceiling fan helps you stay oriented. See how the room is drawn the same across multiple slides?

Note: The scene numbers added by the storyboard artists. 

"Never recreate storyboards from memory… always create new ones."

Movie Story board Examples

7. Edge of Tomorrow

Scene: Cage Drops In Scene

This storyboard shows a scene where Cage drops from the ship into battle. Where so many other films try to make everything look heroic, this film does a great job of showing how random battle can be. 

We get camera movement and an indication that this shot was meant to be continued across multiple storyboard slides. 

"There is no courage without fear... and a detailed storyboard."

Storyboards are super helpful not only for communicating goals to others, but analyzing your own decisions as well. You can even see the cuts from one shot to another, and how they play alongside each other.

Filmmaking is all about maximizing your creative output, and story boards are super helpful for placing yourself in a creative place, and helping you filter out good ideas and bad ones as well.

Plus, they’re fun mementos that you can show to your family and friends, or even frame and hang up on your wall. You’ll thank yourself later for stretching your creativity legs, and storyboarding your ideas.

Movie Storyboard Examples

8. There Will Be Blood 

Scene: Oil Derrick Scene

The filmmakers are thinking about the background imagery a lot, and that plays on the screen as well. Lots of shot to reverse-shot. 

Notice the little note on the storyboard that says "how close can we get?"

Take a look at what this storyboard example became:

Movie Storyboard Examples

9. Gladiator

Scene: Battle Tigers

There is a clear chain of events in these storyboards? Intelligent camera placement leads to depth and layers. 

Click to view the full storyboard below:

Storyboarding these scenes beforehand is much cheaper than practicing with real life tigers. Less fun though. 

Now, let's see how this storyboard example transferred to the screen:

"We’ve got a better chance of survival if we storyboard together..."

Movie Storyboard Examples

10. Tomorrow Never Dies

Scene: Banner Escape

You should always storyboard stunts for extra safety. It will help your coordinators too. Wardrobe decided to change both costumes.

Defacing the villain is a nice touch in the script.

"The name’s Board… Storyboard."

Movie Storyboard Examples

11. Raiders of the Lost Ark

Scene: The Opening of the Ark

How does the color help tell the story, or communicate goals? Great use of shading. Do you think this storyboard helped them light the scene?

What’s different in the actual scene?

"Storyboards… why’d it have to be storyboards?"

Movie Storyboard Examples

12. Forrest Gump

Scene: Meet President Johnson

Zemeckis combined custom footage with old newsreel footage. Covering the scene in close-ups helped them shroud inconsistencies.

Here's what the storyboard would look like, frame-by-frame:

So how are comedic storyboard samples different?

How did this scene look in the actual film?

"Storyboards are the fruit of the sea."

Movie Storyboard Examples

13. Gone with the Wind

Scene: Fleeing Atlanta

Did the colors in the storyboard help for the lighting schemes later? Shot notes help us understand the action. Lots of depth in slide three.

Big wide end slide shows how you can vary your slide size.

"As god as my witness… I’ll never forget to storyboard again."

Movie Storyboard Examples

14. Apocalypse Now

Scene: Ride of the Valkyries

The focus seems to be how to shoot the air cavalry. Notice the carnage behind Col. Kilgore. Do these helicopters look heroic? Evil? Neutral?

Storyboards help when you have limited time up in a helicopter.

"I love the smell of storyboards in the morning. They smell like... victory."

Movie Storyboard Examples

15. Ali

Scene: Muhammad Ali vs. Ernie Terrell

Directional arrows show where punches come from. Important to replicate actual fight. Big wide establishing shot of arena creates scope.

Here's what the storyboard would actually look like:

Now let's see how this translated to the final cut:

Movie Storyboard Examples

16. Spartacus

Scene: Battle Plans

How many battle scenes took cues from Spartacus? Slide dedicated to arrows mid-flight. Lots of color in these is storyboard samples.

Interesting composition and angle choice.

Movie Storyboard Examples

17. The Towering Inferno

Scene: Elevator Rescue Scene

Lots of high angles in this storyboard. How good is the smoke continuity? Big action scenes need a lot of planning.  

This is a scene with stunts, special effects, and a difficult location.

Film terms are used like "pull" and "push" which really help to make these storyboard examples come to life on the page. 

"Don't worry, I ain't gonna hurt ya... I just need a storyboard."

Movie Storyboard Examples

19. Salt

Scene: Rooftop Scene

This storyboard shows a scene where Salt is hanging from a rope and eventually lets go. Notice how the storyboard artist understand composition and how to create background imagery. 

There are references to a pan with the rope swing as well. 

"We've got a defector... he brought storyboards"

Movie Storyboard Examples

20. Interview with the Vampire

Scene: Ending Scene

This storyboard shows the final scene where Lestat bites Mallory in the final scene of the film. 

Notice how the pacing of the scene is referenced in the notes. The scene plays out a bit differently, which may have been done on purpose or maybe the shot didn't work out as planned. 

"I'm going to give you the storyboard example... I never had."

Movie Storyboard Examples

21. Austin Powers 3

Scene: Opening

When you're shooting a scene that involves so many stunts and visual effect component, it's super important to have it all storyboarded down to a tee.

Jay Roach had only eight hours to shoot the opening sequence, and you can see that it did not stop him from nailing down that task.

"Well, no offense, Sir Stevie but you've got to have mojo storyboard, baby. Yeah."

Movie Storyboard Examples

22. Moulin Rouge

Scene: Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend

The use of directional arrows keeps us oriented. POV shot of Sabine reaching out is one slide that jumps out to me. Close-ups to wide shots.

Baz Luhrmann uses lots of angle changes in this scene, and you can see the complicated edit visualized during the storyboard process. 

"I’ve arranged a meeting with you and a storyboard… totawwy awone..."

Movie Storyboard Examples

23. The Sound of Music

Scene: Do-Re-Mi

Lots of symmetry in these shots. A ton of complicated choreography. Great depth in many of the slides due to creative blocking.

There is a fantasy element to how much ground they cover.

Movie Storyboard Examples

24. West Side Story

Scene: When You’re a Jet

Notice the map slide? See how the big street signs were imagined here. What does the detour sign pointing in the opposite direction say to you?

Simple but still super intricate.

Movie Storyboard Examples

25. Get Out

Scene: Sunken Place Scene

This storyboard shows a scene where Chris falls into the sunken place after being hypnotized by Missy Armitage.

Here's a continuation of this storyboard:

"Sink through the storyboard."

Movie Storyboard Examples

26. Psycho

Scene: Trouble in the Shower

Knife shot is exactly the same in the film. Look at the intended close-up of her mouth when she’s stabbed. Sex, comfort, and murder collide.  

Happy face in the first few slides. Huge tonal shift in this scene.

"Well, a boy’s best friend is his storyboard."

Movie Storyboard Examples

27. The Birds

Scene: Playground Scene

This storyboard example shows the birds gathering on the school playground while the children are inside the school.

This scene plays out differently in the actual film, but the overall purpose of the storyboard is still very much present. 

"Alright children now put your storyboards away."

Movie Storyboard Examples

28. Spider-Man 2

Scene: Train Battle

This storyboard looks like a comic book…Spidey is losing, then winning. Lots of directional arrows.

We need at least three more Spider-Man reboots!

I'd do another pithy storyboard puns but Spider-Man is never sarcastic....

Movie Storyboard Examples

29. Logan

Scene: Decapitation Scene

This storyboard shows the scene where Logan decapitates Jackson. This is a really detailed storyboard example by a very talented artist. 

There were a lot of brutal scenes all throughout Logan, and the storyboard artist's job is to capture the emotion in the sketch. 

"Charles the world isn't the same anymore... except for storyboards."

Movie Storyboard Examples

30. Ant-Man

Scene: Ant Rescue Scene

Notice how storyboard artist Steven Markowski uses lines around the face to signal a surprised emotion from Scott Lang. 

You can imagine how important storyboards are when blending live action footage with computer graphics like in Ant-Man. 

"No car, we've got wings... and storyboards."

Movie Storyboard Examples

31. Iron Man

Scene: Pepper Catches Tony Scene

This storyboard example shows a scene in Iron Man where Pepper catches Tony attempting to remove his suit after his first mission.

The team had obviously already cast Robert Downey Jr. at this point in the process, and storyboard artist David Duncan uses a similar technique to show emotion and surprise. 

"Ok, let's be honest... these storyboard pun quotes keep getting better."

Movie Storyboard Examples

32. Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix

Scene: Battle at the Department of Mysteries

Directional arrows help keep us organized. High angle shot when they enter the Department. Slide two illustrates confusion.

"I must not tell lies… I must make storyboards."

Movie Storyboard Examples

33. Percy Jackson

Scene: Medusa Scene

This storyboard example shows the scene where Percy Jackson must confront the Gorgon, Medusa. Notice they're sized for "anamorphic." 

The storyboard example has sound effects are added as well as detailed shot descriptions that help tell the story through visuals.

"Ssssneek a peek... at some storyboard examplesssss."

Television Storyboard Examples

34. Game of Thrones

Scene: Daenerys Targaryen Give Birth Scene

This storyboard shows a scene where Daenerys gives birth to three dragons which works out perfectly for everyone in the last season.

It's interesting to see the difference between TV storyboards and movie storyboards, and to see the final result. 

"I won't watch you burn. However, I will watch you storyboard."

TV Storyboard Examples

35. Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Scene: Mouth of Hell

Parallel action occurs on the same storyboard. More depth with the wider shots. Storyboards are great for any effects-heavy TV show or film.

You can start to see why Whedon was called on to direct The Avengers.

TV Storyboard Examples

36. Westworld

Scene: Reckoning

Similar to the storyboard example above, you can show parallel action on a single storyboard. Notice how important the arrows are in this storyboard and how they inform the order of the edits. 

Here is the trailer from season 2 of Westworld:

"The violent delight have violent storyboards"

Animation Storyboard Examples

37. Kung Fu Panda

Scene: Training Scene

This storyboard shows a scene where Po attempts Kung Fu training.

Because this is an animation storyboard the images you see in this example are the actual building blocks for the final image.  

"Don't worry master... I'll never give up storyboarding."

Animation Storyboard Examples

39. Up

Scene: Opening Scene

This storyboard shows the opening scene in Up, which from my understanding is super uplifting and not painful at all. 

Again, because this storyboard was made for an animated feature film you can see how closely the storyboard example is the final product. 

"Don't you know this is an exclusive club? Only storyboards get in here."

Animation Storyboard Examples

40. Tom and Jerry

Scene: Orphan Episode

Here you can see some of the earliest animation storyboard examples from an episode of Tom and Jerry. 

Each action is succinctly described for the final animation. 

"This episode may not have aged well... but the storyboard did."

Animation Storyboard Examples

41. Summer Camp Island

Scene: Witch Episode

This storyboard shows an important moment in the show where the youngsters realize their camp counselors are witches. How fun!

Check out the scene below to see how the storyboard lead to thew final scene, and how closely they resembles each other. 

"We're about to make a bunch of pot holders... and storyboards"

Animation Storyboard Examples

42. Batman

Scene: Series Intro

This storyboard shows the introduction sequence for the Batman animated series. Seeing these slides brings back sweet memories. 

There is no better clarification on how useful storyboards can be when you see one from an animated film or television show. Animators often understand visual literacy better than many film directors. 

Check out the batman intro sequence below:

"Alfred... I need more storyboard examples."

Animation Storyboard Examples

43. Adventure Time

Scene: Tree Trunks Alien Scene 

This storyboard example from the animated show Adventure Time shows how you can add dialogue and  stage direction to your animated storyboards to make them as specific as needed. 

See how this storyboard translates on screen. 

"Oh... it's you... storyboard."

Video Game Storyboard Examples

44. Super Mario Odyssey

Scene: Game Intro Scene 

This storyboard example shows the intro scene for the video game, Super Mario Odyssey, which allows you to play the game either as Mario... or as Mario's hat, which is exactly as fun as it sounds. 

Storyboards can be used for film, television, animation, and video games because they are the perfect tool for communicating visual goals. 

"It'sa meee... a-storyboard! Okie dokie!"

Video Game Storyboard Examples

45. Gears of War

Scene: Mad World Trailer

This storyboard example shows the trailer for Gears of War. This trailer featured the song "Mad World", and helped create a successful launch for the series. The games are great, but no doubt the trailer helped a lot. 

Check out the trailer to see how the storyboard translated on screen:

"I'll take those storyboards!"

Video Game Storyboard Examples

46. Major League Baseball

Scene: PS3 Move Trailer

This storyboard example shows the trailer for Major League Baseball for the Playstation 3. This storyboard was created to show how the PS move system could mentally transport players onto the field. 

"Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is storyboards"

ABOUT THESE  STORYBOARD EXAMPLES

Storyboards force creative filmmaking

Ever had a great idea for a shot or perhaps an entire scene? Everything is visualized perfectly in your mind, but will it make it to the screen?

What you need is a storyboard. Storyboards are what professional filmmakers and production companies use to clearly communicate visual ideas with their team. Cavemen used storyboards. The Ancient Egyptians used storyboards.

Bottom line:  Storyboards work.

While some of the reasons storyboards work so well may seem painfully obvious, there are more nuanced rationales that many novice (and professional) filmmakers tend to overlook.

You may not have a huge budget, so naturally, you think you’re limited. That line of thinking can be harmful to your project because what you’re actually doing is limiting your creativity, which in turn limits the effectiveness of your vision, which in turns limits your project.

Don’t waste valuable energy thinking about limitations. Take that energy and create storyboard ideas for your scene. Make sure to spend some time sketching out your storyboard ideas, even if they're just as samples. You’ll often hear the suggestion to:

“Draw your storyboard ideas with stick figures if you’re not an artist.”

I strongly disagree.

I firmly believe that you should take your time drawing an ugly storyboard because then you’re forced to draw an ugly background, an ugly foreground, ugly characters, and thoughtful shot compositions.

Suddenly, new storyboard ideas are popping into your head:

• Maybe a special easter egg hidden in the background of a shot.
• Or perfect symmetry for a specific point in the story.
• Perhaps a match cut from one image to another.

These are great cinematic goals, and they’re often the product of storyboarding. Tim Burton movies and Wes Anderson films come to mind when I think about precise shot composition and unique production design.

They put imagery on the screen that you won’t find anywhere in the existing world. They had their departments build, scout, and piece together a world that, at one point, only existed in their minds.

How do you think they communicated their visions? Their teams used storyboards to act as examples for their vision. Learn as much as you can from these movie storyboard examples and see how you can take your dream from your head to the big screen.

STORYBOARDING WITH STUDIOBINDER

Create the perfect storyboard

When you study professional storyboards like these, you quickly begin to understand how much effort goes into the planning stages of a film.

Successful projects use the pre-production phase to the fullest. When you create a tangible plan for your production, you will limit possible miscommunications, and maximize creative output from your team.

If you use storyboarding software like StudioBinder, you can show how each scene will play out, and keep your entire plan organized in a single digitally accessible place.

Your entire production team can collaborate from anywhere at anytime. Instead of wasting hours playing phone tag with assistants or scheduling late night conference calls because of time zone differences.

UP NEXT:

Make a Storyboard in StudioBinder

Now that you’ve seen some of the greatest storyboard examples of all time, you can begin to storyboard your own projects like an Academy Award Winner... though its an honor just to be nominated. 

You can use one of our 60+ FREE storyboard templates or build and share your storyboards through the cloud with StudioBinder's storyboarding and pre-production software. 

Up Next: Build a Storyboard →