Storyboarding
Ch11 Storyboarding: From Script to Screen
The script tells you what happens. The storyboard tells you how to shoot it. In AI short drama production, the storyboard script is the bridge between written narrative and AI image/video generation. A clear, detailed storyboard not only guides AI tools to produce more accurate outputs — it standardizes the entire production pipeline and dramatically improves team coordination efficiency.
Storyboard Script Format
A storyboard script in the AI era is a structured document that defines every parameter of every shot. It simultaneously serves three purposes: guiding AI image generation prompts, guiding AI video motion descriptions, and guiding the timing of final editing.
| Field | Meaning | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
| Shot # | Sequential shot number across the episode | 023 |
| Scene | Location, time of day, interior/exterior | CEO Office - Night - INT |
| Shot Type | Distance relationship (ECU/CU/MCU/MS/LS) | ECU (Extreme Close Up) |
| Camera Move | Camera movement description | Slow Push In |
| Duration | Shot length in seconds | 3s |
| Visual Description | Shot content, used as AI prompt base | CEO's cold smile, city lights bokeh bg |
| Dialogue | Corresponding line(s) | CEO: "You think you have a choice?" |
| Music/SFX | Emotional audio cue | Low cello swell, building tension |
| AI Prompt | Full prompt for image/video generation | [See example below] |
Shot Types and Their Emotional Functions
| Shot Type | Abbreviation | Framing | Emotional Effect | Frequency in Short Drama |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme Close-Up | ECU | Eyes, lips, hand detail only | Extreme intimacy, emotional detail, tension amplification | High (emotional peaks) |
| Close-Up | CU | Face to shoulders | Emotion, inner life, closeness | Very High (most common) |
| Medium Close-Up | MCU | Head to chest | Dialogue feel, face + upper body language | High (conversation scenes) |
| Medium Shot | MS | Waist up | Character action, relationships, story momentum | Medium (transitions) |
| Long Shot | LS | Full body + background | Scene context, character vs environment | Low (establishing only) |
[NOTE] Golden ratio for short drama: Close-ups (CU/ECU) 40% / Medium Close-Up 30% / Medium Shot 20% / Long Shot 10%. Short dramas need heavy close-up usage to rapidly deliver emotion in the compressed format.
Five Core Camera Movements
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Push In: Camera moves toward subject — creates focus, pressure, revelation. Prompt: "camera slowly pushes in, gradual zoom"
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Pull Out: Camera moves away — creates loneliness, insignificance. Prompt: "camera pulls back, zoom out, revealing wider scene"
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Pan: Camera pivots horizontally — reveals space, follows eyeline. Prompt: "camera pans left/right slowly"
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Tracking: Camera follows character movement — creates momentum. Prompt: "tracking shot following character movement"
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Static: Camera locked off — stability, objectivity, focus on performance. Prompt: "static camera, locked off, no camera movement"
5-Minute Episode Storyboard Plan
[Episode 1 — Shot Plan Overview]
===== Episode 1: First Encounter (5 min / ~75 shots) =====
[HOOK: 0-30s, ~8 shots] — Goal: grab attention in first 3 seconds
001 LS Static 3s Female lead running into lobby, late
002 MS Track 2s She stumbles into elevator, presses close
003 CU Static 2s Elevator door closing, male hand blocks it
004 ECU Push In 3s CEO's eyes, cold downward gaze
[SCENE 1: Elevator, 1-2 min, ~18 shots] — Goal: establish character contrast
005 MCU Static 3s Female lead apologizes, flustered
006 CU Static 2s CEO, dismissive, checks phone
[SCENE 2: Boardroom, 2-3 min, ~20 shots] — Goal: reveal CEO identity
026 LS Pan 3s Conference room establishing, execs seated
027 CU Static 2s Female lead sees CEO at head of table, stunned
[CLIFFHANGER: 4.5-5 min, ~10 shots] — Goal: make viewer need episode 2
066 CU Static 3s Female lead gets mysterious call, goes pale
070 ECU Push In 2s CEO's phone screen shows her profile photo
071 Black card "She thought it was all an accident…"
[TIP] Chapter Action Checklist:
- Build a storyboard template (Excel or Notion with all fields from this chapter);
- Write full storyboard for the first 30 seconds (~8 shots) of your episode;
- Use AI to generate storyboard sketch images for those 8 shots;
- Check that close-ups (CU/ECU) account for at least 40% of your shots;
- Embed storyboard images into the script document to create an AI-ready production brief.
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