By name: ai-storyboard-to-video description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "convert a storyboard to video prompts", "turn a script into AI video", "plan a video sequence", "create a shot list", "build an AI film timeline", "break down a scene for video generation", or mentions storyboard conversion, shot-by-shot planning, or multi-scene AI video production workflows.
AI Storyboard to Video
Overview
A structured pipeline for converting written storyboards, scripts, or scene descriptions into complete AI video production packages. Each scene becomes a self-contained prompt set — start frame, animation, camera, and editing instructions — ready for any AI video generation tool.
This skill bridges the gap between narrative writing and technical video generation prompts.
When to Use
- Converting a written script or storyboard into AI video prompts
- Planning a multi-scene AI video sequence from a narrative outline
- Building a complete shot list with camera and editing instructions
- Producing an AI short film, ad, or social media video from a concept
The Pipeline
STORYBOARD → SCENE BREAKDOWN → SHOT LIST → PROMPT PACKAGE → EDITING TIMELINE
Stage 1 — Scene Breakdown
Parse the storyboard into discrete scenes. Each scene is one continuous location and time block.
Scene boundary triggers:
- Location change
- Time jump (hours, days, flashback)
- Major mood shift
- Character entrance/exit that resets the visual
SCENE [N]
Location: [Where]
Time: [When — time of day, weather, season]
Characters: [Who is present — reference character sheets]
Emotion: [Core emotional tone]
Duration: [Target clip length in seconds]
Summary: [One-sentence description of what happens]
Stage 2 — Shot List
Break each scene into individual shots. Follow the one action per shot rule.
Each shot defines:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Shot # | Sequential number within the scene |
| Type | Wide / Medium / Close-up / Extreme close-up / Over-the-shoulder |
| Subject | Who or what is in frame |
| Action | Single specific action |
| Camera | Movement type, lens, angle |
| Duration | Target seconds for this clip |
Shot type progression — follow cinematic convention:
- Establishing wide — orient the viewer in the space
- Medium action — show the primary event
- Close-up reaction — emotional beats and details
- Cutaway/insert — environmental detail or object
Stage 3 — Prompt Package
For each shot, generate the complete prompt set:
## Shot [N] — [Brief Label]
### Start Frame Prompt
[Full image generation prompt with lighting, lens, composition, character attributes]
### Animation Prompt
[Specific action and camera movement description]
### Camera Settings
[Movement type, lens, angle, shake level, speed]
### Duration
[Target seconds]
### Editing Notes
[Speed ramps, transition to next shot, audio cues]
Stage 4 — Editing Timeline
After all shots are generated, produce the assembly timeline:
## Editing Timeline
| Shot | Duration | Transition | Speed | Audio |
|------|----------|-----------|-------|-------|
| 1 | 3s | Cut | 1x | Ambient city |
| 2 | 4s | Cut | 1x | Footsteps |
| 3 | 2s | Speed ramp| 0.5x→1x | Music swell |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
Total runtime: [sum]s
Output Format
When converting a storyboard, always return the complete package:
## Production Overview
[Title, genre, target runtime, character sheets referenced]
## Scene Breakdown
[All scenes with location, time, characters, emotion, duration]
## Shot List with Prompts
[Per-scene, per-shot: start frame + animation + camera + editing notes]
## Editing Timeline
[Full assembly table with transitions, speed, and audio]
## Production Notes
[Technical recommendations, generation order, consistency reminders]
Consistency Enforcement
- Reference character sheets in every prompt — paste locked attributes from
ai-character-sheet-generator - Lock lighting per scene — all shots within a scene share time-of-day, color temperature, and light direction
- Lock wardrobe per scene — unless a costume change is scripted, clothing stays identical
- Match eyelines across shots — if character A looks right in shot 2, character B looks left in shot 3
- Maintain spatial continuity — if a door is on the left in the wide shot, it stays on the left in close-ups
Scene Duration Guidelines
| Content | Recommended Duration |
|---|---|
| Establishing wide shot | 2-4 seconds |
| Action shot | 3-5 seconds |
| Dialogue reaction | 2-3 seconds |
| Slow-motion detail | 2-3 seconds (at 0.5x) |
| Transition/cutaway | 1-2 seconds |
Keep individual clips short. AI video tools produce cleaner results in 3-5 second clips than in 10+ second clips.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| No establishing shot | Always open a new scene with a wide shot |
| Overloading a single shot with multiple actions | One action per shot — edit together in post |
| Inconsistent lighting across shots in same scene | Lock time-of-day and light direction per scene |
| Missing character sheet references in prompts | Paste locked attributes into every start frame prompt |
| No editing timeline | Always produce the assembly table — generation without editing plan wastes effort |
| Clips too long (8-10+ seconds) | Target 3-5 seconds per clip for best quality |
Integration with Other Skills
This skill works as the final stage in a three-skill pipeline:
ai-character-sheet-generator → ai-cinematic-video-director → ai-storyboard-to-video
(characters) (shot craft) (full production)
- Build character sheets first with ai-character-sheet-generator
- Apply directorial rules from ai-cinematic-video-director to each shot
- Use this skill to assemble everything into a production-ready package
Additional Resources
For genre-specific templates, multi-character scene blocking, and parallel action editing, consult references/production-templates.md.