storyboard-creation - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: storyboard-creation description: StoryboardsΓÇöshots, angles, movement, continuity, pre-production for film and animation. tags: [video, pre-production, storyboard, cinematography, planning] skill_group: "ai-video-tools" skill_category: "AI Video Production"

Storyboard Creation

Professional storyboarding guide with cinematic vocabulary for planning animated episodes, video content, and visual narratives.

When to Use

Planning animated episodes or scenes
Pre-production for video content
Defining camera angles and movements
Ensuring visual continuity
Communicating visual intent to team

Shot Types

Abbreviation	Name	Shows	Use For
ECU	Extreme Close-Up	Eyes, mouth, detail	Emotion, tension, detail
CU	Close-Up	Face, head	Reactions, dialogue
MCU	Medium Close-Up	Head + shoulders	Interviews, conversations
MS	Medium Shot	Waist up	Standard dialogue
MLS	Medium Long Shot	Knees up	Walking, gesturing
LS	Long Shot	Full body	Character in environment
WS	Wide Shot	Environment + characters	Establishing, context
EWS	Extreme Wide Shot	Landscape, aerial	Epic scope, transitions

Camera Angles

Angle	Effect	When to Use
Eye Level	Neutral, natural	Default, dialogue
High Angle	Subject looks small/vulnerable	Weakness, overview
Low Angle	Subject looks powerful/imposing	Authority, heroism
Bird's Eye	God-like perspective	Maps, planning scenes
Dutch Angle	Tilted, unsettling	Tension, disorientation
Over-the-Shoulder (OTS)	Perspective, depth	Conversations, reveals

Camera Movements

Movement	Description	Effect
Pan	Horizontal rotation (left/right)	Reveal, follow action
Tilt	Vertical rotation (up/down)	Reveal height, drama
Dolly	Camera moves forward/backward	Intimacy, retreat
Truck	Camera moves left/right	Follow alongside
Crane	Camera moves up/down	Grand reveal, overview
Zoom	Lens focal length changes	Quick focus shift
Handheld	Unstable, organic	Urgency, documentary
Static	No movement	Stability, dialogue

Continuity Rules (CRITICAL)

The 180-Degree Rule

         Camera A          Camera B
              \              /
               \            /
                \          /
     Character 1  --------  Character 2
                 (axis line)

DO NOT cross the axis line between shots.
Crossing causes characters to appear to swap sides.

Match on Action

Cut during movement, not before/after
Continue the same motion across the cut
Example: Character reaches for door (Shot A) ΓåÆ hand grabs handle (Shot B)

Eyeline Match

Cut to what the character is looking at
Camera height should match character's eyeline
Maintains spatial relationship for viewer

Screen Direction

Moving left-to-right = positive progress
Moving right-to-left = return, retreat
Maintain consistent direction across cuts

Panel Layout Template

+-----------------------------+
|  [SHOT TYPE] [CAMERA ANGLE] |
|                             |
|     +--------------+        |
|     |              |        |
|     |   VISUAL     |        |
|     |   SKETCH     |        |
|     |              |        |
|     +--------------+        |
|                             |
|  Action: [description]      |
|  Dialogue: [if any]         |
|  SFX: [sound effects]       |
|  Duration: [seconds]        |
|  Transition: [cut/fade/etc] |
|  Notes: [direction notes]   |
+-----------------------------+

Shot List Template

#	Shot	Angle	Movement	Duration	Action	Audio
1	WS	Eye	Static	3s	Establish office	Ambient
2	MS	Eye	Pan R	2s	Richard enters	Footsteps
3	CU	Low	Static	1.5s	Sindri's reaction	ΓÇö
4	OTS	Eye	Dolly in	2s	Dialogue begins	Dialogue

Transition Types

Transition	Use	Feel
Hard Cut	Standard, fast-paced	Immediate, direct
Fade	Time passing, new scene	Gentle, reflective
Dissolve	Blending, dreamy	Smooth, connected
Wipe	Scene change, energetic	Bold, stylistic
Match Cut	Visual connection	Clever, thematic
J-Cut	Audio before video	Anticipation
L-Cut	Audio continues after	Continuity

Integration with Our Pipeline

Plan R3F camera positions using shot types
Define animation sequences before implementation
Map storyboard panels to Remotion compositions
Use as pre-production before 3D scene work