A good storyboard format for AI video is a table with one row per shot. Give each row a number, a length in seconds, a shot size, one action, one line of dialogue and the reference images it needs.
Classic film storyboards are drawings with notes under them. For AI micro drama, the table matters more than the drawing. Each row becomes one video prompt.
The format: six columns
Copy this and fill one row per shot.
| # | Sec | Shot | Action | Dialogue | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Insert | What the camera sees, in one action | none | Location plate |
| 2 | 4 | Close-up | One character, one movement | "One short line." | Character look A |
The takeaway: if a row needs two actions, split it into two rows.
Storyboard sample
Here's a filled-in storyboard sample for a 15-second reveal. It's four shots, one action each, and every row can be pasted into a video prompt as is.
| # | Sec | Shot | Action | Dialogue | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Insert | A phone screen lights up with a new message | none | Phone prop |
| 2 | 4 | Close-up | She reads it and her breath catches | none | Character look A |
| 3 | 5 | Medium | He steps into the doorway behind her | "You weren't supposed to see that." | Character look A, B, hallway |
| 4 | 3 | Close-up | She turns slowly. Cut to black | none | Character look A |
The takeaway: a sample this short is easy to plan, easy to check and cheap to redo. For a longer one, see the six-shot board in the storyboarding guide.
What goes in each column
- #: shot number. Keep it in order so you can find a bad shot fast.
- Sec: 3 to 8 seconds is a good range for one shot. Shorter shots are easier for the model to hold together.
- Shot: pick one size per row. Our list is close-up, medium, wide, over-the-shoulder, tracking, establishing and insert. See vertical framing and shot language for when to use each.
- Action: one thing happens. "Her hands stop moving, she looks up" is fine. "She stands, walks over and slaps him" is three shots.
- Dialogue: one line, in one language. Write "none" if nobody speaks.
- References: the character and location images the shot needs. Build them first with a character pack.
Add a panel only when you need it
You don't need a drawn panel for every row. Text rows are enough for most two-person dialogue. For shots with three or more people, a fight or a chase, add a simple panel or position map.
BytePlus's Seedance 2.5 prompt guide says to keep a multi-panel board to 15 panels or fewer, use stick figures or simple line art, and leave text off the board. More detail is in storyboarding a micro drama with AI.
Let a chatbot fill in the table
Paste your scene into any chat assistant with this prompt, then check every row by hand.
Turn this scene into a vertical 9:16 shot list for AI video.
Columns: #, Sec, Shot, Action, Dialogue, References.
Rules: one action per shot; 3-8 seconds per shot; shot size from
[close-up, medium, wide, over-the-shoulder, tracking, establishing, insert];
max 2 speaking characters per shot; one line of dialogue per shot.
Characters: [names and looks]. Scene: [paste]
Chatbots often pack two actions into one row. Split those before you generate anything.
Example
A full six-shot example, from our CEO romance template, is in step 1 of the storyboarding guide. To turn each row into a prompt, use the prompt library.
For storyboard apps and open-source generators, see the tools directory and storyboard projects.