# How to Storyboard a Commercial in One Day

Canonical URL: https://www.cineoboard.com/blog/how-to-storyboard-a-commercial

A one-day workflow for agency and in-house teams: brief, beat sheet, first-pass board, timed animatic, and a client review link.

Published: 2026-09-12 · 9 min read · Production

A 30-second commercial is a closed system: a clock, a product, and a claim. Boarding it is a production problem, not an illustration problem.

## Morning: lock the beats, not the drawings

1. Write the claim in one sentence. If you cannot, do not board yet.
2. Split the script into 8–16 beats. Location change, subject change, or claim change = new frame.
3. Assign a shot size to each beat before anyone draws. See [shot sizes](/blog/camera-shot-sizes-for-storyboards).
4. Sum guessed durations. If the total is not 28–32 seconds, cut beats. Do not “make it work in the edit.”

A [commercial storyboard template](/storyboard-template) with those fields empty is faster than a blank canvas.

## Midday: first-pass frames

Block in low fidelity. Product hero shots get more care than transitions. Reuse the talent, the pack shot and the location as saved elements so frame 12 still matches frame 3.

Legal and brand will change the pack shot. If it is redrawn by hand every time, you will miss the review window.

## Afternoon: time it, then send a link

Drop scratch VO or the supplied take. Watch the animatic at real length. Export:

- MP4 for the creative director and client
- PDF board for the producer
- CSV shot list for the production company

Send a **review link**, not a 40MB PDF in email. Comments have to sit on a frame. [CineoBoard](/) does that without a paid seat for the reviewer. The [live demo](/demo) is a coffee commercial if you want to see the shape.

## What clients actually mark up

- Pack shot too small
- Logo too late
- Claim not heard
- Too many locations for the budget
- Duration over 30

None of those are drawing notes. They are production notes. Put duration, super length and product visibility on the frame so the conversation is about the plan, not the pencil.

## FAQ

### How many frames is a 30-second spot?

Usually 8–16. Fewer than 8 and you are probably making a film. More than 20 and you are probably cutting in-camera work the budget cannot shoot.

### Do I need photoreal frames for a client pitch?

Only if the job was sold on look. For most reviews, readable blocking plus a timed animatic beats a rendered frame that is 4 seconds too long.

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