A commercial storyboard fails in one of two ways: it is late, or it is 44 seconds of pictures sold as a :30. Duration is the job. Drawing is how you argue about duration.
Step-by-step: how to storyboard a commercial. Example frames: storyboard examples.
Duration math before art
Write seconds on every panel. Sum them. If the sum is not 15.00 or 30.00, cut panels or cut time. The animatic is how you prove it to a client who cannot add.
Supers (on-screen legal, URLs, claims) eat duration. Time them on the frame that holds them, not “in the mix later.”
Pack shots are elements, not one-off drawings
The product has to look like the same object in shot 2 and shot 14. Save it as an element. Regenerating a pack shot for every frame is how continuity notes become a legal problem.
Client rounds without duplicating the board
Send a review link, not Board_v7_REAL.pdf. Comments sit on the frame. Approvals are a state, not an email. Agencies: CineoBoard for agencies.
What belongs on a commercial board
Templates: free storyboard template.
- 8–16 panels for a :15/:30, plus coverage if you will shoot it
- Product / endline / super called out in the footer
- Music or VO cues against specific frames
- A shot list that matches, because the production company will build the day from the list
FAQ
Who draws the commercial storyboard — agency or production?
Either. What matters is one versioned board both sides comment on. Split files are how the shoot uses the wrong pack shot.
Can I generate the first pass?
Yes, then lock characters and pack shots before anyone spends money. What generators get wrong.