When should you use a storyboard
for your video shoot?

Episode 5: Storyboards - The Pros and Cons

Planning your next video shoot? Should you storyboard—or just wing it? In this episode of Cut Through, we break down the pros and cons of storyboarding: how it can sharpen your vision, save time on set, and keep your team aligned, but also when too much planning can box in creativity.

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“Do I really need to storyboard my video shoot?”

It’s a common question among creators and production teams alike. Storyboarding can be a powerful tool—it helps you visualize your shots, align your crew, and catch potential issues before they happen. A clear plan can save time, reduce confusion on set, and keep everyone focused on the creative vision.

But there’s another side to it. Overplanning can sometimes limit spontaneity—the candid moments, the unexpected angles, or the organic energy that can make a shoot feel alive. Relying too heavily on a storyboard might make your production look too rigid or predictable.

Planning a shoot? Storyboards are part of how we scope every corporate video project. Submit a brief and we'll tell you whether yours needs one.

Full episode transcript

Welcome to Cut Through, the podcast that helps make video content accessible to more creators. We break down the process and techniques so you can bring your ideas to life. In this episode, we're diving into the pros and cons of storyboarding. We'll explore when it's worth the investment, what it really involves, and how to know if it's right for your next project. Let's get started.

What do we want to talk about today?

This one's been on our list of topics for a while, which is storyboarded shoots. Something that's, I guess, a topic that comes up reasonably often. And something that proves to be, I think, a challenging concept about storyboarding shoots and the pros and cons of it versus not doing it. We tend to do a lot of shooting. We do is non storyboarded shooting.

Um, we do have outputs in mind. do have deliverables in mind. We definitely go out with a goal in mind and we know what kind of content we want to create, but we tend to work in a more hybrid approach, which is less storyboard, more shot listed, more outputs and deliverables kind of like a content marketing approach. But what this is about is talking about storyboard shoots and the pros and cons of it. So yeah.

I'll start with that. Mike, what do you think a storyboarder should admit is?

I think when everyone thinks of a storyboard, they think of a TVC, the old school 30 second ad, you have a big crew, you have a lot of production, you have talent, have a lot of costs that are sunk. And therefore, from my experience in both the client and even on the agency side, you don't want to leave anything up to chance and you don't want to miss anything.

the traditional path, I guess the traditional storyboard in that light is discuss all the shots, all the details, everything you're trying to achieve to inform the output way before you get on set. Because the last thing you want to do is be arguing on set about what shots needed, what we should do. In essence, you don't want to reinvent the creative plan on the set. I mean, I'm old enough to remember when clients weren't even allowed on set for that very reason, because a client on set could be a dangerous

piece of variable that most creatives didn't want to deal with. Now, I think we've come a long way from that kind of rigid approach. So I think where there is more fluidity and more flexibility on set and also more client input, but like what I was saying is the old school approach is that you lock in your shots and you let the creatives be creative and the client stays home.

because they've already briefed it, they've already discussed it, they're already pre-production it, and everything is scripted, essentially, literally scripted.

So a storyboarded shoot definition is it's a visual plan that maps out the shots sequence in the flow. So basically it's a plan and a lot of people think the three, the purposes of RIDR to align the vision, which is what you've just talked about, which is making sure that everyone that's involved is signed off, especially the stakeholders, the clients. It reduces the surprises on set because you know what you're doing, you're going for it.

A lot of people think that a lot of people would suggest that actually saves time and money as well because you have a very clear direction. I would argue that's not the case for various reasons.

That piece never changes. I think it's just the level of specificity that's required and why that's required is probably worth discussing. Because again, I don't think anyone wants to on the fly figure out other than adjusting the problems that you didn't foresee, but you don't want to be shooting on the fly without a view. Because then you're going to have, then to your point about the cost savings, I think what's implied in that cost saving message is that

There's a lower risk of reshooting, meaning, we didn't get two shots, we need to get back out there. That's never an optimal situation to have to reshoot because you didn't get enough. And not getting enough from poor planning is not an outcome anyone wants.

So what's involved in a storyboarder shoot that you've been involved in some because you've spent a lot of time client side agency side. So what do you know to be involved in a storyboarder shoot?

Well, first is, well, I always start with the message before the visual. I think some pure creatives might say, I have an idea of vision and then we'll build a story around it. But I still think like any story, like even a film, the screenplay or the writing is the first step. And I think this is a good segue into the conversation because then, you know, I my marketing back on and that goes back to what's your message? What are you trying to communicate? Who are you trying to communicate?

and then you're using a shoot to create the visual behind that message and to convey that message creatively to brand. However, we're not going to have a full discussion on what the vision could be or should be. But I think where it gets really interesting, this is where I'm going to get the question back to you is, think, so once you lay down the words, then it's a classic left column, right column. When you do them the old fashioned way is,

you literally draw a picture or have a version of what you intend to shoot and any words that associated with that vision. And so I think where storyboarding gets really interesting and where the debate often comes in is at what level of detail is required. Is it a general direction or is it a very specific shot?

Strictly speaking, it needs to be very specific in terms of what you want to achieve. Sketches, typically the right way to go, in which you need a visual artist who's able to really draw or create the examples of what you want to do. Shotless, wide shots, mid shots, close-ups, blocking, how things move in the frame, and sequencing, basically the order of those things happen and how they're seen.

It's very specific storyboards by definition. When you work with a professional storyboard, it should be that specific. And then it's up to the pre-production phase, the producers, the line producers, the assistant producers to go out and find the right sets, locations, talent.

costumes to basically shoot that, then it's up to then the next level of that is to find the right crew to execute on that. So while there is an immense level of specificity in the shooting, I tend to think, and a lot of people will say that you're getting a direct outcome. I think you're quite a limited person.

I think it's so specific that while you're ultimately getting exactly what you want, you're also limiting what you're getting because it's so specific. So that's one thing I find a drawback. If you're making a film or a high-end TV seat, absolutely, that plan is really critical.

What is the criteria to help you decide whether you need a full storyboard or whether you don't need a full storyboard? think the lowest hanging fruit and the most obvious answer to that is what are you producing and where are you showing it? So like you said, if you're a car company that has a signature of new car launch, and that's pretty much gonna be your signature brand or your signature look, you know, with other content coming, but that's, yeah, it's on television.

Yeah, you probably don't want to leave a lot up to chance if you're going to have a whole career out there and you want to make sure you get every shot that you've thought through.

Well, I think that's it. I said, the word signature is, good. Um, and I think that's really, anything, that needs to be really tailor-made specific, look specific fields, really specific messaging. Um, a storyboarded shoot is really the right way to go. Um, for, for brands or companies that have that kind of end goal where you need to publish a 32nd TVC or digital ad.

and you need to create that really tied together brand messaging, it's definitely the way to go. I think there are other ways to go, but for if you're going to have a budget with a media budget behind it, if you're going to have a very clear direction of what you want to show and say, then a storyboarded shoot is the right way to go for sure.

And as a rule of thumb, I always kind of think of if you're very clear or you need to be very specific on precisely the outcome you want, then it's more likely you need a storyboard. You don't want to leave that up for debate and that shouldn't be discussed on the set. The set should be about executing. I think where this is, we'll talk about budget considerations as well, but for consider moving away from storyboard is I think if you have

And this happens a lot more than I think people think, is if you have an ending you're not quite sure about, if you want to leave the, I guess, the conclusion or the final look and feel open to what happens on the day. So maybe an event, maybe things that are a little more fluid in terms of the output you desire. So if you're not as prescriptive on exactly what output you want, if you're less strict and have a less storyboarded or at least

unless a highly specific storyboard, you're giving an opportunity for more flexibility in terms of not only the primary piece of content, but also, I guess, the potential to spin off complimentary content. So if you're shooting for message X and then message Y and Z come out of that, well, there you go. You've just landed on three, potential three pieces of content.

I would say storyboard shoots are the antithesis of content marketing in my opinion, like the kind of, it's very specific branded kind of messaging versus more communication. So you tend to get one thing versus potentially many things. And I think that's a big, difference in the approach. One thing I think a big reason, lot of people, a lot of agencies,

will tend towards the storyboard. It is the biggest reason is, is for alignment and stake. that's client basically getting the clients aligned and signing off on the vision. my big thing against that is, is I kind of, yeah, you're aligned to the vision, but I think you've also limited your, your potential outcomes because you're going to get one kind of thing out of it. Cause you don't, you're not looking at it holistically.

Something worth diving into, but yeah, I'm not a big fan of storyboarded shoots. They have a purpose and I can do them and I execute them, but I find that storyboarded shoots tend to, you kind of get one outcome out of them and they tend to be quite expensive to do because there's a lot more pre-production involved. Because the shots are quite specific, you're working very hard on set with performances.

to actors, with your crew, with the lighting, with your locations to get that shot right. Because you've got it storyboarded. You know what needs to be seen in that flight, and you've got to get that shot right. So you tend to be doing less shots per day than you would in other approaches. So yeah, you may need more shooting time, and you may need more crew to execute on a storyboarded shoot.

to the letter of the law, which is really, I think, goes back to that point of trying to get stakeholders aligned at the front. So I think more often than not, the reason storyboarded shoots are done aren't always valid. I think more often than not, it is for sign off from a client, where I think there are other ways that you can do that. There are other methods that you can get clients to sign

It's really to keep the client from meddling on the day. And that's valid because you want the creatives to execute and to your point think fluidly and see what's happening on the ground if an actor or one of the performers isn't delivering or it's just coming off flat or something in the background is just not, is interfering if you're constantly, if you have a client that's breathing down your neck or...

overthinking everything because they don't really understand how it goes. They understood the storyboard, but they're not seeing what they're seeing on the set. And for whatever reason they think is like, well, I'm not seeing it. It's like almost got to get in the back off. And again, that's more of an old school mentality, but I think it had a lot of validity to basically say, once you sign off, once you sign off, let us do our job.

Taking on that, how often do I, and I have to live this world often, is do I have to take a person through a concept and then know that I'm not using that story boarded approach, getting them to sign off on it and then waiting to that point where we get the content out and we're showing them the first draft. Yeah, that can be a bit of, what are they going to think?

But that's a fair point to identify and it's interesting because there's a different dynamic if it's a new client. Is there that trust, has the trust been established that they say, hey, I know what you guys do. Look, we've been through that as well. get a newish client or a new client and maybe it's a type of project they haven't done with you before. And we get agency clients that have the same question. They're very clear on what they want us to just execute.

So there is that added risk to what you would call an un-storyboarded or less specific story. Because I think we should clarify one thing, that just because you're not storyboarding doesn't mean you don't have a plan. And I just want to reinforce that. think for clarity here, a storyboard, when we refer to a storyboard, we mean a very specific, very detailed of every little step as opposed to.

plan of these are the types of shots we're gonna get we've written the script we've written one of the scripts we've written a few of the scripts here are the shots we're gonna get and what based on the answers are based on the response especially if there's some interview aspects to it we kind of reserve the right to modify it based on what happened on the day and and look I've been on enough sets from all aspects from the agency the production and also the client side and you know

most shoots some of the best stuff you get is the stuff that was a little off to the side of the strict path.

And it makes sense to me where it really makes sense is where there is a very clear vision. There is a very clear direction. There's a very clear outcome in mind. And you want that sign off. I think it makes a lot of sense. think when there's a big budget with the outcome and a big media spin behind it and a campaign, it makes tremendous amounts of sense to take that approach. Really does. But if you're doing something, say,

corporate promo or for your company or something like that. Maybe not. It's kind of probably not the right approach. You might want to have a vision. You may want to have ideas of the direction you want to go, but you may want to be a bit more flexible in your thinking. So I think it really it's use case and, the best use cases are understanding what you're going to do and what you want out of it. But I mean, I think I'm on that.

It's good to go through the pros and cons of both approaches, storyboarded versus non-storyboarded. So I'll give you, how about storyboarded? What are the pros of storyboarded?

clarity.

expectations are managed. Post-production is informed, so there's no debate. A little less debate, there's not no debate, but there's less debate, because most of the storyboard is based on an edit plan, so if the storyboard is done to the second, you'll have every frame laid out so you know it, so there's clear direction on the set. In those moments, I would argue those can be smoother shoot days because you reduce them

the amount of variables that could interfere with the smooth debt. if you've the flip to that, you're spending more time before the shoot, of course, which takes time and resources and money, essentially.

For me, think the biggest combo is you're kind of limiting yourself to one outcome.

And maybe that's all you need and that's okay. But the risk with one outcome with all that cost involved is you have one outcome. And in a world where frequency and, and voices and getting out there speaking all the time and having that consistent presence of voice is important, that one outcome may not have a long shelf life. So you may have sunk a lot of money in that one thing.

So you have to think carefully about that.

Now that might be the right decision, might be the right call for your circumstances, your brand, your industry, the media that you've chosen to show your content. And it could make sense. Like, I think I made a joke. It's like if it's your Super Bowl ad, well, yeah, I think you should not take any chances if you're spending $5 million on a US ad from the TVC and that's your signature. Yeah, you might want to spend a few.

extra dollars to ensure every shot is exactly what you want. on the day, you're just everyone's razor focused on the execution.

I'll go through the non-storyboarded pros. think it's more nimble. I think it's flexible. I with a guide and a direction and an approach, so for example, interviews or overlay, even some specified shots that you might want to achieve, you can get a lot. You can get a lot for your shoot and you can get a lot more outcomes out of it.

I think the cons of the non-storyboard shoot are there's a risk of missing things. I think you can get inconsistency in your storytelling and that's definitely potentially a risk. And a lot more pressure in post where I'm quite comfortable with that pressure in post because of a huge amount of experience in post. So I know how to really work with materials.

which is probably why I'm more confident with the non-story-reported approach versus others.

The irony is that the goal of a storyboard, whether it's super detailed or not, ironically is to eliminate that chaos because in theory, it's putting it on paper and getting everyone to agree what's going to happen next. But that also relies or is based on an assumption that everyone is seeing it the same way. And when it's a concept, when it's creative and it's on paper,

There's multiple interpretations, unfortunately, of what that vision is. And I think that's the irony is that's the goal of a good storyboard, but it's also informing some of the problems in the story.

I think alignment is, everybody's got alignment down pat in terms of the vision and the creative and getting excited where the alignment is out of whack. And I'm not sure exactly why, but I'd say it's through experience and true understanding of, of production processes is budget. And I think that is the big misalignment. The storyboard it shoots that occurs over and over again.

If everyone's seeing the same vision, there's a huge difference in, there's a gap in terms of the knowledge of how that actually happens practically, meaning what it takes to get to that end. like, that's a wonderful vision.

Well, very simply, it's, it's, that's the problem right there. I love the vision. This is the budget I've got. Or worse here is it's a, client's got this budget, but we're going to squeeze the production into this part of the budget because we've got other things that we need to. It's, it's, it's money. It comes down to money. And that's the biggest problem with storyboard issues is the misalignment with, budgets versus.

the creative execution of the storyboard at lunch.

And this is where I think it can get difficult, is that there's a lack of realization of what they're, they don't realize what they're actually asking for. Like, do you realize what you've just asked me? And I'll build an example of that, because this comes up quite a bit, which is a good problem, but it's can be a problem, which is when you say, when someone's giving you a pretty weak brief, because to be fair, they're like, I'm not sure what I want, but here's some things on the internet that I love.

And here's an example of what I'm trying to achieve. And we say, that's fantastic. That's a wonderful example. That's a $250,000 production. Oh yeah, but we only have 10, 20 grand. say, okay, well, right away you say, do you see why there's a problem here? But I think where it gets challenging, and I don't think a lot of people do it well. I'm not saying we do it perfect, but it's something we do try to address, which is explaining to people why it costs more.

I think it's easy to just say, well, that's out of our budget. You could say, well, why does it cost more? It's like, okay, because that's multiple days on set. That's a bigger crew. It's more equipment. It's more storyboarding time. It's more discussion time. It's more talent, finding the right talent to deliver the message. It's about the setting. you need sunsets or sunrises or you need a certain look, well, you can only shoot between three and five PM. There you go. That's a sunset. If you want the natural, if you're dealing with animals, you're dealing with kids,

I think it's just to mitigate most of this, it's generally where it boils down to every project you work on in any industry is communication and aligning expectations and managing those expectations. And I think it's a two way street. You don't as an agency or a creative provider, you don't want to oversell a vision and then say, you know, the old bait and switch, like I have this great idea, that'll cost you $8 million versus once you give people more practical ideas. And likewise, don't oversell to a client a vision that

that you know is out of their budget to try to creep them up a budget. Because then the trust is broken. It's like, well, then clients accuse creatives of baiting switching, right? It's like, well, you sold me on this $100,000 concept.

And there's always that risk. So cost considerations, that into perspective for this, is, I mean, the direct costs with a storyboard shoot are, think you have, there's a lot more pre-production time, obviously. A lot more sort of review cycles involved in terms of getting the vision aligned. Tends to be, if you're doing it really well, there'll be an illustrator's fees or a designer's fees involved.

So there's some of the costs, direct cost considerations involved. Indirects, I think there's a lot of time invested upfront. There's huge amounts of time and there's a lot of selling that creative in. I guess that's counterbalanced by the fact that you'll have less risk in your post-production that we mentioned before. Yeah, I think in terms of the shoot though, cost considerations for me are big budget.

All good. Small budget, big risk with storyboarderships. Tends to be generally the...

What's kind of a checklist of things they should still demand to ensure that they're addressing some of the challenges that a storyboard is supposed to fix, which is how do I make sure I'm getting, we're getting what was agreed to on the set with that one? What would you advise?

If you're the client, you could be asking your production company or your agency or your creative this question. This is a great idea. I love it. What you're presenting me is excellent. Does our budget align with this vision?

to send a question you to ask. And if you're a creative or an agency or a production company and you're not sure, I'm not telling anyone how to do their job, but if you're not sure, you could ask the client and say, you could be a bit more direct and say your budget won't work for this approach. This is what we have to do. So be a bit more explaining. You can only really use one location with your budget. You can't afford to have too many costs. You're going to have to think about all these kinds

Just that honest, transparent conversation between both will probably go a long way. So practical takeaways. So when, Mike, when to storyboard? for it. When?

when there's a very specific script.

very specific outcome, very specific media. So TBC, I'm running it during the NRL because it's well, I'm running it up to the lead up to Christmas. I have three months to promote a new car. Maybe you would do it because you want to be very clear. You have one piece of content, you know it's going to run. It's your signature piece.

and you're going to have media behind it. Yeah, I might want a story by this sucker because I don't want to... It's a big investment. There's going to be a lot on the set. I don't want to have to go back twice. I only do this once a year. Let's do it.

Good reasons. think 100 % that's the right time to use a storyboard. When not to use a storyboard, I think...

Where there's more flexibility available in your outcomes, don't use a storyboard. So like if you've, you know, if you want to shoot more content-based sort of content marketing based materials, run and gun style, not necessarily where there isn't a really specific vision, where there is a bit more of a general outcome required, no storyboards. I think...

when you want to sort of try and develop lots and lots of content, no story. So the hybrid approach is for me the way to go, which is shot lists, directions, outputs, scheduling, planning. You'll walk away with a lot more in the can and you'll walk away with a lot more potential in terms of your outputs. So the hybrid approach from these is the way most people should go.