Showreel Studio Help

What a storyboard is

The script of a film, line by line: what is said, what happens on screen, and what each shot must show.

A storyboard is the script of one film. It is a list of lines, and each line is one shot: a sentence or two of voice-over, and what happens in the app while it is spoken. Everything else follows from it: the voice reads the lines, the recording acts them out, and the checks compare each shot with what the line said it would show.

What a line holds

You see these on the Line panel when you select a line on a film's timeline.

On the Line panelWhat it is
Line and shotA short id (such as s1) and a name for the picture, for people.
The voice-overWhat is said, written for the ear: short, with contractions.
Written (for the page)The same claims as prose, if you want them. Optional.
DoesWhat happens on screen during the line, in plain words.
ExpectWhat a frame from this shot must show for it to count. Checking and repair judge the frames against it.
StepsThe line's actions as steps, such as click: or type:. The code that operates your app is compiled from these.
CaptionWords for a caption on the picture, when captions are on.
Framing (square, vertical)Where the square or vertical crop sits for this line.
Callout on and Callout labelA ring and a label pointed at one element during the line.
HeadlineA few words for the top of the vertical cut.
Cut cap and Cut holdHow much picture to keep after the line, or exactly how long the shot lasts.

A line can also be a chapter card instead of a shot. See Add chapter cards.

What the film holds

The Film panel has the settings for the whole film: its Title (shown in the open), Title size, Output name (the file name), the Kit (its look and voice), what a build makes, masking, and approval.

What makes a good storyboard

The writers follow these rules, and they are worth following when you write your own:

  • One idea a viewer can hold. If it needs two films, make two.
  • A payoff shot, where the product does something visible: something appears, fills or lands.
  • Under 90 seconds. Six to eleven lines is usual.
  • Hard cuts between screens. A dissolve only for a jump in time on the same screen.

Where it lives

Each film has a folder in your project, films/<film>/, and the storyboard is storyboard.json in it. The app, the terminal and Claude Code all read and write that same file.

What next