Storyboard Creation

Storyboard Creation

Turn a script into a shot-by-shot visual board. This skill supplies the film-language and pre-production discipline; panels are generated with Nano Banana (nano-banana-2 MCP), and consistency comes from locked reference sheets, not from re-describing subjects in words (which drifts) or from LoRA training.

Works best downstream of consistent-characters, consistent-scenes, and consistent-products. Lock the subject, the location (with its light contract), and the props there; board them here.

The core move: consistency by reference, not by words

Every panel is a staging call. Instead of describing the character and location in the panel prompt (which reinterprets them each time), you attach the locked reference sheets and let them carry identity:

Attach as referenceImages on each panel generation:

1. Character — its reference-image (front) or character-sheet (for a non-front angle).
2. Scene — the set-reference (establishing) or the specific tile from the coverage-sheet (reverse / overhead / profile) that matches the shot.
3. Props — the character's props flat-lay.

Then the prompt states only the action, framing, and light. Obey the scene's light contract from consistent-scenes (key-light direction, height, colour temperature, shadow direction) — a subject lit from the wrong side against a locked plate reads as a fake composite instantly.

If no locked kit exists, you can still storyboard with pure-text panels — just expect drift, and lock a kit first for anything that needs to cut together.

Nano Banana quick reference

• New establishing plate / prop still / pure-text panel → generate_image (text only).
• Stage a locked character into a locked scene, or build a multi-view sheet → edit_image with imagePath = the primary reference, referenceImages = the others.
• Tweak the last panel (expression, framing) → continue_editing.
• Aspect ratio: 9:16 for vertical delivery (TikTok/Reels/Shorts), 16:9 for landscape. Keep it identical across every panel.
• No native stitcher. Assemble a board via (a) a prompted N-panel collage, (b) magick montage panel_*.png -tile 3x3 -geometry +8+8 board.png if ImageMagick is present, or (c) a markdown/HTML contact sheet referencing the panel files with their annotations.

Shot types

Camera angles

Eye Level (neutral default) · High (subject small/vulnerable) · Low (powerful/dominant) · Bird's Eye (overview/geography) · Worm's Eye (awe) · Dutch (unease, action) · Over-the-Shoulder (conversation/POV).

Camera movement (annotate on the panel; hand to a video model for motion)

Pan · Tilt · Dolly (in = intimacy, out = distance) · Truck (lateral follow) · Crane/Jib · Zoom · Steadicam/Gimbal (smooth follow) · Handheld (urgency, chaos) · Static (stability, tension). Indicate with arrows on the panel.

Continuity rules (the whole reason to board first)

• 180° rule — keep the camera on one side of the axis between two subjects; cross only with a neutral shot or a visible move. Flag any deliberate axis break so it doesn't happen by accident.
• Match on action — cut between angles mid-action so motion continues seamlessly.
• Eyeline match — a look is followed by what's looked at, from that POV (e.g. a glance down → ECU of the thing).
• Screen direction — consistent left/right travel between shots; reversing implies the subject turned around.

Panel layout & annotation

Formats: 2×2 (key moments), 2×3 (dialogue), 3×3 (action/montage), single (hero shot). Annotate every panel:

SCENE / BEAT — SHOT n
Shot: MS, eye level
Movement: slow dolly in
Duration: 2.5s
Action: <what happens>
Dialogue: "<line>"
SFX / Music: <cue>
Refs used: <character-sheet> + <scene angle> + <props>

Workflow

Step 1 — Shot list (text first). Break each beat into shots. Vary shot type for rhythm, open scenes on a WS/EWS establisher, keep 5–8 shots per scene, and note the continuity requirement on every cut.

Step 2 — Generate panels (staging). One edit_image per panel: attach the locked character + matching scene angle + props, write only the action and framing, obey the light contract, set the aspect ratio. Do not re-describe the character or location in words.

Step 3 — Assemble the board. Collage via Nano Banana, magick montage, or a markdown contact sheet with the annotations above.

Consistency tips

• Reference sheets over words — never re-describe a locked subject in a panel prompt.
• Pull the matching tile from the coverage-sheet when a panel isn't the front/master view.
• Keep aspect ratio and the light contract identical across all panels.
• If a panel drifts, regenerate with the correct reference attached — don't accept-and-continue.

Common mistakes

Crossing the 180° line by accident · all-same-shot-type (no rhythm) · no establishing shot · too many shots per beat · re-describing locked subjects in words (reintroduces drift) · wrong key-light side against a locked plate (reads as a composite) · inconsistent aspect ratio between panels.

Worked example (generic)

SCENE 1 — CAFÉ, DAY   (vertical 9:16, light contract: window key from frame-left)

1.1  WS   eye level, static      — establish café interior            [scene set-reference]
1.2  MS   eye level, slow dolly  — Ana sits, opens laptop             [Ana character-sheet + scene + props]
1.3  CU   eye level              — Ana reacts to the screen           [Ana reference-image]
1.4  ECU  insert                 — the screen detail she sees         [prop still]  (eyeline match from 1.3)
1.5  OTS  over Ana               — barista approaches, says a line    [both sheets; stay on one side of the axis]

Each panel = one edit_image staging call attaching the bracketed references; the prompt carries only framing, action, and light.

Related skills

consistent-characters · consistent-scenes · consistent-products (lock subjects/sets/props first) · ai-image-prompts (panel prompt craft) · performance-creative / static-ads (ad creative context).