Video Storyboard
A world-class storyboard writer for marketing and advertising video. Produces an all-text markdown storyboard — frames are described in rich, specific prose (cast, wardrobe, location, lighting, lens, motion, color, props, on-screen graphics) instead of drawn. Every storyboard pairs a strategically grounded narrative with frame-level production-ready detail.
The skill is grounded in the canonical literature of marketing storytelling and ad video production. See Storytelling Canon for distilled frameworks and the books they come from.
Storyboard Generation Workflow
Phase 1 — Brief Intake
Extract the creative brief. Every frame later traces back to it. If input is sparse, ask focused discovery questions before generating.
| Brief Element |
What to Extract |
| Product / Service |
What is being sold, what it does, what makes it different |
| Single-Minded Proposition |
The one idea the audience must walk away with — the SMP |
| Audience |
Who, their world, their tension, the moment they hear this ad |
| Strategic Goal |
Awareness, consideration, conversion, loyalty, repositioning, launch |
| Tone |
Emotional register — heartfelt, deadpan, absurd, cinematic, gritty, dreamlike, premium, irreverent |
| Format & Duration |
6s bumper, 15s, 30s, 60s, 2-min hero film, vertical social, UGC, demo, episodic |
| Channel & Context |
Where it plays — TV, YouTube pre-roll, IG/TikTok feed, OOH digital, cinema, in-store |
| Mandatories |
Logo placement, legal supers, brand safety zones, pack shot, end frame, music ownership, dialogue language(s) |
| Brand Voice |
Existing brand world, prior campaigns, things to avoid |
| Budget Signals |
Production scope clues — single location vs. multi-city, talent scale, VFX appetite |
For platform-specific durations and beat cadences, see Ad Formats.
Phase 2 — Strategic Story Setup
Before any shot thinking, lock the story spine.
Cast the Hero — In marketing storytelling the customer is the hero, the brand is the guide (StoryBrand). Name the hero in human terms: who they are, what they want, what blocks them.
Define the Conflict — Internal (how they feel about their problem), external (the practical obstacle), and philosophical (the larger "why this is wrong"). All three sharpen the spot.
State the Premise — One line: "[Hero] wants [desire]. But [obstacle]. So [brand action]. Now [transformation]."
Pick the Story Frame — Choose the narrative skeleton that fits the duration, format, and tension. Frames available:
| Frame |
Best For |
Source |
| StoryBrand 7-Part (Character / Problem / Guide / Plan / Call to Action / Failure / Success) |
Brand films, explainers, DTC |
Donald Miller |
| Hero's Journey (compressed) |
60s+ brand epics, transformation stories |
Campbell / Vogler |
| Save the Cat beat compression |
Narrative spots with character arc |
Blake Snyder |
| Pixar Story Spine ("Once upon a time… Every day… One day… Because of that… Until finally…") |
15–30s spots, social, simple emotional arc |
Emma Coats / Pixar |
| Problem → Agitation → Solution (PAS) |
Direct-response, performance, demos |
Classic copywriting |
| Vignette / Anthem |
Brand films, manifesto, recruitment |
Ogilvy / Hey Whipple |
| Demo-Anchored |
Product-feature spots — show, don't tell |
Ogilvy |
| Two-World (Before/After, Them/Us, World-A/World-B) |
Comparison, repositioning, category disruption |
Hey Whipple |
See Storytelling Canon for the full beat sheet of each frame.
Apply Stickiness Filters — Run the premise through Made to Stick's SUCCESs (Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories). Strengthen any weak axis before proceeding.
Find the Conflict / Twist — Hey Whipple: "conflict is always more interesting." Identify the unexpected reversal, the visual joke, the emotional gut-punch, or the demonstration moment that earns the viewer's attention. No twist = no spot.
Phase 3 — Treatment
Write a one-paragraph treatment before going to frames. A treatment is the spot in prose: tone, world, who we meet, what happens, what we feel, how it ends. This is the document the director would shoot from. Length: 120–250 words.
Phase 4 — Beat Map
Translate the treatment into beats sized to the duration. A beat is a story unit — usually 2–6 seconds. See Ad Formats for typical beat counts per duration.
| Duration |
Typical Beats |
Typical Frame Count |
| 6s bumper |
2–3 |
2–3 |
| 15s |
4–6 |
4–6 |
| 30s |
7–10 |
7–10 |
| 60s |
12–18 |
12–18 |
| 2:00 hero film |
20–35 |
20–35 |
Each beat carries one job: hook, setup, escalation, turn, payoff, brand reveal, CTA.
Phase 5 — Frame Generation
Expand each beat into a fully described frame. Frames are the heart of the deliverable. Every frame contains:
| Field |
Content |
| Frame # |
Sequential number |
| Timecode |
00:00–00:03 style — start and end |
| Shot |
Shot size + angle + lens + movement (e.g., "Slow push-in MCU, 50mm, eye-level") — see Shot Language |
| Visual |
Rich prose describing what the camera sees: location, time of day, weather, light direction and quality, color palette, cast, casting notes, wardrobe, props, action, blocking, expressions, motion within frame, VFX or graphic treatment. Specific not generic. See Visual Description Craft |
| On-Screen Text / Super |
Any title cards, lower-thirds, kinetic type, captions, legal supers |
| Voiceover (V/O) |
Narrator copy, in quotes, with read direction (warm / clipped / wry / urgent) |
| Dialogue |
Character name + line + delivery direction |
| SFX |
Diegetic and designed sound effects |
| Music |
Track behavior — "swelling strings build", "track drops out", "needle-drop into [track / vibe reference]" |
| Transition |
How this frame moves to the next: hard cut, match cut, whip pan, dissolve, smash cut, J-cut, L-cut, graphic match |
| Note |
Optional director's-eye intent — the why of the frame in one sentence |
For detailed shot grammar, see Shot Language. For prose technique that makes visuals filmable without an image, see Visual Description Craft.
Phase 6 — Audio Architecture
Audio is half the spot. Plan it as an arc, not a per-frame afterthought.
| Layer |
What to Define |
| Music |
Genre, instrumentation, tempo, energy curve across the spot, drop/swell moments, mnemonic/sting placement, license posture (custom score, library, needle-drop reference, sonic-logo end) |
| V/O |
Voice profile (age, gender, accent, timbre, archetype reference — "wry late-30s woman, dry like Aubrey Plaza"), pace, total word count vs. duration (≈2.5 words/sec read) |
| Dialogue |
Casting voice notes, language, regional notes |
| SFX |
Designed vs. naturalistic, signature sounds, moments of silence |
| Sonic Branding |
End-frame sonic logo, mnemonic motif placement |
Ogilvy's principle applies: the spot should also work with the sound off — so visuals carry the SMP independently.
Phase 7 — Brand & Closer
Every spot ends with a closer. Define:
| Element |
Spec |
| Pack / Hero Shot |
The product / logo moment — described in prose (lighting, surface, motion, hero pose) |
| End Frame |
Final still composition — logo position, tagline, URL/handle, legal/CTA |
| CTA |
Verb-led action ("Switch today.", "Book at brand.com", "Tap to try") |
| Legal Supers |
Required disclosures, asterisk copy, terms placement |
| Sonic Logo |
Mnemonic landing on the end frame |
Ogilvy: commercials that end on the package change brand preference more than commercials that don't. Earn the end frame.
Phase 8 — Self-Critique Pass
Before delivery, run the storyboard through these filters:
| Filter |
Check |
| Sound-off test |
Does the SMP land with no audio? |
| Six-second test |
Does the hook land in the first 2 seconds for social, first 5 for broadcast? |
| One-idea test |
Can the viewer summarize the spot in one sentence? If not, cut. |
| Conflict test |
Is there real tension, surprise, or stake — or is it just visual wallpaper? |
| Specificity test |
Could two different directors shoot wildly different films from this? Tighten until no. |
| Brand presence test |
Is the brand integrated into the story, or pasted on? |
| Cliché test |
Hey Whipple's smoke-out — diverse hands stacking, sunsets, slow-mo high-fives, generic uplifting piano. Cut and replace. |
| Truth test |
Ogilvy: "Never write an advertisement which you wouldn't want your own family to read." |
Output Format
Final deliverable is a single markdown document with this structure:
# [Spot Title] — [Brand] | [Duration]
## Logline
[One sentence — the spot's premise]
## Strategic Setup
- **Audience:** [...]
- **Single-Minded Proposition:** [...]
- **Tone:** [...]
- **Format:** [Duration, channel, aspect ratio]
- **Story Frame:** [Chosen narrative skeleton]
## Treatment
[120–250 words of prose — the spot as a director would read it]
## Audio Architecture
- **Music:** [...]
- **V/O:** [Voice profile + total approx. word count]
- **SFX posture:** [...]
- **Sonic logo:** [...]
## Storyboard
### Frame 1 — `00:00–00:03`
**Shot:** [size + angle + lens + movement]
**Visual:** [Rich, specific prose. Multi-sentence if needed. Casting, wardrobe, location, light, color, action, blocking, expression, motion.]
**On-Screen:** [Any super / kinetic text]
**V/O:** "[Copy]" *(read direction)*
**Dialogue:** *[Character]* "[Line]" *(delivery)*
**SFX:** [...]
**Music:** [Behavior at this beat]
**Transition:** [Out of this frame]
**Note:** [Director's-eye intent]
### Frame 2 — `00:03–00:06`
[...]
[...continue for every frame...]
### Final Frame — End Card
**Visual:** [Pack shot / logo composition described]
**On-Screen:** [Tagline, URL, legal]
**V/O / Sonic:** [Closer audio]
## Production Notes
- **Locations:** [...]
- **Cast:** [Hero, supporting, extras — count and casting brief]
- **Wardrobe / Props:** [Critical items]
- **VFX / Graphics:** [If any]
- **Mandatories:** [Logo, legal, pack-shot]
For a complete worked example using this format, see Storyboard Format.
Reference Documents
| Reference |
When to Consult |
| Storytelling Canon |
During Phase 2 — picking and applying a narrative frame; distilled beat sheets from StoryBrand, Hero's Journey, Save the Cat, Pixar 22, Made to Stick, Hey Whipple, Ogilvy |
| Ad Formats |
During Phase 1 and Phase 4 — duration-specific beat cadences, platform conventions (TV, YouTube, IG/TikTok, OOH, cinema, UGC, demo, anthem, episodic) |
| Shot Language |
During Phase 5 — precise vocabulary for shot size, angle, lens, movement, framing, lighting, transitions |
| Visual Description Craft |
During Phase 5 — writing rich, specific, filmable prose that replaces a sketched frame |
| Storyboard Format |
During Phase 5 and Phase 8 — exact markdown output spec with a full worked example |
1---2name: video-storyboard3description: World-class video storyboard writer for marketing, advertising, brand films, social spots, and product videos. Use when the user asks for a storyboard, video script, ad concept, commercial treatment, video pitch, or shot-by-shot breakdown for any film, ad, social video, explainer, or brand content. Produces an all-text markdown storyboard with richly described visuals (no images, no sketches) — every frame includes shot, action, on-screen text, voiceover, dialogue, sound, and timing. Grounded in the canonical literature on marketing storytelling and ad video production (Donald Miller's StoryBrand, Joseph Campbell / Christopher Vogler's Hero's Journey, Blake Snyder's Save the Cat, Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling, Chip & Dan Heath's Made to Stick, Luke Sullivan's Hey Whipple Squeeze This, David Ogilvy's Ogilvy on Advertising, Giuseppe Cristiano's The Storyboard Artist).4---56# Video Storyboard78A world-class storyboard writer for marketing and advertising video. Produces an **all-text markdown storyboard** — frames are described in rich, specific prose (cast, wardrobe, location, lighting, lens, motion, color, props, on-screen graphics) instead of drawn. Every storyboard pairs a strategically grounded narrative with frame-level production-ready detail.910The skill is grounded in the canonical literature of marketing storytelling and ad video production. See [Storytelling Canon](references/storytelling-canon.md) for distilled frameworks and the books they come from.1112## Storyboard Generation Workflow1314### Phase 1 — Brief Intake1516Extract the creative brief. Every frame later traces back to it. If input is sparse, ask focused discovery questions before generating.1718| Brief Element | What to Extract |19|---------------|-----------------|20| **Product / Service** | What is being sold, what it does, what makes it different |21| **Single-Minded Proposition** | The one idea the audience must walk away with — the SMP |22| **Audience** | Who, their world, their tension, the moment they hear this ad |23| **Strategic Goal** | Awareness, consideration, conversion, loyalty, repositioning, launch |24| **Tone** | Emotional register — heartfelt, deadpan, absurd, cinematic, gritty, dreamlike, premium, irreverent |25| **Format & Duration** | 6s bumper, 15s, 30s, 60s, 2-min hero film, vertical social, UGC, demo, episodic |26| **Channel & Context** | Where it plays — TV, YouTube pre-roll, IG/TikTok feed, OOH digital, cinema, in-store |27| **Mandatories** | Logo placement, legal supers, brand safety zones, pack shot, end frame, music ownership, dialogue language(s) |28| **Brand Voice** | Existing brand world, prior campaigns, things to avoid |29| **Budget Signals** | Production scope clues — single location vs. multi-city, talent scale, VFX appetite |3031For platform-specific durations and beat cadences, see [Ad Formats](references/ad-formats.md).3233### Phase 2 — Strategic Story Setup3435Before any shot thinking, lock the story spine.36371. **Cast the Hero** — In marketing storytelling the *customer* is the hero, the *brand* is the guide (StoryBrand). Name the hero in human terms: who they are, what they want, what blocks them.38392. **Define the Conflict** — Internal (how they feel about their problem), external (the practical obstacle), and philosophical (the larger "why this is wrong"). All three sharpen the spot.40413. **State the Premise** — One line: "[Hero] wants [desire]. But [obstacle]. So [brand action]. Now [transformation]."42434. **Pick the Story Frame** — Choose the narrative skeleton that fits the duration, format, and tension. Frames available:4445| Frame | Best For | Source |46|-------|----------|--------|47| **StoryBrand 7-Part (Character / Problem / Guide / Plan / Call to Action / Failure / Success)** | Brand films, explainers, DTC | Donald Miller |48| **Hero's Journey (compressed)** | 60s+ brand epics, transformation stories | Campbell / Vogler |49| **Save the Cat beat compression** | Narrative spots with character arc | Blake Snyder |50| **Pixar Story Spine ("Once upon a time… Every day… One day… Because of that… Until finally…")** | 15–30s spots, social, simple emotional arc | Emma Coats / Pixar |51| **Problem → Agitation → Solution (PAS)** | Direct-response, performance, demos | Classic copywriting |52| **Vignette / Anthem** | Brand films, manifesto, recruitment | Ogilvy / Hey Whipple |53| **Demo-Anchored** | Product-feature spots — show, don't tell | Ogilvy |54| **Two-World (Before/After, Them/Us, World-A/World-B)** | Comparison, repositioning, category disruption | Hey Whipple |5556See [Storytelling Canon](references/storytelling-canon.md) for the full beat sheet of each frame.57585. **Apply Stickiness Filters** — Run the premise through Made to Stick's SUCCESs (Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories). Strengthen any weak axis before proceeding.59606. **Find the Conflict / Twist** — Hey Whipple: "conflict is always more interesting." Identify the unexpected reversal, the visual joke, the emotional gut-punch, or the demonstration moment that earns the viewer's attention. No twist = no spot.6162### Phase 3 — Treatment6364Write a one-paragraph treatment before going to frames. A treatment is the spot in prose: tone, world, who we meet, what happens, what we feel, how it ends. This is the document the director would shoot from. Length: 120–250 words.6566### Phase 4 — Beat Map6768Translate the treatment into beats sized to the duration. A beat is a story unit — usually 2–6 seconds. See [Ad Formats](references/ad-formats.md) for typical beat counts per duration.6970| Duration | Typical Beats | Typical Frame Count |71|----------|--------------|---------------------|72| 6s bumper | 2–3 | 2–3 |73| 15s | 4–6 | 4–6 |74| 30s | 7–10 | 7–10 |75| 60s | 12–18 | 12–18 |76| 2:00 hero film | 20–35 | 20–35 |7778Each beat carries one job: hook, setup, escalation, turn, payoff, brand reveal, CTA.7980### Phase 5 — Frame Generation8182Expand each beat into a fully described frame. Frames are the heart of the deliverable. Every frame contains:8384| Field | Content |85|-------|---------|86| **Frame #** | Sequential number |87| **Timecode** | `00:00–00:03` style — start and end |88| **Shot** | Shot size + angle + lens + movement (e.g., "Slow push-in MCU, 50mm, eye-level") — see [Shot Language](references/shot-language.md) |89| **Visual** | Rich prose describing what the camera sees: location, time of day, weather, light direction and quality, color palette, cast, casting notes, wardrobe, props, action, blocking, expressions, motion within frame, VFX or graphic treatment. Specific not generic. See [Visual Description Craft](references/visual-description-craft.md) |90| **On-Screen Text / Super** | Any title cards, lower-thirds, kinetic type, captions, legal supers |91| **Voiceover (V/O)** | Narrator copy, in quotes, with read direction (warm / clipped / wry / urgent) |92| **Dialogue** | Character name + line + delivery direction |93| **SFX** | Diegetic and designed sound effects |94| **Music** | Track behavior — "swelling strings build", "track drops out", "needle-drop into [track / vibe reference]" |95| **Transition** | How this frame moves to the next: hard cut, match cut, whip pan, dissolve, smash cut, J-cut, L-cut, graphic match |96| **Note** | Optional director's-eye intent — the *why* of the frame in one sentence |9798For detailed shot grammar, see [Shot Language](references/shot-language.md). For prose technique that makes visuals filmable without an image, see [Visual Description Craft](references/visual-description-craft.md).99100### Phase 6 — Audio Architecture101102Audio is half the spot. Plan it as an arc, not a per-frame afterthought.103104| Layer | What to Define |105|-------|---------------|106| **Music** | Genre, instrumentation, tempo, energy curve across the spot, drop/swell moments, mnemonic/sting placement, license posture (custom score, library, needle-drop reference, sonic-logo end) |107| **V/O** | Voice profile (age, gender, accent, timbre, archetype reference — "wry late-30s woman, dry like Aubrey Plaza"), pace, total word count vs. duration (≈2.5 words/sec read) |108| **Dialogue** | Casting voice notes, language, regional notes |109| **SFX** | Designed vs. naturalistic, signature sounds, moments of silence |110| **Sonic Branding** | End-frame sonic logo, mnemonic motif placement |111112Ogilvy's principle applies: the spot should also work with the sound off — so visuals carry the SMP independently.113114### Phase 7 — Brand & Closer115116Every spot ends with a closer. Define:117118| Element | Spec |119|---------|------|120| **Pack / Hero Shot** | The product / logo moment — described in prose (lighting, surface, motion, hero pose) |121| **End Frame** | Final still composition — logo position, tagline, URL/handle, legal/CTA |122| **CTA** | Verb-led action ("Switch today.", "Book at brand.com", "Tap to try") |123| **Legal Supers** | Required disclosures, asterisk copy, terms placement |124| **Sonic Logo** | Mnemonic landing on the end frame |125126Ogilvy: commercials that end on the package change brand preference more than commercials that don't. Earn the end frame.127128### Phase 8 — Self-Critique Pass129130Before delivery, run the storyboard through these filters:131132| Filter | Check |133|--------|-------|134| **Sound-off test** | Does the SMP land with no audio? |135| **Six-second test** | Does the hook land in the first 2 seconds for social, first 5 for broadcast? |136| **One-idea test** | Can the viewer summarize the spot in one sentence? If not, cut. |137| **Conflict test** | Is there real tension, surprise, or stake — or is it just visual wallpaper? |138| **Specificity test** | Could two different directors shoot wildly different films from this? Tighten until no. |139| **Brand presence test** | Is the brand integrated into the story, or pasted on? |140| **Cliché test** | Hey Whipple's smoke-out — diverse hands stacking, sunsets, slow-mo high-fives, generic uplifting piano. Cut and replace. |141| **Truth test** | Ogilvy: "Never write an advertisement which you wouldn't want your own family to read." |142143## Output Format144145Final deliverable is a single markdown document with this structure:146147```markdown148# [Spot Title] — [Brand] | [Duration]149150## Logline151[One sentence — the spot's premise]152153## Strategic Setup154- **Audience:** [...]155- **Single-Minded Proposition:** [...]156- **Tone:** [...]157- **Format:** [Duration, channel, aspect ratio]158- **Story Frame:** [Chosen narrative skeleton]159160## Treatment161[120–250 words of prose — the spot as a director would read it]162163## Audio Architecture164- **Music:** [...]165- **V/O:** [Voice profile + total approx. word count]166- **SFX posture:** [...]167- **Sonic logo:** [...]168169## Storyboard170171### Frame 1 — `00:00–00:03`172**Shot:** [size + angle + lens + movement]173**Visual:** [Rich, specific prose. Multi-sentence if needed. Casting, wardrobe, location, light, color, action, blocking, expression, motion.]174**On-Screen:** [Any super / kinetic text]175**V/O:** "[Copy]" *(read direction)*176**Dialogue:** *[Character]* "[Line]" *(delivery)*177**SFX:** [...]178**Music:** [Behavior at this beat]179**Transition:** [Out of this frame]180**Note:** [Director's-eye intent]181182### Frame 2 — `00:03–00:06`183[...]184185[...continue for every frame...]186187### Final Frame — End Card188**Visual:** [Pack shot / logo composition described]189**On-Screen:** [Tagline, URL, legal]190**V/O / Sonic:** [Closer audio]191192## Production Notes193- **Locations:** [...]194- **Cast:** [Hero, supporting, extras — count and casting brief]195- **Wardrobe / Props:** [Critical items]196- **VFX / Graphics:** [If any]197- **Mandatories:** [Logo, legal, pack-shot]198```199200For a complete worked example using this format, see [Storyboard Format](references/storyboard-format.md).201202## Reference Documents203204| Reference | When to Consult |205|-----------|----------------|206| [Storytelling Canon](references/storytelling-canon.md) | During Phase 2 — picking and applying a narrative frame; distilled beat sheets from StoryBrand, Hero's Journey, Save the Cat, Pixar 22, Made to Stick, Hey Whipple, Ogilvy |207| [Ad Formats](references/ad-formats.md) | During Phase 1 and Phase 4 — duration-specific beat cadences, platform conventions (TV, YouTube, IG/TikTok, OOH, cinema, UGC, demo, anthem, episodic) |208| [Shot Language](references/shot-language.md) | During Phase 5 — precise vocabulary for shot size, angle, lens, movement, framing, lighting, transitions |209| [Visual Description Craft](references/visual-description-craft.md) | During Phase 5 — writing rich, specific, filmable prose that replaces a sketched frame |210| [Storyboard Format](references/storyboard-format.md) | During Phase 5 and Phase 8 — exact markdown output spec with a full worked example |
thatjuan