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Once a concept or script is written, the next step is to make a storyboard which visually tells the story of an animation panel by panel, kind of like a comic book. The storyboard must convey the characters who will be in the frame and how they are moving, what the characters are saying, how much time has passed between a frame and another, where the "camera" is in each scene.

Creating a storyboard helps to plan your animation out shot by shot. It is possible to change a storyboard before starting animating. A storyboard allows to show your project to people to make it clearer and then get feedback.

Storyboards are often drawn in pen or pencil but it is also possible to take photos, cut out pictures from magazines, or use a computer. Of course the drawings don't have to be fancy. There must be basic shapes, stick figures, and simple backgrounds.

The first storyboard drawn for an animation was by Walt Disney Studio for "the Three little Pigs" in the early 1930s.

Vocabulary :

Panel : une case
Characters : des personnages
Frame : le cadre (cadrage)
Shot by shot : image par image
Feedback : Retour d'informations
Fancy : fantaisiste
Basic shapes : formes basiques
Stick figures : bonhommes bâtons
Background : Contexte/ décor