Seasoned professionals usually create storyboards. Anyone who can visualize a story can create a storyboard, one that can be edited and polished by an expert.

A storyboard is a series of illustrations detailing what a film, an animation, a game or a multimedia project will look like when completed. Storyboards can be hand drawn or composed digitally using computer graphics.

In 1928, Disney Animation Studios created storyboards for the first Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts. Storyboards have been used ever since then by filmmakers and animators the world over.

Alfred Hitchcock championed storyboards. He used them in all his films and claimed that once he had one, he never needed to touch a camera during filming.

Storyboards, like comic books and strips are the rubric of sequential art. With sequential art, a series of illustrations produces a story that is instantly comprehensible. What transpires between each illustration is as important as the action depicted within them. The audience instinctively grasps the missing details.

Storyboards are easier and faster to read than scripts. Because they are closest to a finished project, they assist a production crew by pointing up troublesome issues which can be corrected early, thus saving time and money. With a storyboard directors and project leaders can maintain creative control over the final product.

Virtually every box office hit, successful game and critically acclaimed multimedia project started as a storyboard. In cartoon animation, storyboards are very detailed. They contain information about timing, camera shots and audio tracks. In film and commercials, storyboards are less detailed, giving directors more opportunity to make changes during production.