Anime Storyboard Template

The way anime is planned: a numbered cut, a small picture, the action and camera, the sound and the length in seconds and frames. Eight cuts filled in.

Use this template

FitsOne scene of 20 to 60 seconds
IncludesFilled example and blank
CostFree to copy

Updated 14 October 2026

A gray pencil layout drawing of a corner shop in two-point perspective seen from a high window

A pencil storyboard panel over a girl's shoulder toward a boy sitting at a table

A pencil storyboard insert of one hand sliding an envelope across a table toward another hand

Panels of the example storyboard, from the Ziztu anime scene library.

The template

An anime storyboard is called an ekonte. Each row is one cut, and its length is written in seconds and frames at 24 frames per second. The example is eight cuts of one quiet scene.

Anime storyboard (ekonte)

The envelope, scene 1Your title here

Scene card

The header of every ekonte page.

Scene: The envelope
Place: A corner shop's back table, then a school hallway
People: Mio, a student. Ken, her classmate.
What changes: Ken gives Mio an envelope. She does not open it.
Length: About 24 seconds at 24 frames per second

Cuts

Time is written as seconds plus frames, so 3+12 is three seconds and twelve frames.

Cut	Action and camera	Dialogue and sound	Time
1	Establishing: high angle from a window across the street onto the corner shop. Two figures walk in from the right. Static camera.	Street noise. A shop bell.	4+00
2	Interior: Mio at the back table. Ken enters from frame left. She does not look up.	Murmur of the shop.	3+12
3	Over the shoulder: Mio's shoulder in the foreground, Ken looks up and starts to speak. Static camera.	KEN: I almost did not come.	3+00
4	Insert from above: his hand slides the envelope across the table.	Paper on wood.	2+12
5	Insert from above: her hand stops the envelope.	A small intake of breath.	1+12
6	Close-up: Mio's eyes look at the envelope, not at him.	Silence.	2+00
7	Next morning, a school hallway. Mio walks right along the lockers. The camera tracks right with her.	One piano note.	4+00
8	The corner shop at dusk. Ken waits by the door. Static camera.	The shop bell.	3+12

Coverage check

A scene that has these six cuts can be edited many ways.

1Establishing shotCut 1 shows the place from outside.
2Over the shoulderCut 3 keeps the camera on one side of the table.
3InsertCuts 4 and 5 are hands only, no faces.
4ReactionCut 6 holds on her eyes.
5Camera moveCut 7 tracks along the lockers.

Scene card

The header of every ekonte page.

Scene: [Name of the scene]
Place: [Where the scene happens]
People: [Who is in it]
What changes: [What is different at the end of the scene]
Length: [Total length]

Cuts

Time is written as seconds plus frames, so 3+12 is three seconds and twelve frames.

Cut	Action and camera	Dialogue and sound	Time
[Number]	[What happens and how it is shot]	[Lines, sound effects, music]	[Seconds plus frames]
[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]

Coverage check

A scene that has these six cuts can be edited many ways.

1Establishing shot[Does one cut show where we are?]
2Over the shoulder[Is there a shot from one person's side?]
3Insert[Is there a cut with no face?]
4Reaction[Is there a close-up of someone listening?]
5Camera move[Is there one deliberate camera move?]

Paste it into Google Docs, Word, Notion or any text editor. It is free to copy and use.

The fastest way to use it

On your own

Copy the template into a document and fill it in.
Find an image tool, a video tool and a voice tool, and move your work between them.
Keep the same faces, places and style yourself, shot after shot.

In Ziztu

The idea box opens with the example already written. Change the names and press go.
Studio plans the shot list, makes every shot and adds the music, in one place.
Character sheets keep the cast looking the same in every shot.
40 free credits, no card: write the script, cast your characters, draw the storyboard and hear the voices. Video starts at $12.

Use this template

How to fill it in

01
Fill in the scene card
Write the place, the people and what changes by the end. If nothing changes, the scene is not ready to storyboard.
02
List the cuts in order
Give every cut one action, one camera note and one sound. Start with an establishing cut and add an insert and a reaction.
03
Time each cut
Write the length in seconds and frames, then add them up. A cut that cannot be timed is usually two cuts.

What makes it work

Cover the scene

An establishing cut, an over-the-shoulder, an insert and a reaction give the editor choices, even in a 24 second scene.

Keep the camera on one side

In a conversation, cross the line between the speakers only on purpose. Over-the-shoulder cuts from one side stay readable.

Draw an arrow for every move

A camera move is a start frame, an end frame and an arrow. Writing the direction in words is a second check.

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Frequently asked questions

What is an ekonte?

An ekonte is the storyboard format used to plan anime. Each page has columns for the cut number, a small drawing, the action and camera, the dialogue and sound, and the length of the cut in seconds and frames.

How many cuts does an anime scene have?

A TV anime episode has roughly 300 cuts. A short scene of 20 to 30 seconds has between six and twelve, as in the example here, which has eight.

What do the numbers like 3+12 mean?

They are seconds plus frames. At 24 frames per second, 3+12 is three seconds and twelve frames, or 3.5 seconds. Animators count in frames because every drawing is timed to one.

Are the example panels from a real show?

No. They come from the Ziztu anime scene library: pencil layouts and one finished frame, with invented people and places.

Can I turn my storyboard into a video with AI?

Yes. Press Use this template to open the idea box with the eight cuts written out, or try the scene in the AI storyboard generator. In Ziztu Studio you plan every cut and keep the cast the same.

Is the template free?

Yes. Copy it as text, download it as a Markdown file or print it to PDF without an account.