A storyboard answers what each shot looks like. An animatic answers how long it takes and whether it works in motion. The second question cannot be answered on paper.
What a storyboard is for
- Composition and staging - what is in frame and where.
- Continuity of screen direction and eyeline between shots.
- Communicating intent to a department before anything is built.
- Being reviewed and marked up cheaply, before production cost is committed.
What an animatic is for
- Timing - how long each shot holds, and whether the sequence breathes.
- Pacing across a whole sequence rather than shot by shot.
- Sync with dialogue, music or a temp track.
- Finding the shots that are not needed, which a static board will never reveal.
Why the animatic changes the boards
Almost every sequence is too long the first time it is timed. Shots that felt essential on paper turn out to be redundant once the one before it has held for three seconds. That feedback only exists in motion.
This is why the two should not live in separate tools. Boards that become an animatic in one click get timed early, when changing them is still cheap.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a storyboard and an animatic?
A storyboard is a sequence of still frames showing composition and staging. An animatic is those frames played back with timing, which shows pacing and length - something stills cannot show.
Do I need both?
For anything with a running time, yes. The storyboard settles what each shot is; the animatic settles whether the sequence works.
When should I make the animatic?
As early as the boards allow. The point is to find timing problems while changing a board is still the cheapest fix available.