10 Best Storyboarding Courses and Certifications Online

Storyboarding is an essential part of the pre-production process in film, animation and video game development. It involves creating a visual blueprint of a project, which helps to streamline the production process and ensure that everyone involved is on the same page. With the rise of e-learning, there are now numerous online courses available that allow individuals to learn about storyboarding from the comfort of their own homes. In this article, we will examine some of the best storyboarding courses available online and evaluate the key features and benefits of each.

Here’s a look at the Best Storyboarding Courses and Certifications Online and what they have to offer for you!

10 Best Storyboarding Courses and Certifications Online

1. Certification in Business & Brand Storytelling for Leaders by Abhisek Gupta (Udemy) (Our Best Pick)

The Certification in Business & Brand Storytelling for Leaders course is designed for Leaders, Marketers, and Entrepreneurs who want to extend the reach of their business and professional success. The course provides a 10-step Brand Storytelling System with Visual data-driven approach examples with Story Structure & Case Studies. In this course, students learn how to find stories, how to attach a few meanings to every story, how to safely practice storytelling to influence until they’re ready to do it publicly, and when it’s time, to slip influence stories naturally and comfortably into their conversation.

The course is divided into seven sections, including an introduction to the course and the instructor, storytelling, storytelling in leadership, brand storytelling, storytelling system in business and brand, storytelling assignments and coursework, and storytelling with data. Each section provides lectures, assignments, and projects to help students learn various aspects of storytelling.

The course provides a course manual and valuable resources scattered throughout the lectures. The course also includes exercises and quizzes at selected parts of the course to help students remember the tools to influence with a story.

Students have access to exclusive workbooks on the Storytelling Handbook and Glossary to use as a ready reference at any given time during crafting their Business or Brand Stories. They also have the opportunity to practice their skills in two live projects plus assignments related to Digital Storytelling and Storytelling with data.

The course is structured in a way that is easy to learn and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. The downloadable resources include two projects, a Storytelling Basics-Storytelling Handbook Workbook, and a Storytelling Glossary Workbook.

Overall, the Certification in Business & Brand Storytelling for Leaders course provides the tools and knowledge necessary to influence with a story, extend the reach of a business, and make it stand out.

2. Storyboarding for Beginners by Vicki Lau (Udemy)

The Storyboarding for Beginners course is a free, comprehensive guide to using Wonder Unit’s Storyboarder – an open-source tool for pre-production storyboarding. The course requires the use of Wonder Unit’s Storyboarder, a passion for filmmaking, and good follow-through. Optional equipment includes a drawing tablet, such as a Wacom.

The course is ideal for aspiring filmmakers who struggle to convey their vision and shot ideas through storyboards. It provides an in-depth walk-through of the essential features and steps in creating a professional and understandable storyboard, which can be interpreted by anyone on a film crew.

The course is taught by a technologically-savvy visual effects specialist, who has produced multiple short films and understands the storyboarding process as an artist and producer. The course offers insights and knowledge that can save time and money during the storyboarding process with Storyboarder. It also provides networking and open collaboration opportunities with the instructor and students.

The course covers the basics of storyboarding and its principles. It guides users through the key features of Wonder Unit’s Storyboarder, accommodating existing design skills with the tool, and working with various storyboard export options that fit filmmaking styles. It also offers planning for pre-production storyboarding.

Participating in the course empowers and equips users with the tool that saves time and money in the film production process while sparing them the embarrassment of showcasing their drawing abilities. The course is free, just like the tool itself. The course content includes Storyboarding Basics, Welcome to Storyboarder, Storyboarding Summary, and a bonus section.

3. Introduction To Story Boarding by Dalton Grant Jr (Udemy)

The Introduction to Storyboarding course, taught by Dalton Grant Jr, is aimed at animation artists, game design artists, filmmakers, graphic designers, and anyone interested in learning about the storyboarding process and its impact on these fields. The course provides lectures, video demonstrations, and PDFs to help students understand the material. The course is structured in sessions, with students asked to watch or listen to lectures, work alongside demonstrations, and read PDF materials. Live sessions will be hosted, and industry professionals will also be invited to provide further insight. By taking this course, students will gain the foundations of a visual storyteller and learn industry methods to enhance their storytelling skills.

The course is broken down into several sections, including the Instructor Introduction, Circles Break Down, Square for Story Artist, Triangle for Story Artist, Short-hand Face and Head Drawing Basics, The Human Body Broken down for Story Artist, Camera Basics Made Simple, How to Draw and Compose Characters in Basic Camera’s, Camera Blocking and Laying Out Action, and Putting It All Together. Students are encouraged to go back over the material as many times as needed until they have fully mastered it. The goal of this course is to create new storyboard artists for filmmaking, game design, photography for narratives, and graphic design by adding proven creative storytelling skills to their visual work.

4. Master Storyboard Skills for Commercials & Video Games by Mo Yang (Udemy)

The Master Storyboard Skills for Commercials & Video Games course is led by Mo Yang, a seasoned storyboard artist with over a decade of experience in Hollywood. The course is designed to equip learners with fundamental skills in storyboarding for TV commercials, video games, and live action.

Mo covers a range of topics such as the secret purpose of storyboarding, key design elements and principles, composition mastery, camera 101 (shots, moves, and lenses), perspective 101, and tricks on how to draw faster and better. Additionally, Mo shares his confidential storyboard creation process, tricks on how to draw “realistic” style, and provides a real-time drawing tutorial.

The class is ideal for graphic designers, concept artists, and animators who want to enhance their storytelling skills and gain a competitive edge. The course is broken down into several sections, including an introduction to the storyboard class, storyboard key fundamentals, camera and perspective fundamentals, Mr. Mo’s storyboard process breakdown, and a concluding section.

Mo invites everyone to broaden their artistic toolbox and enjoy storytelling with a sense of wonder. The course also offers downloadable goodies and covers more topics beyond the ones listed.

5. Learn Storyboarding for Film and Animation by Maria Avramova (Udemy)

The “Learn Storyboarding for Film and Animation” course, led by Maria Avramova, aims to help students understand the principles of storyboarding in visual arts. Through this course, students will learn the importance of pre-planning their films, as it allows them to convey their ideas without disturbing the viewer with strange camera angles or cuts. Storyboarding is thus considered the blueprint of any film, providing a cheaper way to determine whether the story is working or not even before production begins.

The course covers several topics, such as camera angles, framing, pacing, and perspective, which are essential in delivering strong story beats. Additionally, students will learn how to draw quickly, which is critical when working on large-scale productions as speed is more important than clean drawing. Through simple examples, Maria Avramova will guide students step-by-step on how to apply the art of storyboarding to their own projects or create a portfolio to apply to movie companies.

The course consists of four sections, namely Introduction, The Rules of Storyboarding, How to Prepare for Storyboarding, and Storyboarding a Sequence. In the first section, students will be introduced to the course and its objectives. The second section will provide an overview of the rules of storyboarding, including camera angles, framing, pacing, and perspective. The third section will focus on how to prepare for storyboarding by providing tips on sketching and drawing techniques. The final section will help students to apply these principles in storyboarding a sequence.

6. How to use the free software STORYBOARDER by Damien Barban (Udemy)

Course Title: How to Use the Free Software STORYBOARDER

Course Instructors: Damien Barban

Course Short Description: This course is designed to teach learners how to use STORYBOARDER, a free software that facilitates storyboard creation.

Course Long Description: This course is intended for individuals who want to create storyboards for movies, advertising, or other projects. STORYBOARDER is a powerful yet simple software that can help make this process easier. By taking this course, learners will gain a thorough understanding of how to use STORYBOARDER to efficiently produce storyboards.

Course Content and Sections:

Introduction:
The course begins with an overview of what learners can expect to gain from taking it.

Getting Started:
In this section, learners will learn how to download and install STORYBOARDER.

The Interface:
Learners will be introduced to the different parts of the software’s interface, and learn how to navigate it.

Creating a New Project:
This section covers how to create a new project, choose a template, and set up the storyboard.

Adding Shots:
Learners will learn how to add shots to their storyboard, including how to adjust the framing and camera angles.

Working with Audio:
This section covers how to add dialogue, sound effects, and music to the storyboard.

Exporting:
Learners will learn how to export their storyboard in various formats.

Conclusion:
The course concludes with a summary of what learners have learned and how they can continue to develop their skills.

7. 5 Steps to Storyboard any Music Video Project | Mr. Mo by Mo Yang (Udemy)

The course titled “5 Steps to Storyboard any Music Video Project,” taught by Mo Yang, is designed to teach students how to storyboard music videos from scratch. Mo is a veteran storyboard artist with over 12 years of experience working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Through this course, Mo shares his knowledge and experience in approaching music video projects, which differ from other fields due to a lack of story, budget, and crew. The course covers various topics, including storyboarding music videos versus commercials, an overview of the sketching process, detailed sketching, inking, shading, final presentation, and real-time sketch music video storyboard. Once completed, students will have the skills and confidence to take on any music video project.

Mo’s background includes being born in Korea, raised in Argentina, and currently living in Los Angeles. He has worked on numerous projects, such as Nike, Adidas, Spiderman Turn Off the Dark, Nintendo, Sega, Electronic Arts, Assassin’s Creed, Clash of Clans, Ford, and Toyota. Mo is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience with aspiring artists who want to become professional craftsmen in the entertainment industry. The course includes an introduction video, and Mo offers his favorite PSD brush set and original PSD files for students to use and learn from. Students who are interested in storyboarding can benefit from taking this bitesize class to level up their skills.

8. Storyboarding for Filmmakers and Content Creators by Carl Marchant (Udemy)

The “Storyboarding for Filmmakers and Content Creators” course is designed to help streamline pre-production, share vision with crew, cast, or clients, and visualize a film or video project. Storyboarding is a simple tool that can be learned by anyone, irrespective of drawing abilities. This course aims to unlock the power of storyboarding, which was used by renowned directors like Martin Scorsese, Bong Joon-ho, and Jody Foster.

The course is created by Carl Marchant, an experienced classroom teacher, skilled illustrator, and professional filmmaker. He was inspired to create this course when, during his first pre-production meeting in 2017, he realized there was no visualisation of the script, no way to communicate the director’s vision, and no dynamic collaboration with the crew. Storyboarding was the answer, and this course aims to help others learn it.

The course covers various sections, including getting started, drawing technique, drawing characters, creating different camera shots and angles, drawing objects and anything else, storyboarding process, and final thoughts. It is designed to help filmmakers and content creators achieve a more enjoyable and productive film and video production by learning how to storyboard.

Overall, the “Storyboarding for Filmmakers and Content Creators” course is an excellent resource for those looking to improve their pre-production process, share their vision, and visualize their film or video project. It is easy to learn and suitable for all drawing abilities.

9. Storyboarding – the art of visualization by Iqra University (Udemy)

The Storyboarding – the Art of Visualization course offered by Iqra University teaches students how to pre-visualize a film like a professional storyboard artist. The course focuses on developing both conceptual and executional skills, including written communication, analytical skills, creative thinking processes, problem-solving technological literacy, and descriptive skills. The course uses examples of documentaries, movies, TVC’s, channel ID’s, and short films to illustrate the storyboard breakdown. The course encourages out-of-the-box thought processes to foster innovative storyboards.

The course covers every aspect of the storyboarding process for film, TVC, or animation. Students learn practical skills such as drawing characters, drawing in perspective, employing camera angles and shots in scripts, and making shots and scenes flow together. The course aims to demonstrate students’ ability to perform storyboarding and understand the different elements used in storyboarding.

The course assists students in understanding the psychology of a scene and its nature, breaking down the script into different sections, and comprehending the technicalities and dynamics used in all the elements. Students will be able to create necessary detailing in any situation and understand each shot, angle, and movement given in the script.

The course is divided into ten sections, including an introduction to storyboarding, camera shots, camera angles, camera movement, transition, shading, sounds in the storyboard, and breakdown of script. Through these sections, students will be able to understand and master the art of visualization through storyboarding.

10. intro: The Art of Storyboarding by Alexa Leigh Corbett, MFA (Udemy)

Course Title: Intro: The Art of Storyboarding
Course Instructors: Alexa Leigh Corbett, MFA

Course Short Description:
This course introduces the fundamental elements of writing stories, including character development, story arc, and theme. Students will learn to determine the most effective point of view for their story and avoid common writing tropes. Assignments are included to aid in ease of story creation.

Course Long Description:
The Art of Storyboarding course provides an introduction to the foundations of writing stories. Students will learn about the essential elements that create a compelling story and their importance. The course covers character development, character arc, and theme, along with determining the most effective point of view to convey the writer’s vision.

The course also addresses common writing tropes and how to avoid them, as well as Hemmingway’s “iceberg” for character development. Kurt Vonnegut’s interpretation of story arc is explored, along with tools to expand and enhance one’s own story. Students will learn how to determine which information to include in character development and why.

By the third lecture, the course delves into how to find and maintain momentum for one’s story, the value of outlining, and how to avoid redundancy. The course also covers constructing one’s universe and explores the differences between chronological, non-chronological, nonlinear, and linear stories.

The Art of Storyboarding course includes two assignments to aid in developing writing skills and ease of story creation.