Action scenes in movies are incredibly controlled. When an explosion feels believable or a chase scene keeps your eyes locked to the screen, it’s not luck. Someone planned it that way. Shooting boards are where that clarity starts.
Shooting boards serve two critical purposes. First, they give the filming crew a clear roadmap. The director, cinematographer, and crew need to know exactly how a scene should unfold, what moves when, where the camera goes, and how the actors and props interact. That’s the practical side. But there’s a second, equally important purpose: guiding the audience’s eye and attention. A well-planned sequence ensures that, even in the midst of chaos or rapid action, viewers instinctively know where to look and what matters. Every frame, every gesture, every cut starts on paper, balancing the technical needs of production with the storytelling needs of the audience.
Motion Has Rules
Before cameras, stunt rigs, or digital effects, motion exists as an idea. On paper, that idea has to work. The path of movement, the timing between cuts, the camera position, the energy of each gesture… these are the real ingredients of an action scene. If it doesn’t work in sketches, it won’t work when you film it.
A good shooting board treats motion like music. You need rhythm, pauses, and contrast. Fast cuts lose their power without slower beats in between. A chase scene is just noise if there’s no visual structure behind it. The drawings don’t just describe what happens; they show how it feels.
I’ve worked with directors who think of shooting boards as a safety net, but they’re more like a conductor’s score. They keep every department (camera, stunt, lighting, and visual effects) on the same beat. When the boards are clear, everyone moves with confidence.
The Language of Action
There’s a reason some directors’ action scenes feel easy to follow, even when they’re chaotic. They understand visual grammar. Every cut and camera move has to guide the audience through space. Without that logic, you lose them.
Shooting boards use that same grammar. You build a sense of direction through composition and continuity. A wide shot establishes geography. A close-up builds tension. A quick insert gives impact. Each frame leads naturally to the next so the viewer never has to guess what’s happening.
I spend a lot of time thinking about where the eye will land in each panel. If the hero runs left to right in one shot, I keep that direction consistent until there’s a deliberate reason to change it. That kind of visual discipline makes action feel clean, not confusing.
Drawing Movement
Drawing movement is not about sketching blur. It’s about showing weight, intention, and flow. The angle of a shoulder or the bend of a leg can tell you how fast something moves or how hard it hits. A drawing that captures that force gives the director something to build on.
The best action shooting boards almost vibrate on the page. The drawings might be loose, but the momentum is clear. You can feel the camera tilting, the character twisting, or the explosion pushing the frame outward. Good draftsmanship matters here. If the anatomy or perspective is off, the energy dies.
When I draw a complex stunt, I think about the laws of motion as much as the story. Gravity, follow-through, anticipation—they all show up in the drawing. You can cheat a lot with effects later, but if the foundation isn’t there in the boards, something will always feel off.
Working with Stunts and Camera
Action scenes are a team sport. Shooting boards let you communicate with the departments that bring the danger to life. Stunt coordinators use boards to time their choreography. Camera operators plan their rigs around what the boards show. Even visual effects artists rely on them to know when to step in and when to stay invisible.
When I hand off a sequence, it’s not just about the cool shot. It’s about giving every person on set a map they can actually use. The boards have to be readable, not decorative. If the stunt team can’t tell where someone lands after a jump, the drawing failed.
Directors who understand this process tend to get better performances. They know when to push realism and when to stylize. They know what to shoot practically and what to enhance later. That confidence starts with strong visual planning.
Keeping the Viewer Oriented
The hardest part of action shooting boards is orientation. It’s easy to get lost in the excitement and forget what the viewer will actually understand. A great action scene always has an internal compass. The audience should know where they are, what’s at stake, and how each shot connects.
I like to think about it like chess. Every move has to make sense in relation to the last one. The camera is your opponent’s perspective. The drawings are your plan. You’re not just showing movement—you’re controlling how it’s perceived.
That’s why you can have two car chases with the same budget and one will feel thrilling while the other feels like a blur. One director understands spatial storytelling. The other just filmed cars moving fast.
Shooting Boards vs. Chaos
Without boards, action scenes become expensive guesswork. Every new camera angle means resetting, every unclear sequence means wasted time. A shooting board isn’t just a visual aid; it’s a cost saver. It prevents mistakes before they happen.
Studios know this. That’s why even large-scale productions rely heavily on boards. When the director of photography and the visual effects supervisor can agree on how the scene flows, the entire shoot moves smoother. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s the backbone of efficiency.
The Problem with “Fix It in Post”
There’s a dangerous phrase that floats around film sets: “We’ll fix it in post.” It’s another way of saying, “We didn’t plan this properly.” Shooting boards exist to kill that phrase. When the flow of action is already mapped out, editors aren’t scrambling to find a rhythm later. They’re cutting to a plan that already works.
You can always adjust timing, add effects, or tweak performances, but you can’t fix a story that was never clear to begin with. A drawing that communicates motion accurately saves everyone from confusion down the line.
The Human Advantage
There’s a lot of talk about AI image tools replacing sketch work. They can generate flashy visuals, sure. But clarity, intent, and continuity are not algorithmic. Machines don’t understand how to sustain action through camera logic or character performance.
A human shooting board artist can read a script, sense what the director wants, and build energy with restraint. You know when to cut, when to hold, and when to break rhythm. That judgment comes from understanding how stories move, not just how they look.
Great action scenes rely on that instinct. You have to feel the story beat by beat. You can’t automate that.
Why It Still Starts on Paper
Even with 3D previs and digital tools, the first step of designing motion often starts with a pencil or stylus. It’s faster to think in drawings than in code. It’s where ideas breathe. You can explore, adjust, and discard freely until the rhythm feels right.
Paper is where mistakes are cheap and discoveries are quick. Once that motion is locked in the drawings, everything else becomes easier—camera setups, edit timing, even sound design. The entire pipeline benefits from visual clarity at the start.
That’s why I still believe every great action scene starts on paper. Not because it’s traditional, but because it’s effective.
Closing
Action looks effortless when it’s done right. But behind that smoothness is planning, understanding, and drawing that moves. Shooting boards are not decoration. They’re direction. They keep the story clear when the chaos hits.
📩 Reach out: paul@paultemplestudios.com
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Want more blog posts on this topic?
1. See It Before You Shoot It: The Power of Shooting Boards
2. What Filmmakers Want from Shooting Boards: Save Time, Money and Communicate Clearly
3. Common Mistakes Directors Avoid with Shooting Boards