How to Brief a Storyboard Artist for a TVC

Updated: May 2026 · Written by Seb Antoniou

TL;DR

Why the brief matters

A bad brief is the single most expensive thing in commercial storyboarding. It costs more than rush fees, more than colour upgrades, more than re-shoots traced back to misread blocking. The economics are simple: every revision round on a 25-frame TVC board adds roughly half a day’s work, so a brief that triggers three rounds of structural revisions instead of one round of fine-tuning has cost you the equivalent of a full extra day at day rate, plus the schedule slip into the pre-pro meeting, plus the agency time spent re-briefing.

On a £600 day rate that’s £900 of additional spend per misread, plus the slip risk. Across a campaign of 3 cutdowns from a hero spot, the same brief problem multiplies.

The fix is upstream. Lock the brief before the artist starts drawing. Seven elements. None of them require more than 30 minutes of writing.

The seven brief essentials

1. The script or concept

State which stage you’re at and lock it before the artist starts.

• Locked script. The shooting script is signed off by agency and client. You’re commissioning boards against final copy. This is the ideal state. Quote the script verbatim in the brief.
• Draft script. Working copy still in agency review. Acceptable for pitch visuals and exploratory boards. Flag clearly: “Draft v3, expected to lock by [date].” Artists price this differently because draft work invites more revisions.
• Concept only. No script, just a treatment paragraph. Common for pitch visuals before the agency wins the brief. Quote the treatment in full. Be explicit that there is no script yet.

A moving script is the most expensive briefing pattern in commercial production. If the script changes mid-board, treat the new version as a fresh commission, not a revision.

2. References

Pull 3 to 5 references and label what you want from each. Two types:

• Style refs. Existing storyboards, illustrators, comic artists, or finished commercials whose visual language you want the boards to echo. Frame composition, line weight, level of detail.
• Motion refs. Existing commercials, music videos, or film scenes whose camera language matches what you’re after. Camera moves, edit rhythm, blocking, lensing.

Label each reference with one line. “Reference 2 — Honda HR-V Verstappen spot, 0:14–0:21, for the wide-to-close camera move on the hero shot.” Not “see attached, very cinematic.”

Avoid sending more than 6 references. Six is the upper limit of what a senior artist can hold in their head while drawing. Past 6 you’re not focusing the brief, you’re hedging.

3. Format and deliverable

This is the most-skipped section in producer briefs. Specify all of:

• Colour. B&W, tonal greyscale, or full colour. Most TVC boards are B&W. Colour is an add-on, usually 1 extra day per 10 to 12 colour frames.
• Frame count. Numeric. “15 to 20 frames” not “enough to cover the spot.”
• Aspect ratio. 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 2.39:1 cinemascope. Specify primary plus any cutdowns.
• File format. Flat JPEG, layered PSD, PDF deck, Storyboard Pro file, Frame.io upload.
• Naming convention. Brand_Campaign_Sc01_Sh02_v1.jpg or similar. Agree before delivery, not after.
• Resolution. Screen res for review, print res for the deck. State both if you need both.

4. Timeline

Three dates, all working days, all explicit:

• First pass delivered: [date, end of day].
• Revisions delivered: [date, end of day].
• Final files delivered: [date, end of day].

Plus one anchor date: the pre-pro meeting or the shoot start. The artist needs to see the downstream deadline to sequence their work correctly.

If the brief lock is later than expected, the timeline slips by the same number of days. Don’t expect the artist to absorb your brief slip into their drawing time.

5. Frame count expectation

Either specify a number or ask the artist to recommend one by length. Industry rule of thumb for 2026, per Boords’ commercial storyboarding guidance:

• 15-second cutdown: 8 to 14 frames.
• 30-second TVC: 15 to 25 frames.
• 60-second spot: 25 to 40 frames.
• 90-second hero film: 40 to 70 frames.
• Multi-execution campaign: the master film at its full count, plus 6 to 10 frames per cutdown.

Specify a number even if it’s wrong. The artist will push back with the right number on the quote call. A starting point is faster than no starting point.

6. Style

Pick one. Mixing styles inside a single board is the second-most-expensive brief error after a moving script.

• Rough sketch. Fastest. Reads as motion and blocking. Suitable for pre-pro and internal use.
• Clean B&W line. The default for TVC pre-pro. Reads at presentation size, photographs well for the deck.
• Tonal greyscale. Adds depth and lighting intent. One extra half-day per 15 frames.
• Full colour. For pitch visuals, hero frames, automotive, FMCG product shots. One extra day per 10 to 12 frames.

State the style on the brief. If you need rough sketch for the agency’s internal review and colour for the client read, that’s two separate commissions, not one.

7. Comms cadence

Name the decision-maker. Pick one channel. State the working hours.

• Decision-maker. One person whose sign-off is final. Not “let’s see what the client says” mid-flight. The artist needs one voice giving notes, not three.
• Channel. Slack, email, Frame.io for visual review, Loom for direction notes, Notion for brief docs. Pick one for written comms and one for visual review. Two channels, not five.
• Working hours. UK 9 to 6 is standard. Flag any timezone offset on day one. If the client is in LA, the artist needs to know what time their morning notes will land.

What NOT to put in a brief

• Vague creative direction without references. “Make it feel premium” tells the artist nothing useful. Premium according to who, against what?
• Contradictory style notes. “Loose and energetic but also clean and polished” is two briefs.
• Deferred budget conversations. “Let’s see how it goes and figure out the fee at the end.” Always. No.
• “Do whatever you think.” If you wanted whatever the artist thought, you wouldn’t have written a brief. Direct the work.
• Twelve attachments without labels. Three labelled references beat twelve unlabelled ones.
• Mid-brief script revisions snuck in over Slack. If the script changes, the brief changes. Re-send it.

Brief turnaround time you should expect

In 2026, the working norms from senior UK commercial visualisers are:

• Receipt confirmation: within 4 hours during UK working hours.
• Quote with start date: within 24 hours of receiving the brief.
• First frame of work: within 48 hours of brief lock and PO confirmation.
• First pass delivery: depends on length — typically end of day 1 for a 30-second TVC, end of day 2 for a 60-second, end of day 3 for a 90-second.

If you’re outside those windows, ask why. Senior artists with availability move fast on quote. Senior artists without availability tell you in the same window so you can call the next person on your list.

What to ask before you commit

• Is my script locked, drafted, or still in concept?
• Have I pulled 3 to 5 labelled references, both style and motion?
• Have I specified colour, frame count, aspect ratio, file format, naming convention?
• Do I have three dates in the brief: first pass, revisions, final?
• Have I picked one style, not three?
• Have I named one decision-maker and one channel for notes?
• Is my brief one document, not seven email threads?

Sources

1. APA — Advertising Producers Association. https://www.a-p-a.net/ (Accessed 2026-05-23). UK commercial production briefing standards and pre-pro meeting protocols.
2. BECTU — Freelance rate cards and working conditions. https://bectu.org.uk/ (Accessed 2026-05-23). Recommended revisions and amendment protocols for freelance commercial crew.
3. ScreenSkills — Storyboard Artist job profile. https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/animation/development/storyboard-artist/ (Accessed 2026-05-23). Scope of the storyboard artist role within UK commercial production.
4. Boords — How to storyboard a TV commercial (2026). https://boords.com/how-to-storyboard/tv-commercial (Accessed 2026-05-23). Industry guidance on frame counts and format for TVC storyboarding.
5. Frame.io — Review and approval for commercial production. https://frame.io/ (Accessed 2026-05-23). Standard review tooling for asynchronous storyboard approval workflows.

About the author

Seb Antoniou is a London-based storyboard artist with 10+ years across Premier League, Bentley, Coca-Cola, Nike and BBC Sport campaigns. He boards for advertising agencies and production companies in the UK and globally, working from script, shot list, or a 20-minute call with the director. About →

Related

• Guide: Storyboard brief template (2026)
• Case study: Coca-Cola × Premier League — Make Your Home the Home End
• Service: TV Commercial Storyboards

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