Shooting boards by Seb Antoniou for directors on TVCs, features and broadcast drama. You get frames drawn in director’s shorthand for the DP and the 1st AD — camera lens, blocking, eyeline, action — at 15–20 frames per day, NDA-ready on request. Senior commercial visualiser with a decade-plus across Premier League, Bentley, Coca-Cola, Honda and Nike work. Quote turnaround within 24 hours on weekdays. Based in London, working with agencies and production companies in the UK and globally.
What separates a shooting board from a storyboard
A storyboard is for the agency and the client — it shows the idea. A shooting board is for the director and the crew — it shows the shoot. Same medium, different audience, different rendering priorities.
Shooting boards live in director’s shorthand. Lens choice noted. Blocking shown in plan view where the staging is complex. Eyeline arrows for performance. Camera direction for the focus puller. Action notes that match the call sheet, not the agency deck. The 1st AD reads them in pre-pro to build the shoot order; the DP reads them on the day to confirm the lens.
I’ve drawn shooting boards for directors across TVC, automotive, FMCG, sports broadcast and music video work — recent projects including Honda HR-V with Max Verstappen, Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid, Coca-Cola × Premier League with Harry Kane, Sky VIP with Anthony Joshua, and the Premier League 30-year anniversary commercial.
Why directors hire a senior commercial visualiser
Directors get pitched shooting boards constantly. Most are drawn for the agency room. A senior commercial visualiser draws them for the shoot.
The difference shows up on the day. Boards drawn for the deck miss the lens. They show a “wide” without specifying 24mm or 35mm. They show a “close-up” without showing the eyeline. They show a “tracking shot” without flagging whether the dolly’s on a track or a slider. None of which matters in the agency room, all of which matters at 7am on a location.
Boards drawn for the shoot do the opposite. The lens is written on the frame. The eyeline is arrowed in. The dolly direction is on the plan. The 1st AD can build the order; the DP can prep the kit; the focus puller can mark the rehearsal.
How a shooting-board block runs
Most director-side shooting board work runs three to five days for a TVC, longer for a feature key sequence.
- Day 0 — quote. Director sends script and shot list (or a treatment). Quote and start date back within 24 hours on weekdays.
- Day 1 — first pass. 15–20 frames per day in shorthand. Lens noted, blocking shown, eyeline arrowed.
- Day 2 — director review. Same-day amends on phone or in person. Plan-view sketches added for complex staging if needed.
- Day 3 — lock. Final frames delivered to the production office for the call-sheet pack. Layered PSDs if the production designer wants to overlay set dressing.
For a feature key sequence — stunt, vehicle work, VFX plate — a block can extend into a week or two. The frame count goes up; the shorthand stays the same.
What’s on every shooting-board frame
- Scene + shot number against the call sheet.
- Lens choice (24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, zoom range).
- Camera direction with arrows — dolly, crane, handheld, gimbal, drone.
- Blocking in plan view for complex staging (separate sketch alongside the frame).
- Eyeline for performance.
- Action notes that match the shoot order, not the agency narrative.
Where stunts, vehicle work or VFX plates are involved, the frame count for that sequence goes up — denser, broken-out pages so the stunt coordinator or VFX supervisor can work from the same document as the DP and the 1st AD.
Confidentiality
Most director-side shooting board work is NDA-bound from the brief in. Standard agency or production NDA template fine, or yours. Boards don’t go on the portfolio without the director’s and the agency’s sign-off, which usually happens after the campaign or film releases.
Pricing summary
£480/day for 15–20 shorthand frames, including one round of amends. £2,400/week on block bookings. Fixed project fees on whole-shoot or whole-sequence commissions — quote in 24 hours. Full breakdown on rates.
Got a shoot to board?
Send a script and shot list — quote within 24 hours on weekdays. Start a project.