Build a zombie couple storyboard around a clear choice

Write the change that the audience must understand

For this exercise, Partner A recognizes Partner B after a zombie transformation, chooses connection, and the embrace leads into a memory of their earlier life. The audience must understand who is choosing, whom they recognize and why the relationship matters. Write that in one sentence before drawing frames.

CHOICE by techmaf and the credited community adaptation by damienstraker are the project's reference films. They provide a point of discussion, not permission to invent their unseen shot details or claim a first-ever story. The doorway, defensive object and ordinary gesture below are original planning choices for this worksheet.

Define the ending before expanding the shot list. This example ends on the earlier couple sharing a coat in the rain. That gesture makes the memory specific and echoes care without adding a new plot. If your ending introduces a rescue or another transformation, the preceding shots need to prepare that different consequence.

Give each character a stable identity and a changeable state

Create a character record for A and B with stable features, wardrobe identifiers and present-versus-memory state. Stable features help recognize the same person; story state explains what intentionally changes. A may wear a dark coat in the present and a light shirt in memory, while the same hair silhouette and familiar accessory connect the two.

Keep screen position separate from identity. “Left person” stops being useful after a camera reverse or a crossing. Use A and B in the written plan, then record their screen positions for each shot. This prevents a storyboard from accidentally treating a move across the frame as a character swap.

List transformation details you intend to show and those you will leave ambiguous. If B has altered skin in the present but a normal face in memory, mark that as planned. If B's eye spacing changes, that is not explained by the state record. The continuity guide turns this distinction into an across-shot inspection sheet once footage exists.

Give every shot one job and a required input list

Each card needs a shot ID, story state, framing, visible action, emotional purpose, required assets and exit condition. P1 establishes the distance between the partners. P2 reveals the choice. P3 supplies contact for the transition. Combining all three into one elaborate request makes it harder to inspect whether each event happened.

For required assets, distinguish a portrait reference from a composed starting image and from existing motion footage. A portrait identifies someone; it does not specify where that person stands in a doorway. A composed image establishes an arrangement; it does not guarantee the intermediate motion of an embrace. The chosen external workflow determines which assets it can accept.

The Zombie Couple site currently offers local photo casting preview and reference playback, with generation and checkout disabled. This storyboard is a planning document for independent production and editing. It is not a storyboard editor or a set of generation controls available on the site.

Plan the transition anchor before making both shots

The embrace connects present and memory, so choose a physical relationship that can survive the cut. In this example, A's hand reaches B's shoulder while B remains on screen-right. Mark the hand, shoulder line and head positions in the P3 closing sketch and the M1 opening sketch. Keep the action direction compatible. If the present hand moves down and inward, a memory shot with an upward sweeping arm may break the connection despite similar final poses. Draw an arrow for the movement as well as the static shape. The dedicated match-cut guide covers choosing exact frames once footage exists.

Do not require every detail to match. The location and clothing can change to signal time while the embrace silhouette provides continuity. Choose the invariant deliberately and allow the other changes to carry meaning. If the pose cannot be obtained cleanly, add an intermediate detail shot rather than forcing a confusing join that the story depends on.

Budget information before estimating duration

Give the viewer time to recognize both partners before the decision. A close-up of A's expression alone may communicate emotion without explaining who receives it. A wider opening or a brief paired view can establish the relationship more efficiently than an explanatory caption added after the edit fails.

Use provisional durations as editorial estimates, not generation promises. P1 may need a short establishment, P2 enough space for the lowered object to read, and P3 enough lead-in to understand contact. The memory can hold longer if it carries the emotional explanation. Equal-length cards are convenient on paper but rarely reflect equal information.

Read the cards without the soundtrack. Can another person describe the change from recognition to choice to memory? If they understand the embrace but miss the choice, revise P2's action or its framing. Adding a dramatic music cue cannot supply an action that is absent from the picture.

Mark dependencies and plan a simpler fallback

A shot-and-asset sheet should reveal what must be accepted before another shot can be planned. M1 depends on a usable P3 anchor. A frame-based continuation depends on an accepted endpoint. A tight vertical version depends on both faces fitting within the intended crop. Mark these relationships beside the cards instead of discovering them during export. Give the difficult contact shot a fallback. If the full embrace cannot remain readable, end P3 at hand-to-shoulder contact and begin memory on the corresponding gesture. If a wide doorway composition cannot fit vertically, plan a second close view rather than cropping out the partner whose response explains the scene.

List reusable assets only where they serve the story. An extra wardrobe reference may resolve a specific continuity problem; a large folder of unlabelled images creates more ambiguity. Keep asset filenames aligned with the card IDs so an editor can trace which image or clip belongs to which planned event.

Review the paper film before requesting footage

Lay out the cards in order and cover the explanatory notes. Ask a reviewer to tell the story from the drawings and action captions alone. Record the first uncertainty: who B is, whether A makes a choice, or whether the final scene is a memory. Repair that specific card instead of adding more shots everywhere.

Then review the asset column. Confirm that each planned input exists or is clearly marked to be created, and that the selected workflow documents the required input type. A storyboard can describe an ideal shot without proving a tool can produce it. Keep technical feasibility questions visible until they are resolved.

Save the accepted sheet with a version date and leave space for actual clip filenames. When footage arrives, replace provisional durations with usable ranges and mark deviations from the plan. The storyboard remains useful when it records the film you can edit, including deliberate simplifications, rather than preserving an elaborate sequence that no longer matches the available material.

• Each shot adds a distinct piece of story information.
• A and B remain identifiable across both story states.
• The transition has a named physical anchor.
• Required assets and dependencies are visible.
• At least one fallback preserves the story with simpler motion.