I have dissected a generic storyboard to explain the technical information required to complete it. There are three main aspects of the storyboard that must be shown. They are visual, dialogue and notes.

Production Information

The Action / Notes portion that is extracted directly from the written script. Its purpose is to clarify, in words, what the visual is showing. This area can also be used for director's notes on how the scene's timing, colour, or special effects are to be handled.

Dialogue and sound effects are placed in a box with the character's or object's name preceding it. Occasionally the dialogue is spaced over several storyboard panels in order to best explain the actions of the character speaking.

Timing or slugging is added to assist in speaking and non-speaking portions of the show and for creation of the total running time of the show.

Scene Transition and camera directions include information on how the scene will end, or transition to the next scene and whether or not there is a camera movement.

Visual portion must be created from the originating script, using existing location, prop and character designs, and matched to the action and dialogue sections. Action will determine how many visual panels are required in the scene.

What does this have to do with layout? The creation of background layout is based directly on the artwork in the storyboard. Depending on the studio that defines a background layout position, preliminary character poses may be required. For more on this topic refer to the chapter "Background Layout vs. Character Layout".

Once in the hands of the layout artist, the storyboard panels are enlarged or recreated, to suit many different factors and elements. For now, think of the storyboard panels as the first rough sketches the layout artist will see. After studying the content of the sketches, a new, well-defined completed version is created for use in other departments. This completed work is called the layout package.