2.39:1 — usually called scope, CinemaScope, or anamorphic, and often rounded to 2.35 or 2.40 — is the widest common film format. It is the look of epic landscapes, tense standoffs with characters at opposite edges of the frame, and most music videos that want to feel cinematic. Because the frames are so wide and short, this template stacks three per page and puts the notes beside each frame instead of underneath, so you get large drawings and plenty of writing space.
Frame it in scope, or letterbox it in 16:9
There are two ways to board widescreen. This template draws the frames at 2.39:1 directly, which gives you the most drawing area. If your final file will be a 16:9 video with a scope picture inside it — common for online releases and music videos — switch the Frame to 16:9 and set the Matte to 2.39:1 letterbox bars. Your boards will then show the black bars exactly as viewers will see them. The aspect ratio guide covers the trade-offs.
Composing for scope
- Fill the sides with meaning. In scope, an empty side of the frame reads as deliberate negative space: isolation, distance, something about to arrive.
- Close-ups get wider. A close-up in 2.39:1 shows more background beside the face than in 16:9. Decide what that background says.
- Mind screen direction. Wide frames make eyelines and left-to-right movement very obvious; keep them consistent across cuts.
New to shot vocabulary? Read camera shot types for storyboards. Making something for TV or YouTube instead? Use the 16:9 template.