FREE DOCUMENTARY PRE-PRODUCTION
Find the story before
you point the camera at it.
Storyflow is a free AI canvas for documentary pre-production. Gather your research, map the subjects and the arc, prep the interview questions, and plan the shoot, all on one board. The AI helps you organize a mountain of material into a film you can actually shoot. No download, no credit card.
Free plan
No credit card
Research to shoot plan
Used by creative professionals at:
Artlist
Pixar
Nike
Red Bull
The North Face
Porsche
Start from a ready-made template
Pick a board to see what you can build, then let AI fill it in. Every template is a real, editable starting point on the same infinite canvas.
Pre-Production
Pull the brief, script, shot list, and moodboard into one pre-production hub so the whole shoot is planned in one place.
What is documentary pre-production?
Documentary pre-production is the work of turning a subject into a shootable film. Unlike a scripted production, a documentary rarely starts with a locked script. Instead, pre-production means research: reading and gathering sources, finding the subjects and experts to interview, securing access and permissions, developing the angle and the story arc, preparing interview questions, planning the b-roll and verite coverage, and scheduling the shoot around the availability of people and places. It is where a vague idea becomes a film with a spine.
The defining challenge is volume and shape. A documentary generates a huge amount of material long before the shoot: articles, transcripts, contacts, footage references, location notes, and half-formed arguments about what the film is really about. All of it needs to live somewhere you can see it, connect it, and shape it into a structure, and a folder of documents or a single long note is exactly the wrong tool for that. The story is in the connections, and connections need a canvas.
Storyflow gives documentary pre-production a home. It is a free AI-native infinite canvas, so the research, the subjects, the arc, and the shooting plan all live on one board where you can connect them. Drop in articles, notes, and links, map the subjects and the questions you want to ask each, and lay out the arc as cards you can rearrange as the story reveals itself. The AI helps organize the material and draft a documentary structure so you are shaping a film, not drowning in tabs.
Because the canvas is AI-aware, the film stays malleable as it develops. Ask the AI to organize your research into themes, draft interview questions for a subject, or suggest a six-part arc from your notes, and it works from everything on the board. Share a view-only link with a producer or commissioner, and carry the plan, the questions, and the shooting schedule into the field on any device.
HOW IT WORKS
Plan a documentary in four steps.
No folder of scattered research. The AI helps shape the material into a film.
01
Open a free canvas
Sign up in seconds, no credit card. Your infinite canvas opens in the browser, ready for the research and the plan.
02
Gather the research
Drop in articles, notes, links, and footage references, and describe the subject. The AI helps organize the material into themes on the board.
03
Map subjects, arc, and questions
Lay out the interview subjects, draft the questions for each, and shape the story arc as cards you can rearrange as the film reveals itself.
04
Plan the shoot and share
Schedule interview and b-roll days around availability, then share a view-only link with a producer or carry the plan into the field.
The whole documentary, on one board.
Research, subjects, arc, and shooting plan on one canvas, so the story lives in the connections instead of in a folder of documents.
AI organizes a mountain of research
Shape the material into themes
Drop in articles, notes, and links and ask the AI to organize them into themes and threads, so a pile of research becomes a structure you can build a film on.
See the AI documentary planner →
Subjects and interview questions
Prep every interview
Map the subjects and experts you want to interview, draft the questions for each, and keep their notes and access details beside them, so you walk in prepared.
See documentary storyboards →
Shape the story arc
Find the structure of the film
Lay the arc out as cards, three-act or six-part, and rearrange it as the story reveals itself. The AI can suggest a structure from your notes.
See story planning →
Plan the shoot and share
Take the plan into the field
Schedule interview and b-roll days around availability, share a view-only link with a producer, and open the board on any device on location.
See film production planning →Free documentary pre-production, no expiry.
Plan as many documentaries as you want on an unlimited canvas. The free plan needs no credit card and never times out.
Unlimited research and plan boards on an infinite canvas
Basic AI usage to organize research and draft arcs
3 starter frameworks built in
20 file uploads for sources, transcripts, and references
RESEARCH TO STRUCTURE
Documentary pre-production that lives in the connections.
Storyflow is an AI-native canvas, so the research, subjects, arc, and shooting plan connect on one board instead of sitting in a folder where the story never comes together.
The research becomes a structure
See the story in the connections
Gather everything in one place: Drop articles, transcripts, links, notes, and footage references onto the board, so the whole research base is visible, not buried in folders and tabs.
Organize into themes: Ask the AI to group the research into themes and threads, so the film's arguments and angles start to emerge from the material.
Connect the pieces: Draw the connections between a source, a subject, and a moment in the arc, because a documentary's story lives in how the pieces relate, not any one of them.
Prepared for every interview
Subjects, access, and questions
Map the subjects: Lay out the people and experts you want to interview, with background, contact, and access details beside each, so the interview plan is clear.
Draft the questions: Ask the AI to draft interview questions for a subject from your research, then refine them, so you walk into each interview with a plan.
Keep the notes with the subject: Pin the transcript, notes, and follow-ups beside each subject, so everything about their contribution stays together.
The arc you can rearrange
Shape the film as it reveals itself
Lay out the structure: Build the arc as cards, three-act, six-part, or chapter structure, so the shape of the film is something you can see and move.
Rearrange as you learn: Documentaries change in the making. Drag the arc around as the research and interviews reveal the real story, no document to rebuild.
AI suggests a structure: Ask the AI to propose an arc from your notes and themes, giving you a starting structure to react to instead of a blank outline.
From plan to the field
Shoot what you planned
Schedule around availability: Plan interview and b-roll days around people and location availability, with the schedule beside each day's questions and research.
Share with a producer: Send a view-only link so a producer or commissioner follows the plan and arc, with no account.
Take it on location: Open the board on any device in the field, so the day's questions, subjects, and shot ideas are in hand wherever you shoot.
Explore templates for your project
Every template opens as a real, editable board on the infinite canvas. Pick the closest fit and make it your own.
Pre-Production
Pull the brief, script, shot list, and moodboard into one pre-production hub so the whole shoot is planned in one place.
HOW WE COMPARE
Storyflow vs Milanote, Notion, and Trello.
A fair look at where each tool fits. Storyflow is the free canvas where documentary research becomes a shootable structure.
Storyflow
Recommended
Free plan with unlimited boards
AI organizes research into a structure
Research, subjects, arc, and shoot plan together
Infinite visual canvas
View-only share link, no sign-up
200+ built-in frameworks
Milanote
Free plan with unlimited boards
AI organizes research into a structure
Research, subjects, arc, and shoot plan together
Infinite visual canvas
View-only share link, no sign-up
200+ built-in frameworks
Notion
Free plan with unlimited boards
AI organizes research into a structure
Research, subjects, arc, and shoot plan together
Infinite visual canvas
View-only share link, no sign-up
200+ built-in frameworks
Trello
Free plan with unlimited boards
AI organizes research into a structure
Research, subjects, arc, and shoot plan together
Infinite visual canvas
View-only share link, no sign-up
200+ built-in frameworks
What creators are saying
Join early creators getting structured workspaces and AI that remembers their projects
“Storyflow has sped up my workflow by at least 3x, which means more flow state and more projects I can actually ship. It truly changed the way me and my team create.”
Reilin Joey
Director & YouTuber
“One prompt gets me a structured board. But the tactics are my favorite. I run my YouTube scripts through them and my intros and retention got better. It's amazing.”
Justkay
YouTuber & Freelance Filmmaker
“I used to juggle five apps to plan a project. Now I describe what I am making and get boards, lists, and a schedule. All in one place.”
George
@fernwehchronicles
Documentary pre-production, answered.
What documentary makers ask about planning in Storyflow.
Documentary pre-production is the work of turning a subject into a shootable film: researching sources, finding and securing subjects, developing the angle and arc, preparing interview questions, planning b-roll, and scheduling around availability. Unlike scripted film, it rarely starts with a locked script. In Storyflow the research, subjects, arc, and shoot plan live on one AI canvas where you can connect them.
Turn the research into a film you can shoot.
Open a free canvas, gather the material, and let the AI help shape it into a documentary. Free plan, no credit card.