Pre-Visualization - what previs tools do you use?

ReelWorksMedia

ReelWorksMedia

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Im interested. What tools, software, techniques, and methods do you use to previsualize and communication your concepts to your creative team?

I have looked at the high end of things from Cinema 4D, Maya, AE and other 3d software resources such as Source Filmmaker.

Of all these, for time sake...Im really interested in the $30 Shotpro app. It's easy to use and might just give you enough tools to help get your ideas out.

What do you use....and what is your opinion? Good and bad experiences welcome.
 
Pencil and paper blocking and storyboarding.

Style frames with C4D, Fusion and Affinity Photo for motion graphics/installation projects.

I use an iPad for a site survey taking video and photos and have created moving storyboards in iMovie while at client's during discussions.

Keeping things as simple as possible.
 
- Shot Designer (available as a mob app and desktop) I think it's around $20
- Cadrage (this is a director viewfinder - a phone/iPad app - $11
- FrameForge Previz (this one is rather expensive and I don't use it frequently and when I do, the result usually goes to Shot Designer - see below)
- Adobe Story Plus (subscription or desktop version)

I usually start with Cadrage (BTW, there are other similar apps) - I have it always with me even for example during my first visit to an unknown location. i keep working with it adding people standing for actors (even before I go though casting). I found that Cadrage is a very efficient tool for quick storyboarding. Later on I use Shot Designer mainly to create and communicate blocking (but Shot Designer has some features that are similar to what Cadrage has but I just don't like how this part of SD works). I also started using SD to create shot lists drafts. Shot Designer is very good because you can use it on anything like iPhone from the very beginning to draft your visualization concepts and discuss them with the team.

Adobe Story is of course a script writing thing (and I use it extensively to do that) but it has many additional features that transforms it into a very efficient and effective communication tool. You can add photos, files, links, share and collaborate on everything easily and securely online. You can start with what's more like writing a spec script (or import something like this into AS) and transform it into a shooting script including visuals, camera/shot details. You can generate I'd say about 30 different reports used in production (never counted how many but they include things like all sorts of breakdowns, production schedule just to name some including shot lists - but I haven't done this one yet). AS is a strange animal but it's getting better and better.

I recently started doing some compositing and CGI - use AF with Element 3D plugin beginning from pre-production. i don't use any of the 3D modeling SW as I don't have enough skills and don't want to leant it as it's a huge area by itself. I either buy stock models (and customize them myself or ask their authors to do it for me). I also recently had a good experience with working directly with a CGI modeler.
 
Not to be the stick in the mud, but sometimes it doesn't really matter what you use.

Visited location, had meeting, developed storyboards, setup styles, shot list, put together gear, approved, arrived for shoot two weeks later, everything was irrelevant.

Sometimes you just can't win!
 
David W. Jones said:
Not to be the stick in the mud, but sometimes it doesn't really matter what you use.

Visited location, had meeting, developed storyboards, setup styles, shot list, put together gear, approved, arrived for shoot two weeks later, everything was irrelevant.

Sometimes you just can't win!
Click to expand...

Oh man. Been there, done that. More than I care to admit... knowing which clients might do that ahead of time is a whole-nother pre-visualization game! :violin:
 
Google SketchUp is great and free if you want to create some easy 3D previs. Or Blender also works. I have used both but I mostly just story board or do a video story board and shoot the basics of the scene with my phone to get the camera movements/ blocking down.
 
markfpv said:
Oh man. Been there, done that. More than I care to admit... knowing which clients might do that ahead of time is a whole-nother pre-visualization game! 🎻
Click to expand...
Could you elaborate on what specifically happened when you went to shoot that wasn't accounted for in the planning stages?
 
Pencil, paper, Microsoft Paint, a shotlist for my movie shots, an app I found on the Google Play Store, some storyboard template from a website I Googled. I'm an amateur filmmaker.
 
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