Software for story-boarding?

W

Whipsmack

Member
I was actually thinking of using the Sims 2, or The Movies PC games to do some story boarding. Design my level or set and place the characters where the actors will be. Do you know if this will offer me a lot of depth? Or do you know of any other software that could do the trick?

I love the idea of a story board as screenshots within The Movies, with the chat bubbles. What do you think?

Thanks!
 
I've heard of 'The Movies' as a way for doing that before, with some decent results from what I could tell. I didn't keep up with it and know nothing about the program, but if you have access to try it out it may well be effective.
 
storyboard artist looks like a great program but $600 vs "The Movies" $8, I think i'm going with "The Movies" :)

Thanks for the info though.
 
Well, haha, my tendency is to get the most professional program I can, not the cheapest ;) So it's all about what you want.
 
If you have a magic bag of money then maybe it's all about what you want. Otherwise I'd have a Red, a Viper, or screw that, a big panavision 35mm rig with a camera crew to run it. I don't think any of us are chossing the HVX, DVX, hf100's, GH1's because we prefer them to Red, Viper, or 35mm :), even as much as we love those cheaper cams for what they offer for their price.
 
What ever you choose, remember to use storyboards to make your time on set productive. Disney used storyboards first because animation is very labor intensive and this is a way to figure out the best shots to use to tell the story. Full animation would have been to spendy and time consuming. Roughing it out quickly is a way to see which route to proceed forward.

Something to consider if money is an issue: Use Paper & pencil, (just like Walt & crew) even if it's crummy looking it's OK, as long as it communicates the essential. Scan your drawings it into your computer editor and record dialogue lines. Snych up the shots, add a few audio fx, and see how it plays.

Does your story come through? Does it work? that's the question we're tring to solve using a storyboard. Since shots must work with the preceding and the following shot, by rough cutting in the editing program you'll see if it's working or not.

Some computer programs let you make mini movies... this is very helpful if the learning curve isn't too much. 'Antics' is one package available but a little spendy

When it works, then you will have your shots to show the cast for staging, & the crew will use it for setting up the gear. From these storyboard shots you can then design the overhead diagram layout map for staging distances. This is really helpful when using shallow focus shooting for dramatic character isolation and reveals. And, all this is super helpful for figuring out schedules (time to set up the next shot), equipment needs, lighting, power cables, boom pole angle, etc., before you even get to day 1!

You have all the time in the world to prepare and get it right before the shoot, but when you're on set, it's too late. Don't let the cast and crew glare at you while you stand there dumbfounded because you were lazy or neglectful to do this when you had the time. Figure it out early and have a great time making a movie! ;)
 
Jack Daniel Stanley said:
If you have a magic bag of money then maybe it's all about what you want. Otherwise I'd have a Red, a Viper, or screw that, a big panavision 35mm rig with a camera crew to run it. I don't think any of us are chossing the HVX, DVX, hf100's, GH1's because we prefer them to Red, Viper, or 35mm :), even as much as we love those cheaper cams for what they offer for their price.
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This is true, it's often about a compromise between quality and price.

I definitely want to pick up a few Scarlets when they come out, though. I'm not hugely concerned with money when it's something essential that I feel will really make my work easier or enhance the quality of my projects, but yeah storyboarding software isn't especially one of those.

It's just that i suck hardcore at drawing anything, and I hate it, so I figured I needed some sort of digital solution. Although to be honest I haven't used it yet. I will use it on a feature film I'm pretty sure, but the fact is that for my short film I didn't care to waste the time. It's just a lot easier to figure out what I want from a shotlist. I just don't see the need to storyboard most of the time. I've never done it so far and had no problems. Good location scout photos, great discussions with the key members of my crew, usually some sketches from my DP about the lighting setup we want to go with, and that kind of stuff is enough. But on a feature film there is too much money at stake. I would leave nothing to chance. Every detail would be planned perfectly well in advance, as best I could, because stuff will ALWAYS go wrong on the shoot, may as well limit what can possibly go wrong by excellent planning.

So I figure I'll be using the software shortly, it's great, I've played with it for sure just not actually done it start to finish.
 
JonathanLB said:
...This is true, it's often about a compromise between quality and price.

I definitely want to pick up a few Scarlets when they come out, though. I'm not hugely concerned with money when it's something essential that I feel will really make my work easier or enhance the quality of my projects, but yeah storyboarding software isn't especially one of those.....
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I think there's still a disconnect your having between your budget and a lot of DVXusers, myself included, when you say that you're not "concerned" with the price of picking up a "few Scarlets" because of the value you'll get.

No matter how much I wish for it. No matter how many candles I light. No matter how many witch doctors I see, I will not be able to afford even 1 Scarlett anytime in the forceable future.

So it always gets me when folks say to other folks on the board basically "if you wanna but crap go ahead but I always buy you know, something that doesn't suck." Not that that's what you were saying exactly.

The annoying flipside is "I'n gonna get a $200 flip HD, tape a 50mm lens to it, and it will be just like Red."

So I'm hoping for a GH1, but even at less than $1500, after a move, having no job, and a few months following my films to festivals, I'm not sure how I'll even pull that off.


JonathanLB said:
.... But on a feature film there is too much money at stake. I would leave nothing to chance. Every detail would be planned perfectly well in advance, as best I could, because stuff will ALWAYS go wrong on the shoot, may as well limit what can possibly go wrong by excellent planning.

So I figure I'll be using the software shortly, it's great, I've played with it for sure just not actually done it start to finish.
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Yep. too much money and time at stake, esp. if your starting with a low budget feature and cramming it all into 12 or 18 days then time can be more precious than money because there is no money, going over a week, as we've all heard about 8 list directors going over a month while the money men grumble, simply isn't an option. At the end of day 18 everyone goes home and that's it. So that's the reason to storyboard for me. All of that about time - which is basically money, yeah if you could raise the money you could come back.

I storyboard everything for two reasons - to have the clearest fastest communication possible, and as a limiting, refining, clarifying exorcise for myself.

There's also google sketchup, which Stu Maschwitz talks about as a free option for the drawing challenged.
 
I am suprized only one person suggest Frameforge.

Its really a great program. You can make stunning storyboards and organize your set even if you can't draw.

Frameforge is the way to go if you have the money!!
 
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