Storyboarding Software

tbanucci

tbanucci

Well-known member
I really suck at drawing and don't really have time for it either. Most of my storyboarding ideas need to go directly to clients anyway so they need to know what I am drawing/writing. There are two storyboard programs on the market right now that I have seen: FrameForge 3D Studio and StoryBoard Artist 4.

Has anyone used either or both of these? Both look very interesting and useful, albeit expensive. I'm treating this like a time saving investment however, so the money is no worry. Just curious on opinions from users of these products (and NO, that doesn't mean speculate on either product if you have not touched them!).


Ted
 
MY ADVICE:

This gets brought up regularly (even by myself) and the two things these ppl all say is "I can't draw" and "I don't have the time".

Well first of all, some people use these programs and like them and others don't, so I'll try to speak facts rather than preference.

As far as not having time to draw storyboards, using these programs takes MUCH longer than drawing them, often 30 min per board, sometimes longer. I can blow throw 15 boards or more in that time (if I already know what I want). The trade off is that that you don't have to draw. You can get exactly correct dimensions and perspective down to the inch of distance or milimeter of lens size. But again, the price for that is the amount of time each board will require.

Now for not being to draw, I MIGHT be completely overestimating your ability, but for just about everyone in the world, you CAN draw your own boards. Just because your not a pro artist doesnt mean you can't draw boards that communicate everything they need to for planning the shoot and the shot.

I know its almost a joke, but you really CAN do a lot with stick figures. You can express distance, perspective, even lense length. I wish I could scan you some of my boards, but I use a LOT of stick figures and its fine.

and finally, everything gets better with practice. If you look at your stick figures now and say "this doesnt look like anything, how does this tell my dp what its supposed to look like" then keep at it and really focus on what the image is in your head. Quickly you see boards that show everything you need to know.

In case you can't tell, I dont like the software. Its ver unintuitive and take forever to do anything, but the great thing is you can try it for free. So download the demo and see for yourself if it works for you.
 
Traditional storyboards, drawings of frames showing what the camera sees, is not the only to pictorially plan your shots. I have seen some people use a "Floor plan" layout and make diagrams of how the scene will be shot, from an overhead view. Not unlike a football plays with arrows and such. This method will help you plan your blocking and coverage and will not take a great deal of artistic talent.
 
I have used Frame Forge in the past. The offer a student discount (it pays to work for a university).

Everything that has been said is dead on true. It often takes a lot longer to do digital storyboards than hand drawn. Are they worth it? No.

If you want the best solution to storyboards for someone who can't draw then this is what I do. I have a digital camera. I get my actors and I take pictures. I am able to look at a lot of different camera angles, but I also go through my scripts and copy them into Excel and identify what I want for every shot. This works for me really well and it's efficient.

The software is time consuming... You get a lot of nice extras, but it's not really worth it at the end of the day in my opinion.

No one is using your storyboards but you normally.
 
Yankee, do you teach film or work there in some other capacity?

As for storyboards...

Unless I'm shooting greenscreen I find that I have to be physically in a location to draw/make a storyboard. The generic locations that computer programs provide don't work for me. Maybe that's just me. I've tried using the "take still photos and mod those" approach with ok results. The biggest downside is the lack of focal length control.
 
I use Frameforge 3D and it works for me. Yes it takes time. No, it's not entirely intuitive, but it's not bad.

I find the best thing about it is the ability to set up various shots with multiple cameras in the same set-up and then capture each varied shot quite quickly (of course, only after you've done the set-up). Also, the elevation from ground level and lens length are part of each shot captured, so handing your completed cells to your DP usually brings a happy smile to his face.

Down sides - no depicted depth of field and no ability to change facial expressions on the actors. I understand they are working on those things (among others) for the next release.

All the above critical comments on storyboarding software are vaild, However, for all its drawbacks I still use it (I am one of those who can't draw - trust me) and will continue to do so.

Cheers.
 
Shaw said:
Yankee, do you teach film or work there in some other capacity?
Click to expand...

Is that the whole, those who can't teach? :grin:

Nope, I work for a private university as an enrollment counselor. I have taught the occassional lower division under graduate liberal arts course (philosophy, world religion, and written communication), but I'm not a teacher by trade or interest
 
the idea of using a digital still camera is nice if your on the set you plan to use and have other ppl to stand in for actors, otherwise I would rather draw crappy boards.

If you do have your location and standins it works pretty well
 
Thanks for the feedback, I like the idea of taking a bunch of digital stills with a camera.

I don't think a lot of you understand my situation. I have clients that I propose video ideas to. It's not a great idea to give them hand drawn storyboards for presentation materials. If I hand them fully edited out storyboards, they take my work much more seriously, can tell that I am professional, and usually end up hiring myself and my ideas. That is what I am looking for by buying this software....

Thank you Dahopafilms for the feedback about specific software.
 
hmmmm, well that is a different story. Is you know most ppl here (and everywhere else) board to plan their shoot. Not usually for "promotion". So if thats what you need I can see your point.

Again, download the free demo, see if you can make it work. It won't help with your time constraints, but you'll probably have something in the end more impressive looking that my stick figures, however practical they may be ;)
 
Well there is one other option that works for me on occassion. Hire someone who will work for a cou-ple of bucks a board. This will give you the best results and not affect your time usage.
The problem with this concept is two fold though. #1: You will still have to invest a lot of time for them to be able to visualize your project. #2: You will be paying per board.
A good place to look for people to do this is at colleges where they have an art program. Normally college students are looking to do things to build their portfolio and they will work cheaper. The downside is the reliability.

It really does take a while to do the storyboards in frame forge. Is it worth it? I prefer to just go the digital picture route normally.

As Cheesesailor77 said, there is a free demo of Frame Forge. Sit down, play with it, you are limited to 8 objects, but see how long it will take to set up a single board.
 
I am giving away a copy of FrameForge on my podcast. Visit www.filmmakingcentral.com to enter! Drawing ends Dec 31.

I too cant draw more than stick figures. The good folks at Innoventive Software sent me FrameForge to review and I fell in love with it. I did a review and demo on my site in flash if you want to take a look.

I'm using it to board my next film and its going extremely well.

Cheers, Dave
 
find a friend that draws. sit down wit hhim let him do it.... give him a few bucks... that usually helps.
 
There is an inexpensive PC game coming out called "The Movies" which will allow you to "storyboard " a complete movie. I think the release date is Nov. 8th. No reason to buy any of the expensive alternatives until this program is released. Personally I use stick men but I am hoping "The Movies" helps me out.
 
the sketchup software mentioned above is easy to get to grips with.

fun too.

created this prison mock up in about 15 min with no prior knowledge of 3d anything (i use mspaint for everything)

image
 
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