the next step?

J

JimtheJib

Well-known member
so once you've finished you script and prefected it and all of that... its time to move onto the storyboard or shot visualization. i wrote a short screen play that is about 10 pages long, but im stuck now, i can't seem to visualize the shots i want. any advice on this? i'm not a great drawer, could this factor into this "blockage"? any body ever done a picture story board (using directors board or other programs? and how does this compare to drawing a story board in terms of visualizing the shot?


thanks

p.s. im not sure if this is in the right section
 
think about contacting a DP for storyboarding. Try to communicate your concept to him, but keep in mind that writing a screenplay and composing the phtography are two very different fields.
 
what if i wanted to do it myself. any advice?

but lets just say i wanted to contact a DP (for the sci-fi film), i haven't gotten any actors or secured a location. the only thing i have is the script... would anybody even be interested in helping (for free, seeing that i have no budget)?
 
JimtheJib said:
but lets just say i wanted to contact a DP (for the sci-fi film), i haven't gotten any actors or secured a location. the only thing i have is the script... would anybody even be interested in helping (for free, seeing that i have no budget)?
Click to expand...

Jim, I see that you are in New York, and if you can't find people willing to work for free in exchange for experience and a production credit, then you aren't getting out of your apartment enough. As someone said to me recently, "New York is a city of dreamers with day jobs."

Put an ad on Craig's List, or, if you are in school, post a notice in the drama department or film department (or both if both are available). You should have no problem finding actors, emerging DPs, sound guys, PAs, etc., all willing to work for free, especially if you have a good story.

If you want some more specific advice or need to bounce some ideas around, feel free to PM me -- I'm in the city, too. But bottom line, go for it!
 
I lived in Manhattan up until last year. Then I took the plunge to come out west. (Damn, I miss Manhattan...)

Try not only Craigslist, but Mandy.com. I found a great DP for my first short out there. There are many film people (in manhattan) who do things for exposure and for the free reel piece in the end.

Back to the storyboarding thing (something I know a lot about)-

This isn't a traditional way of going about it, but, I know for myself I'll get ideas for shots based on the elements available at the locations I'll be shooting at (ie. the position of a tree, a bench, a lamp post, etc.). I think to get around your block, you should find and secure your locations first. Take a still camera to those locations (assuming you can lock them down) and use it to choose angles and compositions.

Since you're not an artist, here's a tip:

Learn photoshop. Then buy action figures and take pictures of them based on the angles of your loaction stills. In photoshop drop the action figure stills into your location photos on a separate layer and you can position them to your hearts desire. Print them out and write your scene notes underneath and WALLAH! You've got instant storyboards.
 
The digital still camera and securing locations first is a great help. What I do is 'play' the movie in my mind. I can see instantly where I want or need cuts and what angles to use. I then tweak those ideas a bit for maximum effect. Of course, knowing what your location is like is necessary for deciding comps which is why I never liked storyboarding and always go with digital still pictures of the set and a shot list.
 
I'm with Shaw. I can't even draw decent stick figures, and I've tried some storyboarding programs that I didn't like. Taking a camera on location and trying to storyboard with those pictures forces you to really start visualizing. Bring some family members to use as props, if you can.
 
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