Planning Your Film Trips - Storyboard

[Shrimpfarmer]

I find I have to plan my shots in advance if I am to get the best out of a location whilst I am there. I have been thinking about an easy cost effective way to storyboard the shots which I can use whilst I am there to make sure I get everything I need.

So my current solution is to use a small pad of post-it notes to roughly sketch out the shot I want. I can lay them out on a table and re-arrange the order which helps me develop the visual story as well as edit later. Once its done I stick them back on top of each other into a story booklet.

This is a shot of some I am using to plan a trip to film the lighthouses at Beachy head in Sussex. As you can see no drawing skills are needed. All that matters is you know what they mean.

I use the little symbol to denote which way the camera is going to point and arrows to show flight path etc. I will add this to my film tips post but would be interested if people have ideas to improve it at all.

By the way, pink is not my preferred colour...... and I have just noticed there is no spell checker on a post it note



A photo of the site from an app called Sun Seeker showing where the sun will be at any given time and date.

 

[EMCSQUAR]

I like your idea but add to that - make multiple runs at your target and also at different angles.Thus giving you different perspectives & options in editing.

 

[LandYachtMedia]

Awesome Shrimpfarmer. That is pretty much what every professional production does. I'm a big fan of using post-its for storyboards. Index cards work well too if you need something larger.

When it comes to a camera plan I use a simple and cheap program called Shot Designer (http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.us/sd_index.html). You can get the basic version for free and see if helps your planning. When you enter all the data for the shot the software creates a shot list you can print out or carry the plan itself on your IOS or Android device to the shoot. I personally print mine so I can make notes on it as we go.

On the subject of planning.. It is tempting to go out and just shoot a bunch of stuff. That doesn't always lead to the best result in the edit. Having a plan and knowing how you want your images to come together is necessary to producing a quality final product. Its OK to shoot more than what is on your plan (if you see something that is awesome on the day) but you need to cover the plan first so you know you have what is needed in the edit.

I need to get my thoughts together and start the cinematography thread. Once you know how your shots affect your audience it can become more clear as to what imagery best supports the story being told.

 

[Shrimpfarmer]

Awesome Shrimpfarmer. That is pretty much what every professional production does. I'm a big fan of using post-its for storyboards. Index cards work well too if you need something larger.

When it comes to a camera plan I use a simple and cheap program called Shot Designer (http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.us/sd_index.html). You can get the basic version for free and see if helps your planning. When you enter all the data for the shot the software creates a shot list you can print out or carry the plan itself on your IOS or Android device to the shoot. I personally print mine so I can make notes on it as we go.

On the subject of planning.. It is tempting to go out and just shoot a bunch of stuff. That doesn't always lead to the best result in the edit. Having a plan and knowing how you want your images to come together is necessary to producing a quality final product. Its OK to shoot more than what is on your plan (if you see something that is awesome on the day) but you need to cover the plan first so you know you have what is needed in the edit.

I need to get my thoughts together and start the cinematography thread. Once you know how your shots affect your audience it can become more clear as to what imagery best supports the story being told.

Not many original ideas left in the box on film making I suppose. Didn't realise thats what the pro's use as well. I was looking for an app that would do it but there were none I liked. Then I remembered how we used to process map using post-it notes at work.
Funnily enough I saw the app you refer to today and I instantly recognised it as similar to what I had seen in your post. I look forward to your cinematography thread because I know nothing of that aspect of the art.

 

[LandYachtMedia]

I'm typing up the opening to the cinematography thread now. I hope to post it in a few min.

When the ideas are as useful and functional as that one there is not much reason to change. As long as the needs are met don't waste your energy on change. Use your energy to produce.

 

[Shrimpfarmer]

I'm typing up the opening to the cinematography thread now. I hope to post it in a few min.

When the ideas are as useful and functional as that one there is not much reason to change. As long as the needs are met don't waste your energy on change. Use your energy to produce.

Well said

 

[fly-catchers]

Since getting my Phantom I find that sometimes you need to do a range of flights/directions/heights etc and them review the footage once home. Its not till you see the aerial footage that you see all the possible shots and them plan a shoot accordingly. Though of course if the area you are flying in is not local you don't have the luxury of may be going back.

So far some of my best shots have occured by accident- filming something I did not even realise was there! :roll:

cheers

bill