Currently in pre production on various projects and it’s time to dig out my pencils and pens for some storyboarding. I’ve never been particularly good at drawing but I’ve always loved storyboarding and find this an essential tool for certain projects. As storyboards have evolved into animatics and pre-vis, I’ve decided to look at some digital alternatives…
First up is Frame Forge 3D, a great tool for pre-vis which allows you to build a location, add characters and virtual cameras that allow you to dial in aspect ratio, lens variables and other factors. Once complete you can view these animatics and or export PDF storyboards that include a plethora of other information.
Another option I tried was Cinemeks Storyboard composer, this is a great iOs app that allows you to use the iPhone camera to stage shots and then augment these images with a stock library of camera moves, characters and even record narration. This can then be outputted via email as a PDF or Quicktime file.
Both of these tools have been a great help but I still find myself reaching for my pencil to doodle. Like all good software I find it complements your workflow as opposed to replace it…
Ben
Motion Graphics
