MST 230: Online Media Production Two
'The Digital Producer' Readings
CHAPTER 3: Project Layout
Creating a Master Set of Folders
-First, create a master set of folders that are generic enough, yet spe-cific enough to cover every potentialtype of production you will undertake in the future.You should place these folders along with the Advance Project Templates To structure the folders, consider that for today's production envi-ronments there are only a few major types of media you can produce: disc-based (CD-ROM, DVD), print materials (documentation, mar-keting materials, advertisements, etc.), video-based (corporate pro- Independents or producers in small production houses may very well find themselves called upon to work on any of these media types, and therefore might want to have all of these folders available at the start of a project.
- In this case "project" stands for "client" and all the possible jobs you might end up doing for them. But if your work is focused in just one or two forms of media (video and disc-based, or web sites and print materials, for example) you can create just those folders This approach is also based on the simple principle that it is easier to delete than it is to create: in other words, when you start a new project, simply delete all folders and files that have no relevance for the project, and you are ready to go.
1. Copy the top-level folder "project" to a location for the new project. If you work in a networked environment with a production team, you can set up your folders on a central server.
2. Rename the top-level folder with the name of your project.
3. Delete all folders and files that you know you will not use. (If you think you might use them in the future, it doesn't hurt to keep them around.)
4. (Option) If you are using the Advanced Project Templates for project development, move the Advanced Project Templates folder into the newly named project folder, and rename it "devel-opment." Many projects begin with a proposal and an outline (or some kind of design document). Outlines and proposals are probably the most diffi-cult documents to "pin down" for the purposes of standardized project development because they can be so free form, while they can also be very specific depending on the demands of a particular "client" or production environment.
Project Template Workshop: Preparing Proposals and Outlines
- Our Advanced Project Templates offer you an entirely new way of developing your concepts and the logistical details required to bring them to fruition. We've designed a database structure that works more like the way you think as a producer, allowing you to develop con-cepts and build up project details gradually, while printing them out in appropriate formats at various stages with the click of a button. The Database Approach
-These templates require a slightly different mindset in your approach to typing up information. In this database approach you work dynam-ically with "records" (versus the more linear approach of a word pro-cessor, for example, in which you type information down the length of a page). If you can learn the basic ground rules for working in a database, these templates can serve you effectively for years to come. To put it simply, you must begin to think of each piece of the pre-sentation (a paragraph in the script, for example, that describes a series of shots or lays out a piece of narration) as an individual "record" in the database. Once you enter these "records," you can then begin to attach additional details to these pieces of the puzzle as the project progresses. When you are ready to commit something to paper, your final output is based on what has traditionally been called a "report" in database terms. Building an Outline The Advanced Project Templates provide great flexibility in creating outlines based on the specific needs of your project. In addition, you can build directly on the outline you create now when storyboarding and scripting later.
Storyboarding
- Storyboarding creates a visual map of your program. A storyboard is a sequence of frames, each of which contains a visual representation of that moment in the program, and an accompanying caption of the spo-ken lines. You can use this tool to communicate to others (crew, cli-ents, funders, executive producers) and gain final approval for the production. Also, the process of storyboarding enables you to test whether your ideas are too vague, intellectual, or impressionistic; or whether they have found the right concrete form. o If you have limited drawing talent, the storyboard may have lim-ited value. For example, are you capable of drawing elements such as relationship to the camera (both distance and angle)? If not, the drawings may not help your crew. o Revising the content of a frame is time-consuming. o Rearranging the frames is difficult, if not impossible.
- Storyboard Quick is an affordable previsualization tool that you can use to create storyboards. Some of its features are:
o A database of built-in characters, props, and locations that you can place in a frame by pointing and clicking.
o Ability to zoom in and out to resize characters, props, and loca-tions, thus creating long shots, medium shots, close-ups, and over-the-shoulder shots.
o Character rotation, six angles available (front, back, two to the right, two to the left).
o Characters available in five actions: standing, sitting, running, jumping, and prone.
o Captioning, by typing comments into a caption window or import-ing scripts from any scripting program that supports FCF and TXT file format.When you import a FCF or TXT file, the frames are automatically created with the selected text elements in the caption windows. o Rearrangement of frames (the captions follow). Importing Images You can import graphics files directly into the image field in the story-board template. Once imported, the images can be scaled and printed out with the storyboard in various sizes. You can update these graph-ics throughout the production process. The template supports import of a variety of file types including PICT, EPS, BMP, TIF, and GIF files.
Depending on the stage of devel-opment, you can acquire graphics for the storyboard in a number of ways:
-Customizing Layouts and Print Options You can vary any of the storyboard layouts included in the templates in a number of ways. For example, you can enter Layout mode, go to any of the layouts, and alter the layouts directly. Or you can go to a storyboard layout in Layout mode, choose Page Setup from the File menu, then enlarge or reduce the storyboard display.
Producer's Checklist: Development Resources Create Project Folders
o (First Time Only) Create a master set of folders and subfolders that you can reuse in other projects
o Customize your master set of folders for current project Creating the Project Proposal
o Create the project proposal, optionally using the Advanced Project Template o Review the proposal for accuracy, completeness, spelling and punctuation, and creativity Creating an Outline o (Option) Create the outline, optionally using the Advanced Project Template
o Plan how deep to nest the outline Creating a Storyboard o (Option) Create the storyboard, optionally using the Advanced Project Template or off-the-shelf software o Import images or draw storyboard frames
o Make the captions concise and meaningful o Customize the layout
o Locate a color printer, if you require a color printout Writing the Script
o Write the script, optionally using the Advanced Project Template, off-the-shelf scripting software, or standard word-processing soft-ware
o (Option) Customize the script for different people's needs, includ-ing executive producer/client, actors, narrator, director, editor, teleprompter
o Print the script in the appropriate layout(s) Preparing for the Shoot o Generate the appropriate lists of production elements from the Elements Entry form (Advanced Project Template)