Film Opening - Blog Post #13

 Storyboarding is Time Consuming - But Worth It

        Hello everyone! Today is Sunday, and unfortunately, we were not able to see the location yesterday. This meant that we could no longer storyboard with actual pictures like we planned, nor scout the office before filming. Being able to do so would have been an immense help in terms of planning (since none of us besides Sabrina has actually visited the site before), but it looks like we had to make do with what we have. Though this was slightly upsetting, we were able to move forward and complete our storyboard!

        Our meeting took place on Discord (our usual "meeting spot"), where we immediately started a call and began storyboarding online. Under regular circumstances, we would be able to storyboard in person and be able to draw on the same paper, since that is how we usually plan our TV projects (we are all in the same television production club at our school!). Due to our current situation (the pandemic), however, we had to do it digitally. First, we had to look for a site that we could all draw on simultaneously, that way we could all help in terms of coming up with shot composition, angles, etc. We decided to use the site Aggie.io, since it allowed us to import photos and collaboratively draw at the same time. 

        I tried creating the rectangles (camera frames) for the storyboard by hand, but I was unable to copy and paste the ones I drew (in order to make each rectangle have the same dimensions). Because of this, we found a storyboard template online, imported it to the project and drew on top of it. We were also unable to edit each other’s drawings (since each use had their own layer in the project that could not be edited by others) or insert text. Despite these minor setbacks, however, we were able to complete a rough storyboard that not only allowed our group to come to an agreement over what the opening would look like, but also took hours to make. Though it might not seem that time-consuming, storyboarding tends to be a very long process, especially when working with a group. In our case, this was because we had to listen to everyone’s ideas, discuss the best course of action for each shot, and ultimately come to an agreement. Here is what we came up with:

Each rectangle represents each shot in the timeline. The description under it demonstrates what type
of shot we want it to be, what will be happening in each shot and any additional components that
will be added either during filming or post-production (editing). 

        Since we could not add text on Aggie.io, we wrote the descriptions for each shot in our Discord chat and had Sabrina write them in using Photoshop. The first couple descriptions can be seen here:

        We know that this is only a rough draft (since many things could change once we get to the location), but taking the time to plan out each shot proved to be very beneficial. I believe that all of my group members (including me) now have a much better idea about what the opening will look like, as well as what we all need to do while filming. We also decided that Sabrina will be acting, I will be behind the camera and Logan will be there to help direct, manage lighting and help execute certain shots. For instance, this is our plan for the dolly shots we want: I will sit on an office chair filming Sabrina as stable as I can, while Logan pulls the office chair back, hopefully creating a smooth, solid motion similar to a dolly. Moreover, we plan on using a tall ladder to fake the security camera footage (since security cameras are often placed near the top of walls). In order to execute these shots safely, Logan will hold the ladder in place while I film and Sabrina acts.

        Once again, we might not have been able to visit the location, however I think we are prepared to film! This will most likely take place next Saturday (do not worry, we will make sure we can actually visit the location this time)!