Week 5 Notes

Hey Guys,

I want to say, I am really proud with what we have accomplished today in class. Everyone was focused on their work and on task. We were able to get lot of work done and it was a successful group effort. I appreciate this immensely!

Now… Let’s get down to business.

I would first like to start off with a review of what we did in class today.
1. We divided our script into a list of 45 different shots.
2. We created tear sheets of our characters in PSD format.
3. We presented our progress to the class and to the teacher.
4. Everyone was assigned storyboards for homework.

The following is a breakdown of the homework for individual group members:

Luke:

• Introduction
• Min. 8 Shots
• Start: Kevin sits on the sofa.
  End: Kevin has a look of sad resolve on his face.
  

Aimee:

• Mrs. Jenkins
• Min. 8 Shots
• Start: The door opens and Mrs. Jenkins walks in.
  End: Kevin sends her sugar flying out of the house.
• Post Mrs. Jenkins on the Network Share by Friday.
  

Nikki:

• Missionaries
• Min. 12 Shots
• Start: Kevin tries to slam the door shut.
  End: Kevin looks down at his sleeve.
• Post Missionary tear sheets on the Network Share.
  
  

David:

• Girl Scouts
• Min. 7 Shots
• Start: Gloria and Candice beam up at him with cookies.
  End: They gather up the cash and go.
  

Catherine:

• Finale
• Min. 10 Shots
• Start: Kevin turns around.
  End: Cut to black.
  (Aimee, I snagged the ending part when Mrs. Jenkins returns with the cookies from you so you wouldn't have so much to do. I hope that's ok. Don't forget to post the sheets for her on the Network Share so I can get them.)
  

I will post the breakdown of the script from class that have my notes on them on the website as JPEG images. I have come up with a little guide to help everyone understand my note taking.

Here is the guide:

• [ ] or [ ] ] ] – The brackets indicate shot designations. If there is a shot that has more that one ending bracket, continue the shot in the script until you reach the beginning of a new shot.
  
• “Up to discretion” – I listed this once in the notes, but I believe it can be used in multiple cases. Basically, what this means is that, in class, we could not come up with a specific sequence of shots for that section. It is up to the person doing the section to create the shots as they go along. Make sure that each shot helps progress the story and is appealing.
  
• I would also like to add here that if you are going to deviate from the script and add alternate actions or events, you have the freedom to do so; I encourage it. However, if you do this, I would also like to see the shots from the original script as well. This will allow us to have a bit of variety and will give us the opportunity to compare the different versions and pick out what we believe as a group to be a better option.
  

Glossary of terms:

• MS – Medium Shot (Waist-up in the frame)
  
• CU – Close up (Mid shoulders and up in the frame)
  
• LS – Long Shot (Shows entire person in the frame)
  
• ES or ELS – Establishing Shot or Extreme Long Shot (distant view to show location)
  
• ECU – Extreme Close up (Face; crop forehead so part of shoulders can be seen)
  
• Cut – Indicated with brackets
  
• POV – Point of View (Looking through person’s eyes)
  
• OTS or O/S – Over the Shoulder Shot (Looks over the shoulder of person close to camera to person farther away, shows relationship to each other)
  
• X/S – Cross Shot (alternating shots between one person to the other; common in dialog or communication)
  
• BS – Bust Shot (Mid-chest upwards)
  
• KS – Knee Shot (Knees upwards)
  
• Two Shot – Two People or objects are in the frame (Resembles MS)
  
• Three Shot – Three people or objects are in the frame (Resembles KS)
  
  

Also, when I mention minimum number of shots in the homework, I mean minimum. I want to see more shots; excess is better. The number of shots was determined from the shot list that we came up with in class. There are many parts in the script that can be multiple shots, even though they are listed as one shot. For example, the beginning shot where we get set the mood of the interior of Kevin’s house can be split up to show the different camera movements in three storyboards. This will make it easier to understand the movements and what we are looking at instead of trying to cram them all into one shot making it near impossible to figure out what is going on. We will just have to keep in mind that they are a continuous shot instead of multiple ones.

Submission of Storyboards:

• ALL storyboards MUST BE COMPLETED by Monday night! The latest I will accept storyboards will be Tuesday morning at 7:30 AM. I am very adamant about this deadline. If for any reason you cannot meet this deadline, please let the rest of the group know by either calling or posting online. Posting at this specific point in time will allow me to organize all of our files for submission in class.
  
• Storyboards must be submitted in JPEG format. Please, do not submit them as PSDs.
  
• The aspect ratio will be 720x480 or 4x3.
  
• Please number your storyboards. This is important for me so I do misplace the order of your storyboards when putting them together.
  
• Where to submit?
  This has been quite a dilemma for me. I would have liked to get the Google Groups site working right so that we could upload our files there. However, I am having troubles getting myself into that group, so even if we post our work there, I cannot access it. So, the only options we have left are to post our JPEGs onto Blogger and to e-mail me personally. I understand posting on Blogger will create a massive headache when it comes time to having to look back at previous posts, but it is a reliable way to get collaborate our work. The other way is to e-mail me personally. Though I am not completely partial to this idea, it will, however, free us from having to post all of our storyboards on the blog. I will accept both methods of submission.
  
  

Here are some additional tips and comments:

• To create tension, do not linger on a shot for too long. Cut faster and insert more close-up shots that show specific actions that are taking place.
  
• To create relaxation or calmness, stick with static shots and cut less frequently.
  
• On average, shots do not last for more than three seconds. This will not apply to us until the animatic is being created, but it is good to keep in mind.
  
• Good compositions in shots are more appealing than those without.
  
• Each shot has to help advance the story.
  
• KEEP IT SIMPLE – Do not spend a lot of time creating masterful pieces of art.
  
• Do not worry about props very much.
  
• Focus on the characters and the framing of the shots.
  
• Do not be afraid to add SFX (Sound Effects) or a description of the shot in the storyboard if it is necessary to help the viewer understand what is going on. When doing this though, try to keep the description to what is in the script. If no description is present in the script, go ahead and add your own description.
  
• Photoshop is not the only way to accomplish these storyboards. If you are more comfortable using another program like After Effects, you are more than welcome to. After Effects will allow you to put the images into 3D space with a click of a button. However, I prefer to have the storyboards finished on time rather than having people struggle to get the software to work right.
  
• If you forgot to pick up the tear sheets, they are in the Network Share/Ze Gravy Train/Tear Sheets folder. Please pick them up and use them for your storyboards.Bring the PSD or AE files to class next week! That way, when changes have to be done, we can get them fixed on the spot.

Thanks for reading this post. I wish you all the best of luck in the storyboards. Also, if you have any questions or concerns, please ask.

-- Catherine