Preproduction


Capturing


Basic Editing


Effects


Output


Terms & Tools

Stage 1: Preproduction
What It Is | Tools | Example | Tips

What Preproduction Is

In preproduction, you get ready to make the movie. You might create a loose script and storyboard as guidelines. You also collect the raw material you will capture with your workstation, such as video tapes and audio recordings.

In preproduction for a desktop movie, it is also important to decide how the final movie will be displayed. This is called the output. It is important because it helps you determine recording parameters such as movie length, frame size, frame rate, and compression. These parameters are decided by two issues: quality and file size. For example, movies that will be played over the Web have to be limited by file and frame size because most people surfing the Web do not have a lot of spare disk space for downloading movies. File size, image and sound quality, frame size, and movie length are related: higher quality, bigger frame size, and longer movie length each translate to a larger file size. (Fortunately, the capturing tool Media Recorder, can choose quality settings, compression schemes, and frame size for you, as long as you know what the movie output form will be.)

Tools for Preproduction

You don't need more than pen and paper to write out a storyboard. A storyboard typically consists of pencil thumbnail sketches of each scene, underneath which you write notes on the scene's action, narration, and sound (if applicable).

Example: Kam's Preproduction Story

Identifies the Output

His goal: a movie about making ramen with an espresso machine, to be displayed on a Web page. (Hey, why ask why?) Because it will be viewed over the Web, he chooses to restrict the size of the movie to 5 megabytes or less, and the frame size to 160 x 120 pixels.

Creates Informal Storyboard

Kam plots out an informal storyboard. The information in the storyboard breaks down like this:

  • The steps in making the ramen: break ramen, stick in container, add water, etc.

  • Establishing the shots: What's going on in each step? Show the ramen, the bowl, the container, and so on.

Tips

  • If you are going to be videotaping, Kam suggests writing each scene number and title on different pieces of paper, so that you can hold the information up to the camera before each shot. This helps you out later as you try to assemble the raw footage, which may not have been taped in the order you wish to display it.

  • Another tip for filming, from Kam: if you have a portable audio tape recorder, and you are taping the video somewhere other than where you will be assembling the tape, you may wish to capture some sound effects separately on audio tape, in case the sounds don't turn out (or aren't audible enough) on the videotape.
    
    

on to Stage 2: Capturing


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