Shot Designer
These guides will help you get a project going and input all of the necessary blocking notations you'll need. However, these guides are made with the assumption that you have purchased an account.
First, make sure you are logged in by clicking the Account Button > Sign In
Starting a Project
- Click Organize Scenes
- Create a New Folder
- Click Choose
- Close the window
- Click New Scene
Sometimes it may be easier to organize your folders and files using finder. You can find the directory by navigating to Users > Your User Account > Documents > Shot Designer Scenes
Blocking a Scene
The best way to do this is with the director over zoom. This way you can share your screen and work through the scenes while viewing the overhead together.
Beforehand you will want to create all over the overheads and insert the characters into it, this way when you get on zoom you can just move the characters into the proper positions and then place your cameras.
You will have to set a few settings so that things are numbered as you would expect them to be.
- Click Shot List on the Right Side > Click the Options in the top left. Select Shot Numbering > Shot A, B, C. Then click Select as Default.
Now everything will be labeled as shot A, Shot B, etc.
Backgrounds
The first thing you'll need to begin is an overhead background in which your characters will be able to move around.
By Drawing
Begin by creating the location with as much detail as you like.
- Click Plus > Add Set or Add Prop to add all of the surroundings into your scene.
If you need to scale them, click on the prop added, check scalable, then scale it to fit your surrounding.
You may also load in your background then trace over it, then delete it.
Using Google Earth for Overheads
The easiest way to create an overhead diagram of exterior spaces is by using Google Earth This will be better than google maps because it will give you a cleaner image that is free of map markers and other overlaid text. You'll start by confirming your settings are correct.
- Click Hamburger Menu > Map Style. Select Clean and Turn off 3D Buildings.
- In the bottom right select 2D view.
- Also select the compass as this will force your perspective to have north as the top of the screen.
- Search for your location
- You can remove your location by clicking the X on the location window in the top right of the screen.
You may or may not want to hide this.
- Take a screenshot of the location.
To Import
- Click Plus > Background Image
- Click Import Image
Open your Screenshot
- Click Plus or Minus buttons to make your screenshot the correct dimensions to the characters.
- You may add to your background image using Set Pieces or Props
Quick Guide to Blocking
You will do this with the script in front of you and after some conversation with the director. By this point you will already have your background drawn in or imported.
Character Movement
Focus on character movement first. For the first of each character
- Click on Character
- Click Add Label
- Add the character name.
You'll only do that for the first instance of the character.
To move the character:
- Click on the character
- Click Walk To
- Click where you want them to walk.
Repeat this as many times as necessary.
If someone walks to and from a location:
- Click on the arrows
- Click Start Arrow Head and now they will be walking back and forth.
Camera Movement
Cameras behave the same way that characters do, instead of walking to a location you will instead track to a location.
To label the cameras:
- Click on each camera
This will be done in order you'll shoot (roughly)
- Click Shot description
- If the shot is not obvious what it is, then click "Add Nickname" and write a very short description.
- If there will be a tighter version of your shot, click on the camera and select Add Version.
Multi-Cam
Use Red for A Camera, Blue for B Camera.
To Save
Click save in the bottom left, this will take you back to the home screen.
Click Save again on the home screen. Label your project with Sc. (X) - (LOCATION)