Pre-Production Software?

I know this isn't really the right forum to ask this, but I wan't to see if anyone had any advice for pre-production software.

What do people use for making a shot list? And to organize them into shoot days? Do people just use excel, or is there a specific software that can do this?

Two suggestions :


itunes.apple.com/us/app/shot-notes-x/id853468135?ls=1&mt=12

lumberjacksystem.com

This is production, not pre-production, but for multi-cam or separate audio/video recording, it can help to slate each shot with a digital smart slate app. We use Movie*Slate: www.movie-slate.com/ Even without wireless or jam-sync timecode, just having a few seconds of digital numbers on screen makes it easier to sync multi-cam if audio sync doesn't work.

I pressed for time at the start of an interview, this can still be "tail" slated, so you just keep all cameras running after the subject leaves and shoot a few feet of the digital slate.

For true pre-production, here is a story board app called Boardfish: www.cinema5d.com/boardfish-app-takes-pain-storyboarding/

This web site is a sun angle calculator that can help determine positions and shooting angles for exterior shots: www.suncalc.net

Ok great, thanks for your help!

I just did a web search for "preproduction software tools for film production industry" and came up with a long list of weird and useless as well as highly regarded tools. Most is for windows but there are many iPad products, too. You can find hundreds of excel templates, some are free. Some script management tools for Word contain massive macros for exporting and configuring schedules, scene breakdowns, shot lists, casting call lists, and budgets. Your needs for accounting as well as accountability dictate where you go with these products and how granular you need them to be. I like using a moleskine notebook and fountain pen myself.

I use the app shotlister.

It works really well, enabling you to create shot lists by shoot day, scene, angle, camera setup and so on.
you can add storyboard photos and images to the shots.When I use storyboards I generally take photos and load them into photoshop and draw in or paste silhouettes over top of a scene to describe the shots I am looking for......and then export a jpeg to shortlister.

Where it really shines is, you can run on mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, android i think.....)and they will all sync with your crew.....and as you complete shots it will calculate based on the remaining time in the day, whether or not you are on schedule. So everyone can see the shortlist as it unfolds.

It imports common script formats and will convert to a shotlist as well but I haven't tried that aspect myself.

As you complete shots it will update and tell you if you have enough time left to get the shots based on your pace, etc.

very easy to use.....and inexpensive. I haven't used lumberjack but have heard great things...

I just wanted to give Shotlister a plug because it is a really intuitive solution.

funny, nobody mentions Final Draft …

the very few pros I have met, producing fictional, serial TV, all rely on Final Draft, which isn't just a typing-tool, but allows all sorts of breaking-down into production-relevant data and spreadsheets and list and calendars ....

But that's all party-hear-say, lightyears away from my reality … just to mention it. :huh:

I'm the co-founder of productionhero.co
We're building a production management tool for tv production. Maybe we could be your solution? I'm happy to hook up with a free trail productionhero.co