Dio-story scripting/planning

[Stormer]

All you guys who produce dio-stories (one-offs, epic sagas, etc) - how much writing do you do beforehand? Do you do storyboards and full scripts, then take pics to fit this? Do a rough plan to decide on the pics you'll take (storyboarding, maybe), then sort out the script later? Or do you have a basic idea for the story then make it up as you go, depending on how the picture-taking goes, and assemble the story afterwards from the shots you have available?

I'm slowly crystallizing my own basic plot for what would probably end up being an epic story ('cause I'm like that), but it's the more personal character-driven aspects (which I feel tend to be key factors in the best dios) which are lacking from my plans at the moment. Do you guys have those in mind from the get-go along with the battle scenarios and Cobra schemes, or do they come together during/after the photo-sessions?

I guess I could find out what works best for me through trial and error, but I'm curious to know how it's done by those whose work I've already come to admire & respect (General Hawk, Self-Modifier, Sonnelion, snakeeater and everyone else whose dios I've enjoyed but haven't read in the last week or so - no slight intended by missing out anyone's name there!).

[Sonneilon]

When I first starting doing dios, I just shot pics w/ a loose story and made up the stuff as I went frame to frame. I still do that to an extent. I make a few notes here and there so I can remember some 'major' things I want to do but I do NOT write a whole story and storyboard and whatnot. I would say about 80-90% of the story is in my head.

Now... I do sit on msn msgr and talk to a few people about things and I bounce ideas off several people. I also show a select few what I'm up to to get a bit of feedback. It helps to have a circle (or clique, if you must). I tend to bounce my 3.75" and S6 ideas off of Shane and Kevin the most. Sephron13 and Justin get my S6-only ideas while TG will hear only about my 3.75".

Afterall, Shane's the one who came up with the name of Shadow Walker for an S6 character.


Also, I tend to watch the same old movies over and over. Something like Doom and Aliens not only get the creative juices flowing and the mood, but I'll watch certain sequences to see how they do things. Like the S6 dio will have a huge outdoor battle AND an aerial dogfight. I've been watching the beginning of SW3 for a lot of ideas.

[snakeeater]

I don't have full scripts written or storyboards done, I tend to have most of the story in my head with a little written down since it can take a while for a story to be completed once I get the original idea. Once I have the initial idea I take a whole bunch of pictures and piece them together afterwards (taking best angles, closeups, ect.), and sometimes action sequences will come up spontaneously while I'm shooting (like the Lowlight and Hit & Run sequence at the end of Chapter 3 of Team Bravo), especially when I'm shooting outside.

In my last story, I had had the idea for CLAWS Commander's confrontation at the cell, but wasn't sure how to do the cell that looked good. Once I had an idea for making the cell, the rest of it came together pretty well. As I shot it, I would imagine what the characters would say as each event happened (angles, closeups, poses) then add the dialogue when I put it together.

[Self-Modifier]

Wow, thanks for naming me in such elite company! I appreciate the compliment!

As far as your questions: For my first story, since it was originally not intended to be a story, I just made the whole thing up as I went along. I'd come up with an idea for a scene and shoot it, then script it as I put the images together in Photoshop. Eventually I did have a small outline near the end, but that was it.

For the second, I've actually typed out a bare-bones outline, but I'm still adding and changing things as they come up.

For neither story did I ever storyboard anything. I've always been a very visual thinker, so I usually have an idea in my head for how things should look when I pick up the camera-- Though if a certain angle strikes my fancy after it's all set up, I'm always open to change.

Then after the pics are taken, I just script them as I create the word balloons in Photoshop-- For the most part. However, there are certain bits of dialogue I think up beforehand and make note of if they sound particularly cool.

I've noticed people like to compliment me on my dialogue, which I really appreciate. I do try hard to make it seem natural, and one technique I use to that end is to run all the speech through in my head using the original voices of the cartoon characters. It might not work for everyone, but it really helps me. If I can't imagine Michael Bell as Duke saying it, then my Duke ain't gonna say it either.

[Blowtorch]

I normally have an idea and try and get the pictures to match. Of course no one here has really seen any of my past work only because in doesn't really relate to the GI Joe world. These are stories I've written in the past. ( If anyone is interested I'll give you the link just PM me ) Sometimes I'll have an idea for a story, but during "mid production" the plot changes or I decide that the story is lame and go with a different plot. It just seems my biggest problem is time in that I don't have much of it with work, four kids and a sort of disable wife. So what tends to bug me is that I'll finish part one of a story, but never get to finish part two. So now I try to do a story in one shot which in my opinion makes it really hard. Anyway good luck hope every's advice helps.

[NemesisEnforcerFan]

[FONT=Century Gothic][COLOR=Indigo]I guess my main advice is to plan first. Theres nothing worse than having some 160 images on your cpu and not having any direction of where to take the story.. and trust me thats happened before.. :rolleyes:
However I start off with usually A4 and work on my basic idea of the story seperating each scene or picture with a bullet point or *
I add any major notes or point of interest with a different colored pen (usually red) so it stands out.
Once I start taking pictures for each scene to fit into the story its really then that my creativity begins.. because I usually have a different angle or approach to each scenario.
The actual speech is added in the photo editing program at the end. Usually using the notes I've done on the script. The whole storyboard thing comes into play when I add the images together using WMM.
Using this setup I've rarely come across a situation or photo/pic I havent been able to do.. and I think its because its well planned.
The downside to doing it this way.. well you have to have alot of time.. something I have in abundance...[/COLOR][/FONT] :D

[Sonneilon]

I'm working on both Ep6 of the S6 story and the 3.75". The 3.75", I'm waiting for late spring or early summer when things are in bloom cuz there'll be a lot of outdoor shots. I have 2 sequences shot for the 3.75" and have a 3rd in the works.

I'll say it right here. A lot of the shots I do, that are outside of dios, are practice. The stuff I recently posted, it was more an exercise to see what could be done with that location, how the figures would look in scale, if it's possible to make the shots look correct, etc. It also was helping me with the story which is nowhere near finalized. It's much looser than Transformations I wrapped up last summer.

Sometimes, you just have to go out and shoot with a few figures (note; FEW, not LOTS) to see if you can even shoot a shot that can be said w/o much words or description. So those whopping 3-4 shots I posted last week, I probably shot about 30 frames JUST from that.

There was something else but it's eluding me. I think it had to do with shooting MORE frames than you need and sorting thru afterwards. When I shoot, I have ideas and the story going as I shoot but a week later when I work on it, things don't flow fast enough or slow enough. So I start dumping shots into the garbage.

[Blowtorch]

Sometimes, you just have to go out and shoot with a few figures (note; FEW, not LOTS) to see if you can even shoot a shot that can be said w/o much words or description. So those whopping 3-4 shots I posted last week, I probably shot about 30 frames JUST from that.

I really have to agree with this statement, because it really stinks when you take 30 plus pictures and not one comes out the way you like. (that has actually happen to me) I have one picture that I took that I spent 3 nights trying to get just the right effect. This before I got a computer and a digital camera, so you can imagine the expense this one photo took.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/allenwebsite/NIGHTOPS.jpg?t=1166633654


Then sometimes you get lucky on your first try. Like here (BTW this was actually taken underwater and not photo shopped at all)
http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y121/allenwebsite/?action=view&current=underwaterop2.jpg

So I'd have to say that I'm so glad I have a digital camera, but sometimes I do miss using my 35mm. Maybe one day I'll dust it off and use it again.

[Sonneilon]

I had a shot of Zartan above Lt Stone. Perfect angle. Perfect lighting. Perfect everything. So why didn't I post it? Cuz it was FUZZY!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

There are a few tricks to get the camera to be stable. The strap idea or bracing yourself against something are a couple. But this book I've been skimming (it's for my parents), the books says to shoot MULTIPLE shots. If you change from single to that 'many' shots, the idea is that 1 SHOULD turn out. You are totally lucky if the 1st shot works. Like I was telling Shane, I SUCK, but I'm still learning.

[Stormer]

Thanks for the comments, guys; this has turned into a very interesting and insightful thread! You've certainly given a lot to think about.

I think I have discovered a certain level of planning is required, at least for me to get going. Basically, I don't have much in the way of sets & props so improvising is a little harder especially if I want to do interior scenes. So far, I have a general overall idea (what Cobra's nefarious scheme is, how the Joes get involved) although not too much of an idea how to end it. I did start to shoot the first episode back in late summer but things ground to a halt when I realised I needed a scene set in some kind of base, office or something to let the story flow. I've since acquired an HQ although I'll probably need to build some sets too. And then all my outdoor shots will have to be redone because the story featured a jungle mission team including Recondo, who I can't use now because I follow the comics' continuity...!

Well, today was my last day of work having been made redundant, so for a while I'll probably have some time to put some work in on getting my dio off the ground -- I'll definitely be referring to this thread!

[ender098]

I'm not much into scripting or storyboards. I may sketch a little thumbnail of what I want, then go from there. The big thing is don't try to shoot a whole Dio in one day. I tried to shoot three chapters in one day once and they came out bad. A lot of out of focus shots, a lot of shots that didn't look as good on my PC as they did on the cam's viewfinder. You want a good dio story, take your time. Make your sets and don't tear apart your sets until you have all your shots on the PC and you're satisfied with them! I tore apart my sets because it was dark and I needed to get my stuff in,and when I looked at the pics, they sucked! take your time. I learned that from Luke Ellison. He said it took him a year to shoot "The Sanguius Legacy" and the results speak for themselves!

[Self-Modifier]

[QUOTE=ender098]a lot of shots that didn't look as good on my PC as they did on the cam's viewfinder.[/QUOTE]

That happens to me all the time! That little viewfinder hides all the imperfections...

[Stormer]

Loving this thread...!

A follow-up question, from thinking about sets - do you guys build sets that you think will be cool to have (Joe/Cobra HQ, someone's office, Dreadnok compound, etc) and then work out a story that can then incorporate them, or do you have your dio-story idea then set about building/acquiring the sets you'll need?

The first chapter of my story is mostly jungle-based (i.e. back garden) with a bit of scene-setting flashback on base (Joe HQ set, probably), but the second chapter would probably be an urban setting, which would either mean building a whole city block to then put the figures in and see where it went (which admittedly sounds like fun...!) or working out the scenes/shots in advance so I know what sets I'll need to build.

So how do you guys sort out the set/scenery/props side?

[Sonneilon]

I'll speak on this but this is ONLY me.

I prefer to have a certain look to my dios. I can't stand some of the Hasbro sets. As cool as they can be and great fun for kids, I find them lacking. You've seen Speir's backgrounds for his S6 portraits? He f'n repainted the interior of that big space shuttle bay (forgot what the whole set was called). That's tight. But you look at something like the ROCC or the MCC, there's just not enough color variation for me. It looks too plastic-y. So I build all my sets.

I've even built my own interior for the ROCC cuz I didn't like what Hasbro did at all. I was supposed to have done a RHINO interior but never did. Anyway, you've seen my sets. You know how my dios are. For me to go w/ the plastics that Hasbro did, it just don't work for me. ANd being the weirdo I am, I'd build my own GI Joe HQ to scale have it make more sense. I'd love to build THE ROCK.


However, in the S6 dio, I've been using a lot of cut n paste on fotos I've done. Like using the EMP/Sci-Fi Museum and cityscapes. When I do the 3.75" dio for next year, I'll be pasting a huge aerial battle over some tropical islands.

[Blowtorch]

I've never been one for set building umtil I saw some of the work done here. So you guys have be a big inspiration.

[Slow_Burn]

I usually don't work in anything outside of short form, so I don't do a heck of a lot of pre-planning.

Generally, i start with a very loose idea in my head, then just sit and play with my figures. I turn them around in my hands, and make mental notes of camera angles and positions i want to try.

In terms of writing though, I'll usually start with dialogue . I love stuff thats dialogue and character driven, so i try to move the plot along with that.

My usual method is to have the main points and scenes already planned out in terms of writing, then just kind of flesh out the in-between bits though a process of improvisation and refinement.

[Blowtorch]

[QUOTE=Stormer]Loving this thread...!

A follow-up question, from thinking about sets - do you guys build sets that you think will be cool to have (Joe/Cobra HQ, someone's office, Dreadnok compound, etc) and then work out a story that can then incorporate them, or do you have your dio-story idea then set about building/acquiring the sets you'll need?

The first chapter of my story is mostly jungle-based (i.e. back garden) with a bit of scene-setting flashback on base (Joe HQ set, probably), but the second chapter would probably be an urban setting, which would either mean building a whole city block to then put the figures in and see where it went (which admittedly sounds like fun...!) or working out the scenes/shots in advance so I know what sets I'll need to build.

So how do you guys sort out the set/scenery/props side?[/QUOTE]

Here's a story I did years ago. This is not Joe related, but is an example of me actually building something then writting a dio story for it. See if you can figure out what was built.... ;)

Check it out (the language is a little strong) http://s130.photobucket.com/albums/p278/Blowtorch_album/Charlie%20Mike/Thor%20vs%20Hulk/Ice%20Cold%201/Ice%20Cold%202/Under%20Fire/

[snakeeater]

That was a cool story Blowtorch. Great shots and effects. Did you build the helicopter?

[Blowtorch]

[QUOTE=snakeeater]That was a cool story Blowtorch. Great shots and effects. Did you build the helicopter?[/QUOTE]

Yes I did it took about 8 months to build and the length from rotor tip to rotor tip was 12 feet and about 3 feet high and weight about 70 lbs. I had to get rid of it because my wife hated dragging it with us when we moved this last time. If you liked that story then you might like these two (they're my favorites)

Thor vs Hulk (http://s130.photobucket.com/albums/p278/Blowtorch_album/Charlie%20Mike/Thor%20vs%20Hulk/)

The Hunt (http://s130.photobucket.com/albums/p278/Blowtorch_album/Charlie%20Mike/Thor%20vs%20Hulk/Ice%20Cold%201/Ice%20Cold%202/Under%20Fire/The%20Hunt/)