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Preproduction Tutorials

Over five hours of storyboarding, animatic and screenwriting tutorials!

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CartoonSmart students can now choose between buying Lifetime Access to our courses or purchasing one of our affordable Subscription plans. Lifetime Buyers can choose between downloading zip files of each movie or streaming them on any of their devices. Subscribers can stream courses, also on any device, and whether or not you subscribe or buy, every student has access to course materials (which could be PDF files, images, video, code projects, etc depending on the lesson).

Technology Taught Pre-Production

Find out about the software used...

Our Storyboarding tutorials teach hand-drawn techniques and how to create animatics using Adobe Flash. Optionally, you can learn how to take your animatics to the next level, using Adobe Premiere. Since most non-linear editing programs have similar interfaces and conventions, Final Cut or After Effects could also be used with this lesson.

The Screenwriting tutorials teach Celtx (free) / Celtx Pro ($14.99), two programs for screenplays, stageplays, AV scripts, audioplays, comic books and novels. It includes pre-visualisation tools and enhanced productity tools which lets you add audio files, images and videos into your project.

Learn about your instructors...

The Screenwriting package is taught by Christopher Wade, the Creative Director at Spark-Flow Studios and a full-time Illustrator/Designer at CACI Productions Group. Chris brings his unqiue perspective to these tutorials, as both an animator and writer.

Joined by Chris in the Storyboarding package are two more instructors, David Carbley and Rachel Anchors, which specialize in hand-drawn boarding and Flash animation.

Professional Storyboarding and Animatics.

This tutorial series is broken into two sessions. The first will show you how two storyboard artists, David Carbley and Rachel Anchors, approach their craft: working in Photoshop to draw and using Flash to create an animatic.

In the second session, taught by Christopher Wade, you will learn the basics of non-linear editing. Animation, Film and Video Production all require editors in some way, shape or form. If you are an Adobe Creative Cloud subscriber you have access to Adobe Premiere, but optionally you could work in Final Cut Pro or Adobe After Effects.

 

Storyboarding Video Tutorials
Screenwriting with Celtx Video Tutorials

Storytelling Basics and Scriptwriting with Celtx

Animation director, Christopher Wade brings his unique brand of educational humor to CartoonSmart featuring the scriptwriting program Celtx. His tutorial will teach you how to effectively write an engaging story and transfer storytelling skills into a script format for film, TV, or animated production.

 

Session Descriptions

This session will show you how two storyboard artists, David Carbley and Rachel Anchors, approach their craft: working in Photoshop to draw and using Flash to create an animatic.

Topics covered include….

  • Working off a script
  • Camera Positioning and Composition
  • Referencing Character Models
  • Tips for Working in Photoshop or Paper
  • Cleaning up hand-drawn boards
  • Showing Movement
  • Adding Line Weight, Depth, and Shadows
  • Balancing between details and deadlines
  • Maintaining continuity between shots
  • Being aware of the tangent
  • Anticipating how the animators might work with the characters
  • Making your shots “readable” and simple for the animators
  • Time saving techniques for similar shots
  • Applying the rule of thirds
  • Setting up an animatic with audio in Flash
  • And tips on what’s expected of you as a professional storyboard artist

Storyboarding video tutorial

This session, taught by Christopher Wade, shows you the basics in non-linear editing. Animation, Film and Video Production all require editors in some way, shape or form. And if you just so happen to have the Adobe Production Suite, you have a prime opportunity to learn Adobe Premiere (its probably in your Applications folder already).

This tutorial comes with storyboard JPG’s, voice log audio clips, additional final animation clips and after the tutorial is completed we propose two assignments using these source files…

Assignment #1 

Your task is to provide a play-by-play of the listed shots as they appear on the storyboard using the boarded delivery elements. This includes inserting audio and using the Text Processor in Premiere to create a location title. You can also try making on-screen credits while minding the Title Safe area.

Assignment #2 

Now you can connect the final videos together as stated in the storyboards with the audio and from any other sources you have for sound effects ( check FreeSoundProject.com or FreeSound.org). Background noise, animal noises, you name it. Make the scene your own! Explore how different ambience can change the mood of the scene to something much more frightening.

Premiere Tutorial Preview

Whether you’re a budding film student, a hobbyist looking to write their first film or an experienced writer who simply wants to brush up on some knowledge, Christopher Wade will take you through the inner workings of storytelling, and guide you through Celtx’s most useful features.

Topics Covered

  • Introduction to Celtx and the basics of scriptwriting
  • Creating a new story
  • Using Master Catalog as a place to develop your characters and share that info with others
  • Establishing actors
  • Creating relatable characters
  • Developing characters with Voice Overs (VO)
  • An example of developing balanced side characters and likeable lead characters
  • Continuing backstory and developing side characters

Objectives

  • You will learn how to effectively write an enjoyable story
  • You will have learned how to operate Celtx in an efficient and productive capacity.
  • Use the Master Catalog to organize your characters, work through plot points and discover new details about your story
  • You will be able to dispel all of those pesky scriptwriting myths and learn how to write through roadblocks

Celtx Tutorial Preview

Watch a Lengthy Video Preview Below

Pre-Production Video Tutorial Bundle

Two affordable purchasing options, both with social-sharing discounts.

Purchase Option 1 - Lifetime Access

Get Lifetime Access to this course for a one-time purchase price. You can download (or stream) the movie files and download any source projects.

Already have Lifetime Access? You can get started watching the course from right here.

Purchase Option 2 - Subscription Access

Get access to this course and dozens more through the CartoonSmart Subscription. Stream videos from any of your devices and download any source files / projects.

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  • Billed once per year, 2 times

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