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Tools of the Trade / Re: Excel tips
« on: Sep 03, 2010, 10:29 pm »
My bf's a writer and he uses Excel to lay out graphic novels. I know that sounds weird, but he first blocks out a grid, and then lays in the panels, texts, and sometimes primitive drawings for the artist to follow. The other day, I saw him lay out a rainbow-colored time line for a fictional family from the 1700s to the present.
That got me thinking about creative ways to use spreadsheets besides mundane scene management. I took head shots of the actors and when I mapped out my scenes, I dropped in the head shots like icons. The actors asked for extra copies to send their families.
We had a production with lots of complex wiring and cables snaking everywhere. Like everyone, we color-coded cables, but I used Excel's borders and patterns to create a wiring chart. In other words, I wrote in 'left cannon, red stripe, squib E2' AND drew in a fat red stripe in a couple of cells so managers and prop handlers could glance at it without having to put on glasses. The same might be done for ropes and lines, although I haven't tried it.
I still use a draw program (like Canvas or NeoOffice) to sketch ideas, when when I want something everyone can view, I turn to Excel. It's not as fancy, but almost anyone with a computer can open it.
That got me thinking about creative ways to use spreadsheets besides mundane scene management. I took head shots of the actors and when I mapped out my scenes, I dropped in the head shots like icons. The actors asked for extra copies to send their families.
We had a production with lots of complex wiring and cables snaking everywhere. Like everyone, we color-coded cables, but I used Excel's borders and patterns to create a wiring chart. In other words, I wrote in 'left cannon, red stripe, squib E2' AND drew in a fat red stripe in a couple of cells so managers and prop handlers could glance at it without having to put on glasses. The same might be done for ropes and lines, although I haven't tried it.
I still use a draw program (like Canvas or NeoOffice) to sketch ideas, when when I want something everyone can view, I turn to Excel. It's not as fancy, but almost anyone with a computer can open it.