newbie --templates photos importing.

[mabcymraeg]

Total newbie. I work in film and am trying to go paperless.
We all keep a "book" which tracks everything from pictures of sets and
actors (for continuity) to measurements, products, daily schedules and other
notes.
I need to be able to
1. Import documents and keep them on file (i.e. as PDF?)
2. Create a template that has actor infor for each shot and can have a
graphic box into which photos would be inserted (without having to resize
them all and line them up-- just drop them on the box and they would adapt.)
with ability to caption them per each scene or setup as needed
3. separate everything by actor and category (i.e. script, notes, daily
schedual {not to be confused with the calendar} and so forth.

Is this the right product? I got the full version with a new laptop (tablet)
and am excited at the prospect of being able to condense several large heavy
rind binders into one file that could maybe be burnt to disk or printed out
at the end of production for a hard copy book --neat and tidy.
thanks
djl

 

[Jonathan]

Total newbie. I work in film and am trying to go paperless.
We all keep a "book" which tracks everything from pictures of sets and
actors (for continuity) to measurements, products, daily schedules and other
notes.
I need to be able to
1. Import documents and keep them on file (i.e. as PDF?)
2. Create a template that has actor infor for each shot and can have a
graphic box into which photos would be inserted (without having to resize
them all and line them up-- just drop them on the box and they would adapt.)
with ability to caption them per each scene or setup as needed
3. separate everything by actor and category (i.e. script, notes, daily
schedual {not to be confused with the calendar} and so forth.

Is this the right product? I got the full version with a new laptop (tablet)
and am excited at the prospect of being able to condense several large heavy
rind binders into one file that could maybe be burnt to disk or printed out
at the end of production for a hard copy book --neat and tidy.
thanks
djl

 

[Jonathan]

to mabcy... Some thoughts:
1. Are the other folks in the production group going to adopt OneNote, too?
It will make collaboration easier and *much* more paper-free. The developers
are talking about a big jump in collaboration functionality in the upcoming
v12 of OneNote. I don't have details, but you can research what you need to
convibce the rest of the crew.
2. It sounds like you are going to want a portable scanner if you have to
accept paper chits, recepts, faxes, etc. These are available.
3. Why print everything back out at the end of the day? Isn't one goal to
reduce paper? If you print everything out you will lead people to ask you for
the paper anyway. The daily CD sounds like a good idea, though, in case the
tablet is stolen! I trust you got a tablet with fingerprint security.
4. Test the behavior of the jpegs upon import. You might be better off with
a photo database "in-between" camera images coming into the tablet and the
actual; placement of the [appropriate] images into OneNote. The right
database will allow you to keep all the scouted location shots for the
inevitable need to re-set a shot, etc., rather than ask OneNote to archive
(not its purpose.) The other benefit of a dedicated database is automated
downsizing of the jpegs so you have a smaller file (and perhaps a standard
size) to import into the "Actors' Template" or "Set Template". Such
automation does take some set up. Once.
5. One powerful element of OneNote is the [up to] 25 flags that track
whatever production elements you wish -- throughout all the documents in
which these elements appear. You "flag" these elements as you write, import,
or type them into OneNote. So, for example, one key prop could be found
wherever it appears in any of the "pages". The limit is 25, however.

Another amazing program I use is InfoSelect, but that is very rare and feww
could be convinced to adopt it in a crew. It does do searching really well. I
am running my third grade class with the help of InfoSelect now, but I think
I will switch to OneNote and a tablet for this fall.

I used to do commercial photpgraphy so I can image what you are collecting
every day. OneNote sounds like an excellent solution, especially if you can
get everyone else to share the files as opposed to the paper.

Ask around to see if there are production-oriented templates already.

Sorry if there are typos - I wish I typed more accurately. Good luck!

Jonathan

 

[mabcymraeg]

hi,
thanks for your thoughts, some things to clarify.
1. doesn't matter if others adopt it, I am only concerned with one
department. Each department keeps their own book as they see fit.
2. got a portable scanner already so no problem there.
3. Printing out wouldn't happen at the end of each day-- only at the end of
a production. The production department requires a hard copy of a book at the
end for their records.
4. for photos, it's mostly going to be hair and makeup shots with say, front
back side views for reference. It would be nice to be able to set up a
template that would have actor/charactor info with product info and details
for creating the look documented. Also a separate sheet for each look would
be needed so a template would speed up that job. A friend fo mine has real
estate doftware that just let's her drag and drop photos to preset and sized
graphic boxes in forms to set up her reports, that's what I am looking for
but have no idea how to set it up.

to mabcy... Some thoughts:
1. Are the other folks in the production group going to adopt OneNote, too?
It will make collaboration easier and *much* more paper-free. The developers
are talking about a big jump in collaboration functionality in the upcoming
v12 of OneNote. I don't have details, but you can research what you need to
convibce the rest of the crew.
2. It sounds like you are going to want a portable scanner if you have to
accept paper chits, recepts, faxes, etc. These are available.
3. Why print everything back out at the end of the day? Isn't one goal to
reduce paper? If you print everything out you will lead people to ask you for
the paper anyway. The daily CD sounds like a good idea, though, in case the
tablet is stolen! I trust you got a tablet with fingerprint security.
4. Test the behavior of the jpegs upon import. You might be better off with
a photo database "in-between" camera images coming into the tablet and the
actual; placement of the [appropriate] images into OneNote. The right
database will allow you to keep all the scouted location shots for the
inevitable need to re-set a shot, etc., rather than ask OneNote to archive
(not its purpose.) The other benefit of a dedicated database is automated
downsizing of the jpegs so you have a smaller file (and perhaps a standard
size) to import into the "Actors' Template" or "Set Template". Such
automation does take some set up. Once.
5. One powerful element of OneNote is the [up to] 25 flags that track
whatever production elements you wish -- throughout all the documents in
which these elements appear. You "flag" these elements as you write, import,
or type them into OneNote. So, for example, one key prop could be found
wherever it appears in any of the "pages". The limit is 25, however.

Another amazing program I use is InfoSelect, but that is very rare and feww
could be convinced to adopt it in a crew. It does do searching really well. I
am running my third grade class with the help of InfoSelect now, but I think
I will switch to OneNote and a tablet for this fall.

I used to do commercial photpgraphy so I can image what you are collecting
every day. OneNote sounds like an excellent solution, especially if you can
get everyone else to share the files as opposed to the paper.

Ask around to see if there are production-oriented templates already.

Sorry if there are typos - I wish I typed more accurately. Good luck!

Jonathan

Total newbie. I work in film and am trying to go paperless.
We all keep a "book" which tracks everything from pictures of sets and
actors (for continuity) to measurements, products, daily schedules and other
notes.
I need to be able to
1. Import documents and keep them on file (i.e. as PDF?)
2. Create a template that has actor infor for each shot and can have a
graphic box into which photos would be inserted (without having to resize
them all and line them up-- just drop them on the box and they would adapt.)
with ability to caption them per each scene or setup as needed
3. separate everything by actor and category (i.e. script, notes, daily
schedual {not to be confused with the calendar} and so forth.

Is this the right product? I got the full version with a new laptop (tablet)
and am excited at the prospect of being able to condense several large heavy
rind binders into one file that could maybe be burnt to disk or printed out
at the end of production for a hard copy book --neat and tidy.
thanks
djl

 

[mabcymraeg]

another function that would be nice to see is more than one "notebook" as I
may be working on more than one production at a time or would like to remove
a finished production when a new one is started -- I think I read in the
upcoming version you can "archive" older folders by removing the files but it
would be nice to simply have separate books or an automated archive without
having to drag files back and forth to view them later.