Directors NotePad, designed specifically with iLife users in mind, is a “lite” version of the professional directors tool, Directors NoteBook. iLife is Apple’s suite of “digital hub” products that includes iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, and iPhoto.
The new US$29.95 Directors NotePad was built to assist amateur filmmakers to organize their ideas shot by shot, and view them on screen in slideshow form and as printed lists organized in edit order (scene order), and in shot setup order. It can also be used to pre-visualize edits before you start. With it, you can print out 3 x 5 inch cards of your shots, and move them around to experiment with different story telling techniques. This lets you see if any shots might be missing or are now unnecessary.
You can import digital storyboard images with one mouse click. With Directors NotePad, you can use text already entered in another shot. There are pull-down menus, pop-up lists, the ability to present your “boards” in a digital slideshow with one click, and the capability to record voice memos. There’s also Bluetooth support for certain Bluetooth-enabled cell phones for the remote control of presentations.
Unlike Directors NoteBook, Directors NotePad runs only on Mac OS X. A demo version is available at the product Web site.