Choosing Hardware for Pre-production Documents

The best hardware depends on the document you are making and the situation you are making it in. A keyboard, a pointing device and a display are the common set for almost every digital pre-production document, because together they let you type, select and see what you are creating.

Documents that are mostly typed

For a script, the keyboard does the main job: you type dialogue, character names and stage directions. The display lets you view the script and check its layout, such as whether scene headings line up on the left. A mouse is used to select, cut and paste sections when a scene needs moving. Writing a two-minute radio advert script, you would type it, then drag the mouse to move the closing lines so the advert ends on the price.

A graphics tablet is not a good choice for a script, because a script is a typed document. A stylus is clumsy for placing a cursor between two words, while a mouse selects and moves text precisely.

Documents that are drawn as well as typed

For a visualisation diagram, the keyboard is used for text and annotation labels, a mouse selects and moves objects around the design, a graphics tablet is used for sketching the layout, and the display shows the work in progress. A visualisation diagram of an arcade game's start screen needs both sketched graphics and typed notes explaining which button does what.

Swapping one device for another

A trackpad or trackball does the same job as a mouse, and a touchscreen used with a stylus acts as both graphics tablet and display, because the drawing goes straight onto the screen. That is why scripts, storyboards and visualisation diagrams often share the same hardware, with a graphics tablet or stylus added for the drawn ones.

Match the hardware to the job: typed documents need a keyboard and pointing device, drawn or laid-out ones may need a stylus as well, and a paper sketch must be digitised before it can be shared.