My process? I just dabble with this stuff - lol
Typically (after I have the concept in my head), I start with a “beat sheet” that just has a scene title/brief explanation. I’ve never exceeded 12 scenes when drafting those. Recently, I’ll draw concept art for scenes before doing the treatment. It’s less arduous to draw them on my iPad (using Procreate, Adobe Draw, or Graphic) then writing, and it helps me visualize what’s going to happen. (Most of the older stuff I did treatments first because they were easier to produce for me).
Typically, I’ll start drafting out a treatment from there. The treatment is writing a story. I consider coherency, pacing, and what makes each scene visually interesting. If the “story” takes me to a different scene from any I initially planned, I change. If a scene I initially planned bores more, I cut it. This is where I figure out character numbers. I may sketch out the house and scenes if I need to figure out layout or structure. It’s a pretty organic process.
The “formal” house layouts are where the real work is done. I’ll do a “hard” layout that formalizes the structure. My old stuff (like Calendar Fear) had no limitations. Now, I try to adhere to a specifications I know. Ghostlight was designed for Parade (B79). My current project (Dark Fortunes) is being designed for a 40x80 foot tent (like what Hollywood uses).
The 3D models are designed in
SketchUp, a free, 3D modeling software. It’s the same software Uni uses. It’s got a rough curve, but you can do some amazing stuff with it.