A thought I just had and part of me wonders why I haven't seen more of this, but another part of me knows at least two reasons why I haven't seen more of this:
Have an animatic/scene idea? Can't draw? Can draw but don't have the discipline for a full animatic? Can't write fanfic? Can write fanfic but don't want to put in that much time/effort?
Might I suggest the humble ✨ screenplay ✨
Sure, you still have to write a bit, but the point of a screenplay isn't to be the entire description of a thing, like one might find in a novel or fanfic. It's a foundation for a bigger picture, made for anyone to interpret the finer details of to their own ends. It takes less time to do than an animatic, and though it requires a different train of thought from writing in traditional formats, it creates a more specific and personal visual direction for the reader (or theoretical director).
Have trouble depicting character emotions? Tonal indicators aren't fleshed out, usually mostly indicated by a single word next to the name of the character speaking, for example:
MARK
(Irritated)
Really? Right in front of my salad?
(Sorry for mobile users if the formatting is dogass, feel free to google screenplay examples)
Don't like describing environments in-depth? Not to worry, the humble screenplay simplifies it all:
INT(ERIOR). DASHCON - NIGHT (this is a Slug Line)
End of the first day of the first ever Tumblr Convention. A few STRAGGLERS (names of characters/groups of characters are capitalized) remain lingering around the con floor. JACK, DEAN, and PEARL surround the ballpit. They have their hands on their hips as they look into its depths.
No need to talk about anything not important to the immediate moment, like lighting, weather, how they got there, etc. Just mention anything that will be important to the scene right out of the gate, and then you can reference back to them in short sentences later:
PEARL grabs a ball from the ballpit and chucks it at JACK'S head. STRAGGLERS turn to look at the commotion.
Have a hard time switching between scenes? CUT AWAY and FADE IN/FADE OUT at the start and end of a scene is common practice.
Picturing camera movements that would normally not fit in descriptions in a fanfic? More slug lines, baby. PAN CAMERA and ROTATE CAMERA and CLOSE UP and ZOOM OUT.
(Not that the above practice is frowned upon in professional screenwriting spaces, but fuck them, you're doing this for fun, you're your own director for this theoretical movie/play/etc)
The point is, you don't have to be Shakespeare or Brandon Sanderson or Da Vinci or Andy Warhol to make the thing you want to make. As long as you've got a strong image for the thing in your head, writing a fic or drawing an animatic are not your only two options. Break down the puzzle pieces, then shove them in fragments into a written document, and boom.
dailybridgerton
yousharknotpass
titsay
ellievsbear
