 The Importance of Mood Boarding Your Project. Also known as an inspiration board, brainstorming board, collage of pretty pictures and images; Mood boards are the single most important method of brainstorming. A mood board is important for virtually any project and it should be the first step you take before even thinking about getting to work. It’s helpful if you’re already creative, but even more so if you don’t have a creative bone in your body. Designing a sculpture? Sure. Developing a videogame? Definitely. Shooting a movie? Absolutely. What about decorating or painting your apartment? Make a Mood Board. So, what is a mood board? Wikipedia (Obvi the new world dictionary) defines a mood board as “a type of visual presentation or a collage consisting of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition. A mood board can be used to convey a general idea or feeling about a particular topic.” The purpose of a mood board is to help you gain a better idea of what components you would like to go into your project. This is especially important when you’re trying to pitch an idea to someone else. Sometimes you may not be able to find the precise words to convey your idea to your team, or perhaps your team doesn’t have the same creative capacity that you do. A mood board will help to give them a clear visual representation of what it is you want to make.  But when should you mood board? This is easy. ALL THE TIME. I frequently employed the benefits of a mood board when I was designing hardware at Snapchat. I couldn’t have survived wedding planning (physically, mentally, emotionally) without a composition detailing the style and aesthetics of the perfect wedding. And currently I’ve got an inspirational mood board that I’m using to design and develop a new video game that I’m working on. The fact of the matter being that you should always have your collection of images close by that you can reference whenever you need. Can’t you just keep pictures on your phone? Perhaps. But there are so many other great resources for mood boarding. There are so many Apps for mood boarding that it’s hard to keep up, but once you find one you like, engage it relentlessly. GoMoodboard and Pinterest have Google Chrome Pluggins. The Knot and similar sites are great for weddings. Working in Film or TV – Check out The Matboard. Branding and advertising? Give Canva a whirl. Are you actually making a movie –Studio Binder is a fantastic resource. In fact, check out this article they wrote specifically on mood board resources.  If all of this is sounding like WAY too much information then just use your phone. Screenshot or save images as you surf the world wide web and mark each image as a favorite or put it in a specific folder. The key point being that you should start mood boarding now. I even mood board gift ideas whenever I see something I like, either for myself or for others. It can be an addictive practice though so I suggest you dive in hard and fast so as to completely immerse yourself into the mood board lifestyle.
Whatever your reasoning. I suggest you give mood boarding a try. Start small, learn what works best for you. It may turn out that too many apps are overwhelming. Don't have any current projects in mind? That's ok. Try making a mood board of all the places you want to vacation and what you want to do while there. Don't hold back! Everything from food you want to eat and drinks you want to drink, activities you want to do while you're there. Think about outfits you'd like to wear that really put you in "Vacation mode". There is really no risk to starting a mood board. It's meant to be fun and collaborative so if you're comfortable, bring someone else in on the project or just share what you already have. The more time you spend working with mood boards, the easier and more natural it will feel. Pretty soon you won't know what you were doing before this.
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 I have been an avid gamer my entire life. There is something about immersing yourself into a story that is so much more rewarding than binging the latest season on Netflix. My introduction to gaming began at around 3 or 4 years old when my friend’s mom brought home a Super Nintendo (SNES). As I remember, Carol (the mom) was an active gamer herself, and the first games she played were Zelda: A Link to the Past and Final Fantasy IV. For anyone who does not know, these were two incredible games and were a Masterclass in the founding of my video game career. Since then, I’ve continued playing games throughout my formative years and early adulthood, but one thing I’ve never really considered was making the games myself. Like many of you I’ve played the entire gauntlet of games. I’ve learned that I’m terrible at sports games, I love RPG’s but have less patience and time for them than I used to. I’ve been addicted to popular trends such as Clash of Clans or Fortnite. Still, I really, more than most, enjoy playing action/adventure games. I enjoy the shooting, I enjoy the puzzles, but mostly I love the stories. I can dive in for quick, bite-sized chapters or dive deep into the game only to emerge several hours later, realizing that I forgot to eat dinner. Naughty Dog is a leader in creating absolutely immersive and entertaining games. I’ve lost myself in several of their titles, most recently The Last of Us, and I’m eagerly awaiting the second installment, The Last of Us 2 to come out on June 19. But aside from fanboying, can’t I do more? I’m a screenwriter, not a software engineer, so how can I develop a more active relationship with the games I love so dearly? There are a few steps that I’m taking, which can bring me closer to my dream job.  I bring up The Last of Us not only because it’s a fantastic game, but because I was recently perusing the WGA Library (Writer’s Guild of America – West), and I stumbled across the script for The Last of Us. THIS WAS IT. This was my way in. The WGA library is a free resource in Los Angeles that is open to anybody who has a passion for movies or TV screenplays. Still, I was unaware that it also included video games or at least a few select titles. I believe one primary reason that I find games compelling is because of their stories. Now I’ve discovered that video game stories are meticulously hemmed over the same as any other narrative. Well, I’m a writer, can’t I just get a job writing narrative for a video game? Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy. Hollywood is a difficult town to gain a foothold in. In addition to having a portfolio worth showing off, it’s very much about making the right connections. Similarly, in the gaming world, it’s a small, tightly networked industry. Without and video game background or technical programming proficiency, I’m not a very sought-after candidate. But I plan on changing this. Especially in the period of Coronavirus, I have more time than ever, so I’ve begun to research and take Video Game courses to bolster my resume. One resource that I’ve found instrumental in developing a strong foundation in Game Development has been Coursera. Coursera is a “free” resource that offers discounted classes of your choice with the end goal of obtaining certificates. They have several courses from top universities around the country explicitly aimed at Video Game education. Video Game Design, Character Design, World and Narrative design, not to mention ones that actually develop prototypes of my own games. At the end of these courses, I hope to have a buffed portfolio full of game development credits to make me a more desirable candidate. But I imagine getting a job with a video game company still won’t be easy. So what else can I do?
In addition to being a freelance screenwriter with a recent background of video game courses, I’ve been brushing up my knowledge on sites like Gamasutra and Game Career Guide. I’ve downloaded Unreal Engine 5 and Superpowers; these are two open-source, game development platforms that allow me to create my own working games (or samples). The point is to learn as much as I can about an industry that I so desperately want to be a part of while developing the skills that will make me a more desirable candidate. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes, but for now, I need a break and finish this next chapter of the Final Fantasy VII Remake.
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AuthorHi. I'm Mitch. Archives
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