ProtoPie: Simulating Mock Text Messages, Typing Animation

If you’re a filmmaker, have you ever needed to simulate a mock typing in text messages for your actors? Or typing on a computer screen? With ProtoPie Studio, it’s easy to create functional interactive digital assets for your shoot.

ProtoPie Studio is a new product to Toolfarm and it was developed to for creating prototypes of apps, screen content, and more. App developers and game makers use it, but it also has a great use for film and video.

Filmmakers could use it for Futuristic User Interface on a computer screens, mobile phone visuals, medical device screens, car screens, watch faces and so much more!

Why would they do this? Because the user interfaces are actually “functional” and your actor can interact. Sure, you could do this in post, but what if it instead happens while you’re on set. It’s easier for the actors to interact with for more believably and you will have less to do in post.

Missing (2023) – Official Trailer

If you’ve seen the film Missing (2023), the entire film is seen through screens. ProtoPie allows you to program text messages, video chats, and much more. Take a look below at how the film incorporated so many screens into plot of the film.

ProtoPie: How to Do Mock Typing Text Typing Animation

Jeff from ProtoPie did a live stream of #askprotopie and covered the topic of typing animations for text message mock-up on a mobile device. ProtoPie lets you control every aspect of the look, plus interaction variables like the number of taps. Your actor can move their thumbs like they are typing but they will have a canned response, so it doesn’t matter what they type.

The project files for ProtoPie are called “pies”. Download the pies for this project (links in the description).