Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/196542
Previs Previs conceptualizing shots at the preproduction stage. Durvis layering in of previs during the live-action shoot. Postvis compositing previs into the live-action plate to verify the final effects.. Techvis Mechanical designing and testing of props and sets to be sure they can support the camera and stunt work. Stuntvis Planning and executing complicated stunts. Iron Man 3 Known industrywide as a previs powerhouse, The Third Floor designed several action set pieces for Iron Man 3, among them, the Mansion Attack sequence, during which military choppers strafe Tony Stark's seaside Malibu estate carved into the hillside. The facility also previs'd the Suit Connect Test, the Crash Landing in the Forest, the Air Rescue (in which Stark forms an aerial human chain to rescue freefalling passengers from a downed Air Force One), and, finally, the climactic Seaport Battle, which unfolds on a morass of gantries and scaffolding surrounding an impounded oil tanker. "Having multiple story lines converge during a massive, 24 ■ CGW Sep t em ber / O c t ober 2013 .com Article: Go to "Extras" in the September/October 2013 issue box for an Iron Man 3 previs story. ©2013 Marvel Studios. So, what's postvis? From its initial roots in the conceptual phase, previs is dividing into at least five unique branches. The first, previs, is the conceptualizing of shots at the preproduction stage. In the second stage, durvis allows directors to layer in previs "during" the actual shooting of live action, often through the use of augmented-reality setups. Thirdly, postvis involves the compositing of previs into the live-action plate for the verifying of the final effects. Next, techvis encompasses the mechanical design and testing of props and sets, usually to ensure they're simpatico with elaborate camera and stunt work. And, finally, there's stuntvis, in which previs artists collaborate on set with directors and mocapped stunt people for the planning and execution of complicated action. All five phases of the previs machine were hard at work in this summer's biggest films. For insight into their creation and into the future of the art form, we turned to some of the masters of the previs game: Pixel Liberation Front, which handled Man of Steel; Proof Inc., which did on-set visualizations for the film; The Third Floor, which helmed both Iron Man 3 and Oblivion; Halon Entertainment, which tackled The Wolverine; Mr. X, which laid the groundwork for Pacific Rim; and previs specialist Cameron Sonerson, who helped Baz Luhrmann realize visionary set pieces for The Great Gatsby. multi-suit fight was challenging, says Previs Supervisor Todd " Constantine. "We worked closely with Visual Effects Supervisor Chris Townsend to ensure camera moves, lenses, and staging would remain realistic and plausible. Those were things they " couldn't ascertain from the initial storyboard animatics, which Director Shane Black loved. Therefore, the job of the previs team was to maintain the essence of those animatics but also help him explore and plan what could actually be shot. "In our initial pass, we would lock down the best lens and the ideal order for the shots, says Constantine. "Since the " sets for Tony Stark's mansion and the garage [where he does the Suit Connect test] had already been designed, we choreographed the action within the scope of the set designs, indicating camera angles, movement of actors and props, and the layout of various effects that worked for those specifica- ■ THE THIRD FLOOR previsualized the complex climactic Seaport Battle for Iron Man 3. tions. The seaport was an actual location, so previs was used mainly to determine the sets that needed to be constructed to accommodate the filming and the safety of the actors. " Once Cinematographer John Toll had shot the live-action plates, the postvis process began; artists started tweaking the previs and layering it back into the plate to ensure it would gel with the completed effects. The postvis crew collaborated with Visual Effects Supervisor Townsend, Editors Jeff Ford and Peter Elliot, and VFX Editors George McCarthy and Logan Briet. When a scene needed postvis, McCarthy and Briet would pass over a reference cut and the live-action plates, along with Black's notes. As part of the previs and postvis process, The Third Floor provided its digital assets to the main effects vendors, Scanline and Trixter, including camera information and character and set animation.