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www.postmagazine.com 2 POST MARCH 2015 SEE US ON EDITORIAL MARC LOFTUS Senior Editor/Director of Web Content 516.376.1087 mloftus@postmagazine.com LINDA ROMANELLO Managing Editor 516.931.0730 lromanello@postmagazine.com CHRISTINE BUNISH Film & Video IAIN BLAIR Film JENNIFER WALDEN Audio MICHELLE VILLAS Art Director michelle@moontidemedia.com ADVERTISING MARI KOHN Director of Sales 818.291.1153 cell 818.472.1491 mkohn@postmagazine.com GARY RHODES Eastern & Intl Sales Manager 631.274-9530 cell 516.410.8638 grhodes@copcomm.com LISA NEELY Corporate Sales Executive, Events, Custom and Integrated Print/Publishing Services lneely@copcomm.com 818.660.5828 SUBSCRIPTIONS 818.291.1158 CUSTOMER SERVICE 620 West Elk Ave, Glendale, CA 91204 csr@postmagazine.com 800.280.6446 DALE ESCEN Account Manager 818.291.1122 descen@copprints.com REPRINTS Reprints 781.255.0625 • 818.291.1153 LA SALES OFFICE: 620 West Elk Avenue, Glendale, California 91204 800.280.6446 WILLIAM R. RITTWAGE President / CEO PREVIS' DARK SIDE MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE avid Dozoretz has a long history working in the previs business. In the early '90s, he was at ILM and helped set up George Lucas' previs department, which was used on the Star Wars: Episode I and II films. He later set up his own company, Persistence of Vision (http://persistenceofvi sion.com), and spent a dozen years pro- viding previs for many effects-driven films, including Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek, Battle: Los Angeles and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Today, he is directing and co-directing various projects, including The Power of Nature theme park attraction, and an ani- mated children's TV show that's yet to be announced. He still believes strongly in pre- vis, and uses it when needed, but says his time in the business has opened his eyes to what might be considered a dirty secret. "It's an infringement on other people's territory," he says of previs. "I had a version of a very big action sequence edited before the editors were on the movie. We've had situations where we designed shots before the cinematographer shows up on-set or even sees the storyboards. The reality is, when editors and cinematographer and stunt people come to a project, and major sequences are done by a previs crew, they are irked. I certainly understand that, but at the same time, the previs guy's contribu- tions should not be marginalized. They are making substantive contributions. Previs is extremely helpful, and a lot of people don't like it because it's extremely helpful. It's become a political hot potato." Opportunities to direct allowed Do- zoretz to transition away from the previs business, and he embraced them. "I got a little bit disillusioned with what I saw as the film industry kind of repeating itself," he explains. "I'm not personally that interested in sequels and super hero movies, which is what the film industry has become. I was ready to move on from that." He, like so many others, believes the visual effects industry is in a time of crisis. "I am worried that the previs industry is seen as subset of visual effects to the studios and will be treated the same way." very month in Post, we deliver in- terviews with directors, editors, col- orists, audio mixers, VFX artists, and more, as well as news and opinions from some of the industry's leading manufacturers so that our readers have the latest in TV, film, commercials, music videos, digital content, technology and emerging trends. What we do here at Post, though, is a lot more than meets the eye. When you run down this month's TOC page, you'll notice a healthy list of stories on previs, digital intermediates, a post-Os- car report and audio for mobile games, as well as interviews with James Wan, director of the newest film in the Fast & Furious franchise (page 14); the VFX team behind AMC's hit zombiepocalypse show The Walking Dead (page 12); and bylined pieces from manufacturers and studio creatives in our Workflow (page 37) article and brand new Field Tested (page 38) column, which looks at how the latest gear fares in real-world studio applications. But Post goes well beyond what you see here in print, delivering daily news on our Web- site at www.postmagazine.com, and in our bi-weekly newsletters. In one of our online exclusives, I spoke with Framestore for a Q&A with motion capture TD Gary Marshall on his work for the recent release, Jupiter Ascending. Here, Marshall speaks on how he was able to achieve some critical VFX scenes by relying on the Vicon Cara motion capture system. Creating more than 400 finished VFX shots, he says, "The work varied from hero characters — the Sargorns and Keepers, to the environments of Balem's boardroom and lab, the armory, and the Titus Clipper dock, as well as digital doubles, space ships, planets, and all manner of explosions, fireballs, shattering glass and liquid-like na- no-technology. It was a huge undertaking for our VFX teams." In many instances, too, we offer online extensions of our print stories. This month, we look into the many benefits of the previs and postvis processes (page 24) while also offering an online look at how these same processes were used on the upcoming film, Insurgent, opening later this month. Also, as we head down the road to NAB, look for some online, pre-show coverage. There's not a stone we've left unturned; you just need to know where to look. 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Airmail Delivery is available for an additional $75.00 annually. Postmaster: Send address changes to Post Magazine, 620 W. Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204. Please send customer service inquiries to 620 W. Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204 BY MARC LOFTUS SENIOR EDITOR/ DIRECTOR OF WEB CONTENT MLOFTUS@POSTMAGAZINE.COM BY LINDA ROMANELLO MANAGING EDITOR LROMANELLO@ POSTMAGAZINE.COM POST SCRIPT D E EDITOR'S NOTE