Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/813438
www.postmagazine.com 23 POST APRIL 2017 PREVIS/POSTVIS s new processes, previs, postvis and techvis have certainly come into their own in recent years, and for many, they have become essential when planning out scenes, and helping filmmakers realize their creative visions. Here, Post speaks with creatives and heads at several top studios that are leading the way in this now essential technology — including Tefft Smith II, previsulization supervisor at Santa Monica, CA's Halon Entertainment (www.halon. com); Ron Frankel, founder and creative director of LA's Proof (www.proof-inc.com); Duane Floch, previs supervisor at MPC (www.moving-picture. com) (with locations in London, New York, LA, Vancouver, Paris and more); Jess Brown, VFX producer at Vancouver's Stargate Studios (http:// stargatestudios.net) and Duncan Burbidge, GM and executive producer at The Third Floor London (http://thethirdfloorinc.com) — about its huge benefits to time, money and vision. Previs/postvis has really come into its own over the past few years — what do you attribute to its increasing and important role in production? Tefft Smith II: "Previs, stuntvis, techvis and post- vis allow directors to visually test things out in their film and help producers figure out the optimal way to go about shooting the film in a more cost-ef- fective way. I think the increasing utilization by production reflects the role of previs as a brain-trust for not only the director, but all de- partments, to test out ideas throughout produc- tion. It allows for a higher level of creativity and technical execution." Ron Frankel: "The growing role of previs and post- vis can be attributed to a few factors. First is the improved artistry of the practitioners. Previs has been around for 20 years. In the beginning, there were only a handful of us. We were young, talented but inex- perienced. Over the years, previs has attracted more talent and those artists have gained more experience. We now have many previs artists who have five or more years of experience working with filmmakers. Some, like myself, have over twice that. That experience translates directly into the quality of the work. And if the work is good, then clients will always want more of it. "Combined with the improved artistry of the practitioners is the improved performance of the hardware and software. Faster machines mean we can get more done in less time. "And lastly there is risk. As film budgets increase and schedules contract, previs and postvis remain the best way to ensure that the production's time and money are well spent. That applies to big, Hollywood tent-pole extravaganzas, as well as to smaller films. If there is some complex stunt, elabo- rate visual effect or even a challenging location, it is extremely helpful to previs the shots first. That way, the filmmakers can foresee any possible production issues, find solutions and show up on the day with the confidence that they have a good plan." Duane Floch: "There's an increasing awareness and acceptance among producers and VFX supervisors as to the cost-benefits of previs. Months ahead of the shoot, you have the capability to quick- ly explore various creative ideas and technical approach- es to the shooting of the film. Stunts, camera VFX and art departments can all benefit from the agility inherent in previs and the technical data it can provide. Good use of postvis can save a lot of back and forth with VFX vendors, quickly inform the editorial process and can provide decent VFX place holders for internal screenings in the initial phases of post production." Jess Brown: "Previs enables a director to visually see the story before going to camera, which may sound like a novelty to some, but when you're planning something either technically or prac- tically challenging, it helps immensely to see how things play out beforehand. Anything dangerous or expensive that you may only get one chance at shooting, for instance, might be some- thing you want to invest some previs time into. I won't go so far as to call previs an insurance policy, but the value of seeing and evaluating challenges could be immeasurable down the road. "In visual effects, we're well accustomed to solv- ing problems using art, technology and technique, mixed with a little know-how and a whole bunch of innovation. So why not try and solve some of those problems before they even materialize? Previs en- ables us to encounter some of these problems and plan for their resolution. Beyond that, previs plays a major role in storytelling, which is what we're all here to do in the end. Directors can play with lighting, cameras and sets before production to help them discover how to tell the story the way they want to, and I cannot imagine a more important reason for previs than to enhance our storytelling ability." Duncan Burbidge: "Modern entertainment cre- ators face all sorts of challenges — from the push to show things audiences have never seen before to draw people back to the cinemas to an in- creasing tightening of budgets and sched- ules. Previs has come into its own more and more because it provides a 'comfort blanket' of sorts, enabling the creatives to rapidly prototype shots and scenes. Does the story work? Is that action sequence exciting enough? Does every- one buy off on what the goal is? Can we afford it? How do we shoot the sequence? Directors from a new tech-savvy generation that really enjoy and embrace the previs process are now working on bigger films. And producers these days really 'get it,' as using previs helps them keep control of the budget. "We're also finding productions are becoming ever more reliant on postvis, and the demand to turn shots over more quickly while raising the bar of visual quality has increased. Where once audience, studio and director's cut screenings were left with greenscreens, missing creatures and early-stage visual effects temps, they are now filled with postvis composites that give a much more complete picture of the creative and visual ideas. The Third Floor itself has seen a rap- id expansion over the last several years, in part due to the recognition of the talent we are lucky enough to have in our company. Our supervisors and artists are seen as collaborators on their productions, adding not just technical know-how but also significant creative support. Virtual pro- duction has come of-age as well — it's no longer a tool for just big-budget films. We're excited to be increasingly included in and helping innovate that process and are supporting productions to a much greater level than we've done before. This includes everything from bringing previs on set, for example, for use in programming practical camera and stunt rigs, to creating virtual sets and facilitating virtual camera and director's layout sessions." Can you discuss some of the key benefits of previs/postvis? Smith II: "Aside from the creative key benefits, previs is cost effective in that it reduces guess work on the days of the shoots. Previs can real- ly help the actors know what is happening scene by scene when shooting against blue. This was especially true with the work we did on Alice A