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20 cgw m ay . j u n e 2 0 1 7 F E A T U R E 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 rapid expansion over the last several years, in part due to the recognition of the talent we are lucky enough to have in our compa- ny. Our supervisors and artists are seen as collaborators on their productions, adding not just technical know-how, but also significant creative support. Virtual production has come of age as well – it's no longer a tool for just big-bud- get 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. What are some of the key benefits of previs/postvis? Smith: Aside from the creative key bene- fits, previs is cost-effective in that it reduces guesswork on the days of the shoots. Previs can really help the actors know what is happening scene by scene when shoot- ing against blue. This was especially true with the work we did on Alice Through the Looking Glass. Postvis quickly helps the edi- tors form the story, while also being a great guide for the VFX houses. Frankel: I come from an architec- ture background, and in school we had a saying, 'Measure twice, cut once.' That same mentality applies to filmmaking as well. Having a good, well-conceived plan can be invaluable to a production. It means more time spent focused on shots that will end up on the screen, rather than on the editing room floor. Previs and postvis are a great, cost-effective way to hone in on the creative vision of the filmmakers and come up with that plan. Floch: A seasoned previs team, dialed into the director's vision, can quickly explore different approaches to every key sequence in the film. It's fantastic when there's a high level of collaboration among previs, the director, the DP, and other key departments. Once the work is creative- ly approved, you move on to technical solutions. All of this is done in pre-produc- tion and can save production a significant amount of time and money. Brown: I touched on some this above, so let's discuss a scenario so we can demonstrate some of these benefits. You're planning a car chase for your film, so you've sat down with your story- board artist and planned out this daring adventure down the highway ending in a nerve-racking car jump over the median and down an empty on-ramp to freedom, but only aer the two police cars have collided into each other and barrel-rolled to a stop. You've taken these boards and met with special effects, and they begin posing questions such as, how fast will the cars be going? What angles do we want to see when they collide? How many times should they roll? How far does the car jump? As you can see, these things start to add up quickly, and they'll all need very specific technical solutions. So knowing how you want to shoot things can help identify and solve those problems before they become exactly that, a problem. More important, perhaps, is we share in the creative discovery that the previs process allows to happen. This discovery is becoming more and more important as the prevalence of animation and CG Halon: Tomorrowland Halon : Tomorrowland MPC: Night at the Museum 3