Visual effects (VFX) expert Steven MacPherson from Framestore in London visited
South Africa to share his knowledge on the filmmaking process of pre-visualisation or
previs.
According to the non-profit organisation the Previsualization Society, previs is “a
collaborative process that generates preliminary versions of shots or sequences,
predominantly using 3D animation tools and a virtual environment. It enables
filmmakers to visually explore creative ideas, plan technical solutions, and
communicate a shared vision for efficient production’.
In a Durban FilmMart session titled Pre-Visualisation to Virtual Production, Steven
MacPherson outlined the purpose and the benefits to including previs in a feature
film’s workflow.
He explained that Framestore is known for doing visual effects on big budget
blockbusters from the UK and US. “We work on both big and small films, including
recent Oscar-nominated films such as War Horse and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,’
explained MacPherson.
In 2011 Framestore entered a joint partnership with US digital previs experts The
Third Floor to form The Third Floor London.
Risk
MacPherson’s first point was that films are expensive to make. “You don’t want to
make a movie with lots of effects but no story, and you walk out of the cinema
unmoved. Yet that’s one thing that’s really prevalent,’ he noted.
“Every film carries risk, small films as much as big studio films. However, when big
budget films fail, the financial implications are huge. You don’t want to run out of
money just because the production wasn’t planned properly,’ said MacPherson.
As examples of the risks of big budgets he mentioned two recent blockbusters – John
Carter, which had a budget of about $250m and made only about $282m worldwide,
and The Avengers, which cost $220m and made $1.477bn.
Previs is especially important when complex and expensive special effects are
involved in a film, according to MacPherson, because the risk becomes bigger.
“Films involve a lot of people. When a script mentions “a small cabin on a hill’,
everyone will visualise it differently. Once you create an image of a cabin on a hill,
suddenly everyone is on the same page.’
He explained that scripts go to the art department first, where photos, art and digital
tools are used to visualise the script.
Planning
“We look at a script and highlight areas that are VFX intensive, phrases like “a bridge
collapses’. Increasingly we try to get involved strategically in the development of a
film, and not just the production and post-production. Previs is part of this strategy.’
According to MacPherson, key steps in previs include asset creation, animation,
camera, timing and editorial. During this process, the focus shifts from detail or mood
to blocking.
“Asset creation involves virtual location scouting – creating the characters, props and
environments of a scene. We have a database of assets, which takes time to put
together, but once you have the database you can simply select your props and
scenery and build your scene that way.
“The quality of previs is low, because it’s about capturing the timing and essence of a
scene, not creating a viewable product.’
He explained that, during the animation stage of previs the scene is populated with
characters.
“The camera phase involves checking how “things’ themselves move independent of
the camera. How will the camera move, what is the camera going to see, and how
does it capture a sense of landscape? Once again, the visual quality often wouldn’t
pass the test of a Saturday morning cartoon, but the idea is to capture or introduce
the scene by camera.’
MacPherson continued: “In terms of timing, the guys will always talk about the
emotional beats, the different angles and the pauses that the camera will
capture.’
Types of previs include pitchvis, techvis, on-set previs and postvis.
Benefits
MacPherson outlined the benefits of previs. “It’s a win-win for directors and producers,
as it fosters creativity and saves money because of better planning. It also helps
directors to convey their vision to producers, funders and crew.’
A Durban FilmMart delegate remarked that previs might not be relevant for the South
African industry, saying: “I don’t think there’s a funder in this country that would
understand what you’re talking about, and consider giving us money for previs.’
However, Macpherson was adamant that it was not impossible: “Lots of people in the
UK feel the same way – they would like to do it but they just don’t have the money.
However, a lot of this doesn’t require much sophistication – just some basic
knowledge of animation programme Maya. You can still convey a sense of what’s
going to happen and how it will look.
“If you have time, you can start blocking it out. You can work with artists and do
whatever you can. It’s really just about planning so that you can save money in
production. It simply enables people to see what you’re trying to do, rather than
relying on you describing it.’
Head of the Durban Film Office, Toni Monty added: “We wanted to bring this
knowledge into the programme so that we, as an industry, can start thinking about
how we can make it happen.’
MacPherson concluded that South African filmmakers should not allow their
imaginations to be crippled by thinking that they can’t do something. “I’ve watched
three African films here with no visual effects that I could see, but they were brilliant,
deeply personal stories. I can’t emphasise enough, it really is about the story.’
