djih previsarticle v05 02 - new mexico state...
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Previsualization of Don Juan In Hell:
A case study of project development in the world of low budget, indie green‐screen
productions.
Why Previs?
Previsualization, as defined by previs forerunner Colin Green in 1999, is the process
of using 3D animation tools to plan complicated visual effects sequences prior to the
production of any elements shot (1). “Elements” refer to distinct image content that
will create the final image. Visual Effects can be defined as the integration of distinct
live‐action elements, or distinct live‐action and computer‐generated (CG) elements
to create a final composite image. Green’s previs definition has grown to become
more inclusive of broader applications including live‐action sequences without
visual effects (3D storyboarding), and specializations that address specific
applications, such as pitchvis, d‐vis (design visualization), technical previs, on‐set
previs (durvis), and post‐vis as defined by the Previsualization Society (2). This
paper will explore opportunities for independent filmmakers to utilize previs
methodologies once reserved for high‐end feature films and commercials.
Previs has been commonly used in the production of major motion pictures,
whereas independent productions have not extensively adopted its use. Previs and
visual effects combine invention and artistry. Major motion picture studios first
formed a substantial reliance on previsualization due to the intricate nature of
visual effects. As previs veteran Ron Frankel stated, “If it’s complex, a director
should consider using previs” (3). Similarly, previs artist Brian Pohl stated, “Previs
helps make monumental tasks manageable and clarifies the artist’s vision” (Pohl. A
Previsualization Society is Born).
Visual effects in its invisible, subtle, or overtly fantastic forms, have become more
mainstream in popular cinema. The fundamental concepts and techniques involved
in applying visual effects are becoming more widely understood, and what was once
technology beyond the financial reach of the independent filmmaker is becoming
feasible. Consequently, the employment of visual effects in independent filmmaking,
an area that already trends toward exploration of a wider range of narrative
approaches, means more unique stories will be told. As productions of all scales
trend toward more sophisticated visuals so will the essential need for
previsualization.
The underlying factor that separates the majority of independent films from major
motion pictures is budget constraints. This paper will examine the application of
previs in a small scale, independent filmmaking effort in order to demonstrate to
what extent the use of previs can benefit a low‐budget production. It aims to
demonstrate how previs, in many of its specialized forms, can positively affect many
creative and technical aspects of a production, while also demonstrating the need
for additional resources to successfully address other areas of a production. It will
explore the scope, in terms of the production team size, schedule, equipment and
facilities, as it relates to previs and the production workflow. This approach will
draw upon experiences attained through the production of Don Juan In Hell, an
independent film project that exemplifies two growing areas for previsualization:
visual effects intensive greenscreen production and project development as a means
to attract financiers (1).
The Project
Don Juan In Hell (DJiH) was shot entirely on a “digital back‐lot” blending live‐actors
with computer‐generated surroundings. Previs was implemented to design, develop
and plan many of the essential aspects of the eight‐minute short movie. One
product of this process was an animated previs edit of the entire sequence to serve
all aspects of the production. As a result of this effort, the director could eventually
present a completed short movie as a proof of concept to financiers to seek funding
for the production of the feature length movie. The short movie also served as a
prototype to establish the creative approach, production workflow and budget of
the feature film.
The production of DJiH was a joint effort between the University of Texas at Austin
and New Mexico State University faculty, students and alumni. DJiH was written and
directed by Andrew Shea with animation direction by Derek Fisher. The feature
length screenplay, Don Juan in Hell, was a collaboration between Andrew Shea and
Mark Medoff, and was an adaptation of the third act of Bernard Shaw’s 1903 play,
Man Versus Superman, of the Don Juan theme.
Purpose
The creative intent of the filmmakers was to present a more contemporary take of
the period genre film to attract a broader audience. The challenge was to create a
spatially active cinematic sequence from a scene that had originally been performed
on a theater stage. The success of the sequence relied on the strength of the
dialogue and a strong acting performance, in combination with the dynamic
cinematic sequence and a stylized final look. The aim was to enhance intimate
performance between two characters and bring the audience along for a ride
through historically inspired 1903 settings. The director and designer collaborated
closely with the intention of creating a novel contemporary experience of a period
genre screenplay, ultimately taking dialogue from stage to cinema.
This creative intent, in combination with the requirements of the visual effects of
greenscreen production, and constraints of the small budget, required thoughtful
production workflow. The production was limited by a compressed schedule due to
the small budget and the looming reality of expiring story rights. Previs was
essential to remedy these contingencies in order to provide a low‐risk production
environment and the overall success of the project. The compressed schedule
limited the reach of the previs and created a sense of urgency. The previs effort
prior to principle photography was appropriated:
• 18 hours for design‐visualization
• 125 hours for sequence design
• 6 hours for technical previs.
A small budget allowed a small team consisting of members that could cover
multiple roles typically assigned to many individuals on a major motion picture. As
a low‐budget production, the DJiH team would benefit from generalist as opposed to
specialty roles. For example, the previs designer was responsible for visual effects
and production design throughout the process. The generalist approach would be
supported through the implementation of digital technologies and the application of
previs through what can best be described as a non‐linear production space
(McDowell, 4, fig #) and a digital film design paradigm (5).
Figure #. Caption
As in many cinematic productions DJiH began with the script. What made DJiH
unique was that it also grew from Shea’s intimacy with alternate forms of the story
through his experience directing variations of it for the live theatrical stage. Shea’s
feature length adaptation kept many attractive aspects established in original story,
that include scenes in and across many European locations, such as London, Paris,
and Granada, Spain. Shea realized that a low‐budget production could not afford the
daunting enterprise of altering high profile locations into a 1903, post‐Victorian
mise‐en‐scene. Shea and Fisher spent two days brainstorming how best to serve the
director’s aim for the movie in the context of a low‐budget and condensed schedule.
As an alternative to difficult location shooting of the period genre film, the decision
was made to integrate live‐action performances shot on a greenscreen set with
computer generated production design.
This approach provided creative freedom often afforded digital design, at the same
time the project required a design that conformed to historical constraints. The
result was an imaginary mise‐en‐scene rendered believable through historic
reference. Fisher designed the computer‐generated world inspired by real‐world
locations with the freedom to serve the cinematic aspirations of the movie. A design
background such as Fisher’s, in both architecture and previsualization, was a
combination well suited to the approach. The goal was to apply previs methods
from experience on major motion pictures with Pixel Liberation Front and Proof Inc.
to the project.
From the production design grew the need to create a virtual sequence where
environment design could be completed concurrently with camera layout eventually
comprising the sequence design. In previs terms, this can be described as D‐vis
(design visualization) and the 3D storyboarding. Ultimately this served to integrate
many aspects of the production design and cinematography through a single digital
design space. This opportunity for integration often defines previs efforts, where a
three‐dimensional workspace serves as a means to direct, design, and plan within a
single virtual movie set.
To meet DJiH’s dynamic cinematic aim and the subtext of the narrative, (a
revolutionary man on the edge of the societal transition into post‐Victorian era
being pursued by a modern woman), the decision was made to keep the action
moving from start to finish. The action was uninterrupted with dramatic transitions
represented by three different settings: a drive, a villa and a garden. The sequence
moved from the open‐air automobile in downtown Granada Spain, along the Darro
River, through a hillside town, and along a country road. It then progressed through
a formal carriage villa entry, with a transition of action from driving to walking
through the villa entrance, up a grand staircase, and through a colonnade
overlooking the Alhambra. A final descent took the sequence into and through a
formal garden with the finale at a fountain.
Pre‐visualizing the Previs
This fabricated journey through a variety of Granada‐like settings required
visualization informed and inspired by research of 1903 Granada. A montage edit of
reference images was assembled to establish the architectural and spatial aspects of
the sequence. A voice‐over of the script’s dialogue informed the montage design
and established a preliminary relationship between the settings and the dramatic
transitions of the narrative. The two‐dimensional montage was then used to inform
the previsualization as it progressed into three dimensions.
Montage
Previs (sequence design) and Design Visualization (d‐vis)
The geographic attributes of the scene were established in three dimensions
following the montage. This effort is typical of previsualization, where basic
architectural aspects of the set design are blocked out, as is the action of the
characters through it, followed by camera placement and eventual camera
animation when necessary. An edit of the virtual sequence was eventually complete.
Changes were made as the sequence evolved through several iterations. Limits on
the previs effort required a reduction of allowable iterations and many shots were
incorporated after a single instance. This is in contrast to development that is often
afforded previs teams on major motion pictures.
This early phase of the previs process established a unique virtual route through the
blocked‐out environment. The schematic three‐dimensional set design was spatially
accurate, low‐resolution geometry represented by simple materials. The set design
was developed through research of architecture and culture of 1903 Granada, Spain.
An original Villa Colonnade, Garden and Fountain were designed and inspired by the
famous Generalife Palace and Gardens in Granada. Budget constraints required
designing the Granada‐like setting without affording a visit to Granada. To serve
this need the team employed reference material from online technology that
allowed them to electronically visit anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery,
maps, terrain, and 3D buildings.
As the previs sequence developed, aesthetic and functional choices were considered
separately and dependently. One objective was to create the illusion of the leading
characters, Tanner and Anne, traveling through Granada via a stripped‐down 1903
Pope Toledo, an open‐air automobile common to the era. The decision to use the
altered Pope Toledo supported the leading man’s hobby of racing cars across
Europe as well as the cinematic intentions of the sequence. The design of the Pope
Toledo also provided practical benefits. The absence of automobile cab enclosures
and windshields was common to this time period, leaving passengers dangerously
exposed and reliant upon eye goggles. This supported the aim of a dynamic and
stylized sequence. It also eliminated many on‐set issues often inherent when
shooting scenes involving actors in a car. There was no glass and therefor, no need
to worry about reflection or glare on‐set, except in the goggles. As pre‐production
decisions were made to eliminate demands on production and post‐production,
strategies were needed to reduce effort in pre‐production.
The director and the previs designer adopted a strategy to serve the project’s more
critical needs. To accommodate the schedule the decision was made to limit the
level of character animation. The director understood that in some ways the previs
appeared as unsophisticated animation, yet it formed the visual structure of the
sequence. This strategy is evident in production of movies such as Panic Room,
where a large percentage of the movie was previsualized, requiring an efficient use
of resources. DJiH adopted the same approach and focused on accurate timing and
placement of each character with little attention to believability in terms of
character performance. (It was later realized on‐set that the previs would have
served the actor well as a guide for turning the steering wheel of the prop car.) The
previs edit went through the necessary preproduction development and served
each area of the sequence (direction, production design, cinematography, visual
effects, editing). The animated sequence had met the overall objectives of the
sequence design.
Technical Previs
The next step was to plan the migration of the essential aspects of the sequence
from the computer to the set through technical previs. This process served as a
critical analytical tool to work out logistics of the production. However, the
technical previs was hindered due to the compressed schedule. Visual effects
methods commonly assigned to previs teams on major motion picture productions
were not fully explored. This added risk and stress to the project. The production
did not attempt to migrate specific camera and vehicle animation from the virtual
sequence to motion control devices on‐set. To adjust to this limitation, a helpful
alternative was adopted. At a minimum, the animated previs sequence served as a
critical visual guide to the director, motion control operator, crew, and actors.
Where camera moves were estimated on‐set using the previs as a guide, more
specific technical planning was necessary for the construction and coordination of
physical set pieces for the drive, villa and garden scenes. The technical plans were
created from the previs scene in the form of diagrams and insured proper
integration of the performance with the CG environment and props. An on‐set
rotating platform, much like a Lazy‐Susan with adjustable heights was designed and
implemented to create the necessary rotations of the car. The travel distance and
speed were simulated through the movement of the camera rig travelling on a track
(see fig). The remainder of the technical planning was completed on‐set.
The Shoot.
Onset Previs – (dur‐vis):
The project was shot on Red Cameras at Spiderwood Studios in Austin, Texas over a
two‐day period. The on‐set production required shooting fifty‐seven visual effects
shots each of which incorporated either motion control, object tracking, or motion
tracking. Set pieces were designed and constructed to match many aspects of the
virtual set. The on‐set previs effort attempted to compensate for the lack of
technical documentation and provided analytical information as necessary with
immediate access to the virtual three‐dimensional sequence.
The necessity for on‐set technical planning was most evident when motion control
photography was implemented on the project. In general, motion control can serve
to provide sophisticated visual effects opportunities while also adding complexity to
a production shoot. The primary use of motion control photography is to create
precise repeatable camera moves on separately shot elements. The distinct shots
can be successfully composited together due to the shared and identical camera
motion data. The noise generated by motion control rigs can be in direct conflict
with scenes that require actors dialogue to be recorded. On DJiH, motion control was
used on the driving shots, both out of necessity and because the noise of the rig
could be masked by the sound of the simulated car engine.
On DJiH, the first purpose of implementing motion control was to create on‐set
camera moves that could be exported to the 3D software in order to repeat the same
camera move in the virtual space. The transfer of identical camera data allowed for
seamless integration of the live‐action performance with the three‐dimensional
environment. The second benefit was that the motion control rig could simulate the
movement of the automobile. Rather than the car speeding away from camera, the
camera would speed away from the car, creating the illusion of the former. Tracking
markers were also employed to allow for object tracking and as backup data to the
motion control process. If for some reason the motion control data were not useful,
the tracking markers could allow for motion tracking the camera move. The markers
were also used to track the motion of the car.
As discussed previously, the application of motion control is well served through
careful shot planning, the aspect of the DJiH effort most hindered by the compressed
schedule. Ideally the technical planning of each motion control shot would have
included the animation of each shot as it needed to be shot on‐set. At times, this was
different to how the shot appeared in the edit. This can be described as the
perceived motion of the car, as seen in the movie, versus the actual motion of the car,
as performed on‐set. To create the perceived motion within the limits of the
greenscreen set, the car motion was actually created by two separate mechanisms;
the motion control (moco) camera rig and the lazy‐Susanne car rig. Ultimately, this
combination was used to create illusion of the Pope Toledo traveling, turning,
accelerating and stopping.
Moving motion control rigs on set can be as cumbersome and time consuming as
setting up and breaking down lights. The combination of the two can be especially
crippling to a small production requiring fifty‐seven visual effects shots in two days.
Reducing the number of configurations for lighting and motion control was critical
for the DJiH shoot. The combination of a veteran Motion Control Operator, an
experienced and flexible Director of Photography, and constant access to the previs
information was essential to finding the solution. Technical animations and
diagrams of on‐set requirements would have solved the problem on a major
production. DJiH relied on Peter Rush’s (Motion Control Operator from Mark
Roberts Control of the United Kingdom) ability to translate the previs into a mental
diagram that demonstrated quick on‐set problem solving and a solution to suite
camera and lighting needs with minimal configurations.
On‐set previs, jokingly called “durvis” by Green (#INDIE PREVIS) continued to
propagate information from the sequence design through the production.
Immediate access to the scene data assisted with many on‐set needs, including;
camera position information to determine various car rig setups, camera and lens
information for the DP, set dimensions for the grip team, and blocking information
for the director and actors. With clear visual communication and hard analytical
information available for each shot, previs was a constant guiding force. An
underlying, yet substantial benefit was that the crew wasted no time on shots that
would be cut. This enabled the Directors vision to be easily shared throughout the
shoot and freed him to focus more on the actor’s performances.
Integration
The post‐production process began when the director created an edit of the live
action footage that consisted of selected shots based on performance and camera
work. With a few exceptions the live‐action edit closely matched the previs edit, due
to the on‐set reliance use of the sequence design. Integration began with the aim to
correlate the live‐action footage and data with the 3D environment. The previs
provided the necessary spatial, geometric and temporal information necessary to
plan the integration of the live‐action footage and the CGI.
A prominent visual effects technique for integration is matchmoving. On DJiH on‐set
reference markers, placed on set and visible in shot footage, were used to position,
orient, and scale the live action set with the virtual set. On‐set motion control
camera data was imported into the 3D previs scene as was live action reference
footage. The main goal of this process was to align the two worlds and the previs
scene served as means to do this.
There were some aspects of the previs that did not serve the production in the post‐
phase. For example, action previously animated in the scene became secondary to
the actors in the live action performance. The information that remained useful was
the proxy previs environment. With the physical scene and the virtual scene aligned,
footage of the live action performance was set in the context of the low‐resolution
3D set. The next step would be to replace the previs setting with a realisitic, high
resolution CG environment.
Final 3d Set and Environment Design
The non‐destructive evolution of the proxy previs environment toward the final
look setting was a substantial factor that benefitted a more efficient and creative
outcome. Ultimately this eliminated much redundancy and obsolete information.
The final details, were designed, modeled and textures based and efficiently
coordinated with was needed to create the final edit. The final look (set and
environments design) and match moving was completed. 3D scenes were rendered
and composited with the footage.
Postvis
Post‐vis was the final stage of the previs effort and included the continued creation
of necessary CG elements required of the sequence. Post‐vis, as stated by the
Previsualization Society, combines digital elements and production photography to
validate footage selection, provides placeholder shots for editorial, and refines
effects design. This effort included the final animation of the Pope Toledo to match
the motion of the on‐set car. It also included dust, exhaust, and animation of
entourage features such as birds, donkey and carts and a few pedestrians.
Outcomes and Conclusion.
Shortcommings:
There were some obvious shortcomings and limitations of on DJiH. The project
would have benefitted by having the ability to composite live‐action character into
scene in real‐time on set. We also would have benefitted by applying many recent
development seen in the field of previs, such as gaming technology and motion
capture ???. Though the DP was brought on early decision on lens, camera and
lighting choices, the accelerated schedule did not allow for on‐set development with
the exception of a single prep day before the shoot. Some initial frustration as the
DP, grips and visual effects team negotiated the strategies for getting all the shots
completed (minimizing the number of times we would move the Motion Control Rig
versus the Lighting setup. Coordinating the lighting for continuity). This was costly
in terms of setup time and on‐set morale. Previs integration with motion control
cameras. For planning the specific motion of cameras and cranes before the shoot,
then for combining and compositing real and virtual elements during the shoot for
immediate playback to the director. Austin team and New Mexico team being in
different physical space or schedules made for some difficulty in getting everyone
involved.
Benefits
Benefited from not having to serve multiple masters with different departments.
More able to function as a non‐linear virtual design space (McDowell. The Digital
Eye). Layout versus previs
The article describes the capacity that previs had on the production of Don Juan In
Hell, an example of it’s continued expansion into independent movie production.
The aim is to demonstrate previs’s benefits as a nexus and non‐linear approach that
changes the relationship between pre‐production, production, and post‐production
(1). The project explores specific emergent definitions of previs services occurring
at various stages of the production. (2) specialized previs.
Potentially stand on its own as a short film.
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