PACKAGE ONE: Research & Production Diary
Updated: Jun 16, 2022
Research
In order to understand what to do, I first had to explore what Previs was and how I defined it against the main definition.
Previsualisation is an important step in the process of any animation or visual effects film medium. The step involves making the storyboards and concept art into 3D models, animation, and rough textures to convey how the shots, scenes and sequences will look.
This step is extremely important as it uses a minimal amount of resources to showcase a rough look at the final product before developing the shots, scenes and sequences for the final release and utilising resources. Similar to how storyboards convey the idea of the shots before utilising any camera, Previs exists to accomplish a similar level.
To understand Previs, we did a large number of research tasks into it and how production on a Previs company may work.
We were introduced to a company that does 3D Previs animation called "The Third Floor" who gave a lecture on Previs animation within the industry. The company worked on several projects, albeit Disney-specific and focused, like Shadow and Bone, Marvel Films, etc. They not only explained us what Previs animation is, but also speak about what they (and perhaps other companies) are looking for in a Previs artist in terms of skills, experience, and personality. This showed me how professional artists in the industry must act and how we can use this for employability in the future.
For our research tasks, we did a fair amount of them.
Firstly we did some tests with lighting, and how the intensity, colour, number and distance from a light source can illuminate a subject in different ways and give different meaning.
Next, we did a number of exercises on camera equipment and how certain cameras are rigs so we could understand appropriate camera movement. Click here for the playlist. This really improved my understanding of cameras, especially in an environment. I've worked with cameras multiple times before, but not moving and recording simultaneously.
I also did some further research into cameras. By viewing "Setting Up Your Shots: Great Camera Moves Every Filmmaker Should Know" by Jeremy Vineyard and StudioBinder's "The Shot List" playlist on YouTube, I compiled a number of blog posts on Shot Sizes, Scene Transitions, Depth of Field, Aspect Ratios, Camera Framing, Lenses, Angles, Gear and Movement to reference if I needed guidance on how to frame a shot.
Afterwards, we received a number of clips which we then used to edit the a story out of. The story involved a man driving in his car, then a car crashes into him. We were to tell the story of the car crash just by editing the clips together. In a similar realm to the camera equipment, this aided my extensively in my work with editing videos and audio.
With a fair amount of research and storytelling development, I decided to move forward.
Production Diary
For my production diary, I ultimately chose to format it in the form of Google Slides, since my preferred communication style is image-dominant.
Final Outcome
I am quite proud of my final outcome. I can say with complete certainty that it is not objectively great, but I think the film tells a well enough story to clarify the ideas. If there was anything I would change, it would have been my schedule and planning the story around the time provides without considering the limit. I am very happy with how the story turned out, and I am looking forward to doing more in the future.
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