"Previs Chess" with Sagar Rathod

In this short video tutorial titled "Pre-Vis Chess", Escape Studios' VFX tutor Sagar Rathod explains how the previsualisation ("previs") process works in vfx film-making.  What is previs? What is it for, and how do digital artists use it to solve practical film-making problems? This video forms a part of our growing library of video tutorials on Cinematography, 3D Layout, and Previs, which you can find at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel here. 

What is Pre-Vis?

Previs is short for pre-visualisation, and it’s a process that allows filmmakers to visualise their film before production starts.

You might use it to present a rough outline of your movie’s story or show how the shots you want to shoot will fit together.

That way, when the actual production begins (which can take many years), there are no surprises — and no wasted time.

Pre-Vis Chess

Sagar Rathod

In most cases, we are given a storyboard to work from. But sometimes we only have a bare-bones script. So it is up to us as pre-vis artists to make sense of the script.

In this video, I'll demonstrate a simple yet useful pre-vis exercise that helps us and the director better understand a scene. I have used this process many times... most recently on Ridley Scott's "Napoleon" and One Piece on Netflix.  

I call it "Pre-Vis Chess".

--- Sagar Rathod

  

Video Tutorial
Watch the process here: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/872147003

Vimeo Channel Tutorials on Cinematography, 3D Layout, and Previs

This video forms a part of our growing library of video tutorials on Cinematography, 3D Layout, and Previs, which you can find at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel here. 

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To find out more about our new BA/MArt, now recruiting for September 2023, follow this link.   To apply, visit the official page here.