18/02/2007 by Stiglic Dragan.

It dawned on me just yesterday. Our previs profession is similar to that of a dentist. I realized that when I heard my dentist saying: “Pain prevention is my intention“. So correct!

If you want your teeth (movies) to be healthy - you gotta brush, brush, brush (previs, previs, previs)… until the dirt is out. But if you won’t - dirt “gets into production stage”, decays, and later on - it costs a lot to patch those holes - or worst - take some teeth out. Otherwise, audience will always know (smell : ) which parts of your movie stinks… 

Message is clear - Do your brushing (previs) - save your teeth (movie). Pure zen.

Ok, now just like doctors, let’s see what are the usuall syptoms before decay.

1. 1. Everybody knows that many projects get into production having relatively unfinished scripts as project’s creative seed.
2. 2. It’s familiar thing to have greenlighted projects waiting for a while until the director is available or until animation of vfx studio is chosen. Between greenlight and first productions there is great amount of valuable time vasted.
3. 3. Many projects get director attached in the very last moment. Sometimes it might happen in the middle of production as well : )
4. 4. Probably most of projects get into production with tons of visual & story solution that haven’t been very well thought of, let alone tested.
5. 5. At the end - since text is not really an appropriate media to communicate visual and cinesthetic elements - many projects suffer from bad communication between creative departments, .

Now, how to prevent this in your next production?

• 1. Give another knowledgable person to proof-read that script! Improve the script! Revise, revise, and revise! There is great amount of script analysts and writers out there. Writing stage is inexpensive, and invaluable component of every movie. So, don’t go in that production until script is near-top-class, or top-class : )
• 2. Let your director sit down with someone who can draw. Visualize ideas! Involve more people. Visualize and test the ideas through pictures. Again and again…
• 3. Make a rough 3D sketch of your environment and characters. Take your virtual camera “on the location” and previs, previs, previs…
• 4. As soon as you know who’s directing, who’s art directing, who’s DP, spinn them around previs process, and previs, previs, previs….

… until your reach superprevis : )

Fair Question: Now why would someone wish to do so much work? Fair Answer: Simply - to prevent doing much much much more work!

Just remember what my dentist said.

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15/02/2007 by Stiglic Dragan.

Hi there and Welcome!

To the best of our knowledge - this is the first blog dedicated only and exclusively to previs. This is probably one of few rare places where people can think & talk about previs for film, commercials and games.

Here you can find all information about our SUPERPREVIS film prototyping team, and all about the very meaning of term SUPERPREVIS. Beside providing all the necessary info, we’ll give an exclusive insight into our working process and thoughts that follow it - via our “previs artist’s diaries”. Enjoy your reading!

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