One of the most stunning scenes in Michael Vaughn’s mutant prequel “X-Men: First Class” features the soon-to-be-named Magneto (Michael Fassbender) returning a volley of Russian and U.S. navy missiles near Cuba.
So how did the filmmakers work out how to shoot this complicated sequence? What could they film for real? And what could be done with visual effects?
That’s where previsualization — or “previs” — comes in. It’s a process that relies on 3-D animation tools to blueprint the story, scenes and design technicalities of a movie in advance of filming.
It can also help the actors and crew on location envision computer-generated creatures or backgrounds that will be added later on.
The studio responsible for the previs in “X-Men: First Class” was The Third Floor, a seasoned L.A.-based facility.
Shannon Justinson, previs supervisor at The Third Floor, explained the amount of detail that went into the preparation for this latest mutant-film installment. Facial similarity to the actors, scale, and height were all accounted for.
Each scene could be tested from different vantage points, camera angles and fields of view.
Justinson said this amount of creative control creates an opportunity to give an audience something they haven’t seen before.
The lifelike motion of the virtual characters in The Third Floor’s previs for “X-Men First Class” is due to hand animation and the use of a sophisticated Motion Capture (“Mo-Cap”) suit built by Dutch manufacturer XSENS. Each Mo-Cap suit is fitted with special trackers and gyroscopes wirelessly linked to a computer. Actors can perform complex scenes and instantly review their motions as they are applied to models in real-time.
If you are looking to break into the exploding business of previs, Justinson recommends learning 3-D animation programs such as Autodesk’s Maya. Equally important is to develop a keen filmic eye. “Look at films that are excellent examples of cinematography,” she said. “Study them and learn how you can use the visual language to tell the story.”
So how did the filmmakers work out how to shoot this complicated sequence? What could they film for real? And what could be done with visual effects?
That’s where previsualization — or “previs” — comes in. It’s a process that relies on 3-D animation tools to blueprint the story, scenes and design technicalities of a movie in advance of filming.
It can also help the actors and crew on location envision computer-generated creatures or backgrounds that will be added later on.
The studio responsible for the previs in “X-Men: First Class” was The Third Floor, a seasoned L.A.-based facility.
Shannon Justinson, previs supervisor at The Third Floor, explained the amount of detail that went into the preparation for this latest mutant-film installment. Facial similarity to the actors, scale, and height were all accounted for.
Each scene could be tested from different vantage points, camera angles and fields of view.
Justinson said this amount of creative control creates an opportunity to give an audience something they haven’t seen before.
The lifelike motion of the virtual characters in The Third Floor’s previs for “X-Men First Class” is due to hand animation and the use of a sophisticated Motion Capture (“Mo-Cap”) suit built by Dutch manufacturer XSENS. Each Mo-Cap suit is fitted with special trackers and gyroscopes wirelessly linked to a computer. Actors can perform complex scenes and instantly review their motions as they are applied to models in real-time.
If you are looking to break into the exploding business of previs, Justinson recommends learning 3-D animation programs such as Autodesk’s Maya. Equally important is to develop a keen filmic eye. “Look at films that are excellent examples of cinematography,” she said. “Study them and learn how you can use the visual language to tell the story.”
