DMAC Previz and VFX Reel

Let’s talk about PREVIZ!

I’ve seen Stunts Previz used as anything from a director’s shot-by-shot roadmap to a means by which enthusiasm was kept up during production (“Look what we’re shooting next week — it’s going to be awesome!”). But most often, Stunts Previz is a pitch.
The director presents his or her vision to the stunt coordinator, then the coordinator and their team bring creativity to bear to make the scene kick copious amounts of ass. The previz is shot with the hopes it will be the roadmap during shooting — but really, it starts out as a visual pitch of the stunt team’s vision for the director… and the quality of the previz will determine whether he or she goes forward, interjects new ideas, or asks for the dreaded do-over.

Amazingly, the director — the visionary, the creative filter for the project — often has ZERO imagination, and can’t see what’s not in the previz! Increasingly, stunt performers are learning VFX to augment their previz, trying to take away any chance of the director or other creative forces being confused (because, like pitching a script, often you only get one crack before they move on to other ideas, or maybe even other teams).

I’ve been doing stunts previz for a bunch of years now (and have also worked professionally as both an editor and visual effects artist for production companies including Lionsgate), building up a bag of tricks to get directors to buy what we’re selling with Stunts Previz (and to get them done fast).

I’ve also used those skills to create blocking videos — CG documents that provide a bird’s eye view of a sequence so that all departments have a clear idea of what’s going to go down when shooting starts for real.

I was showing some of these materials to Dan Carter recently, and he suggested I create a previz reel — so here it is!

As of now, I’m around and available for your previz needs… I also train actors, choreograph fights, and fall down go boom.

Stunts Previz Editor on:

FAST FIVE
RIPD
IRON MAN 3 (pre production)
PRIEST
GI JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER
TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION
BANSHEE SEASON 3 AND 4 (with Mike Wilson)
BAHUBALI: THE CONCLUSION