TECH PREVISUALISATION
PREVIS
WIZ W e have all heard the phrase ‘fix it in post’, but what about pre-production? From ideation and development to storyboarding and previsualisation, this crucial planning phase is key to getting things right in- camera and – in a perfect world – on the first take. Thanks to virtual production and other technology-heavy filmmaking methodologies, tasks once reserved for the post stage are moving forward in the pipeline, making previs more vital – and productions more top-heavy – than ever before. We survey the market for the latest, greatest tools designed to simplify the previs process. STORYBOARDER.AI STORYBOARDER.AI Storyboarder.ai is an all-in-one solution that blends storyboarding, animatics and AI-driven image generation. Whether starting with a polished screenplay or
Our round-up of the top budget-friendly
previs tools for pro filmmakers
an unstructured idea, the software takes that input and turns it into a complete picture, broken down into scenes and individual shots. It then allows for infinite fine-tuning; add characters, tech specs, dialogue and art styles, and keep making changes at any step. Generative AI makes Storyboarder sing, letting users edit their prompts, spontaneously redesign shots and add audio to any scene in essentially no time. Each plan – from Starter to Production Unlimited – supports this endless iteration. POLYCAM POLY.CAM Polycam is a spatial AI program that can scan and develop a 3D digital model of any environment. While it services myriad industries, this software allows filmmakers to scan props, sets and locations, as well
as create unlimited 3D assets – which, if they so choose, will live in Polycam’s shared library – from their smartphone. It even supports aerial mapping through drone data. Critically, Polycam is compatible with the industry’s most popular engines, including Unreal, Maya, Blender and Unity. Export files in mesh and point cloud formats like OBJ and PLY, or view them in- app on the Apple Vision Pro headset. PREVIS PRO PREVISPRO.COM Available on Apple devices, and used by productions including Riverdale , Previs Pro is a complete previs solution that, like Storyboarder.ai, blends storyboarding, animatics and 3D asset creation. It also supports LiDAR location scanning and offers an AR-based virtual camera, AI- powered style selection, in-app markup and more. With a tagline that aptly reads ‘fix it in pre’, Previs Pro handles just about every element of previs, including custom imports and 3D exports to Unreal, Unity and other popular engines. Unlike many other tools, Previs Pro can be purchased as a subscription or outright. SHOTDECK SHOTDECK.COM Developed by cinematographer Lawrence Sher, ASC, ShotDeck is the largest library of high-definition film stills, containing millions of shots from thousands of titles. The online platform comes in handy from pitch to production,
BOARD MASTERS Storyboarder.ai can help bring your vision to life (left); canSCAN delivers 3D models of complex real spaces (centre top); RADiCAL is a truly collaborative tool (top right)
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