So you want to be an animator? Before you commit to a lifetime of Glen Keane worship, consider the advantages of an exciting career in previz. I was a character animator and a layout artist at Disney Feature Animation for five years. Both disciplines were extremely rewarding, but in the long run I chose to focus on previsualization. Here’s why I turned to the Dark Side.

The alluring thing about previz is the potential to have an impact on the film as a whole. The very structure of the film depends on your decisions as a virtual cinematographer. Early previz was more of a technical exercise to help visual effects supervisors plan elaborate shots. Now, directors are increasingly relying on previz artists to design every shot. This is a golden opportunity for ambitious artists to make their mark on the industry.

I didn’t truly appreciate the power of previz until I joined the animatics team at the Skywalker Ranch. On Star Wars: Episode III, we were tasked with an incredible amount of work. There were a ton of funky planets to build, and don’t get me started about those 3-legged walkers! After the dust settled, our team of 10 artists had delivered over 7,000 previz shots, nearly three times the number of shots in the final film. How was this possible?

It worked because we were a well balanced team. Everyone was a solid generalist, but each of us had a specialty. Some of the artists were blazing fast modelers, while others concentrated on animation. One of our artists specialized in blowing things up, but that’s another story. The point is there was always someone to turn to for advice. You’d be surprised how fast you can improve when you’re stuck in a room with so many talented artists. Collaborating with your teammates is one of the most rewarding aspects of the previz process.

No matter how hard you work, your shot won’t make the cut unless the director likes it. In our case, we weren’t always sure how George Lucas would react to our ideas. We quickly learned that we could help sell our shots to George by making them so polished, so tempting, that he couldn’t resist cutting them in. Details are no excuse for bad camera work, but a little extra attention to lighting, effects, and character animation really helps audiences and directors suspend their disbelief.

This is why it is a major advantage for a previz artist to have a strong sense of timing and posing, as only animation training can deliver. No matter how simple the sequence, the posing of the characters is integral to the composition of each shot. A previz artist, who understands traditional animation, can block through a character-driven camera move in a much more realistic way. Conversely, an animator who understands cinematography can vastly improve how their animation is received.

Ultimately, I turned to the Dark Side and chose previz because I enjoy helping directors realize their visions on a grand scale. As an animator, I can bring characters to life, but as a previz artist I can breathe life into entire sequences. For the right type of person, there is nothing more satisfying.

Chris Edwards, CEO
The Third Floor, Inc.

I’ve always had a love for animation. I think it was 5th grade when I first declared that one day I was going to be an animator. Ever since landing a previz job at Lucasfilm, I’ve enjoyed finding ways to sneak in as much animation as possible. It’s just too much fun to resist!

In previz, the camera is just like any other character in the scene. Choosing a camera angle is like choosing the posture of a character. Subtle tweaks will evoke a completely different response from the audience. When movement is added, a whole new realm of possibilities presents itself. Changing from one point of view to another can advance the story just as much as changing a character’s pose or expression. There are an infinite number of ways to change a camera’s point of view. Whip pans, smooth dollies, and handheld cameras all add character to your scene. In CG, it’s our duty to animate the camera as if we’re the cameraman viewing the scene for the first time, complete with all the subtleties and imperfections that make us human.

In principle, animating a previz character is very similar to animating a final character. However, previz animators are faced with much shorter deadlines. Feature animators might have a few days to several weeks per shot, but a previz artist is allowed a day at best. This can include time for modeling, lighting, and compositing, so you’re really only talking about a few hours to complete all the animation. This requires that previz animators learn how to get the most bang for their buck. A skilled previz artist can quickly block through the major beats of a character’s action, while still keeping a sense of timing that’s compelling. Picking and choosing where to focus your animation ultimately helps you sell the hero moments in the best possible way.

One good example is the hanger bay sequence in Star Wars Episode III. Like a typical Star Wars sequence, there were a number of areas where I could choose to focus my effort. In this case, I was assigned 7 dialogue shots, 3 light-saber fighting shots, and one crashing space fighter shot. In previz it’s not necessary to animate the subtleties in your character’s eye glints, but it is your job to come up with the coolest possible action. This will inevitably help determine whether an escaping Obiwan will be shot live action, or be made into an all digital double. In my case, I opted to pitch Obiwan doing a huge flipping swan dive out of his ship. Spending a little extra animation effort made all the difference. By selling its potential, animation helped push the idea through dozens of approvals all the way to the big screen.

At Lucasfilm and at our new studio The Third Floor, I’ve been privileged to have worked on projects that let us push the amount of animation expected in previz. I’ve developed 3-legged run cycles, chopped hordes of bad guys in half, flown countless vehicles, and poured an entire mountain full of lava from the sky. This vast range of experience has taught me a great deal about composition and motion in storytelling. Whether we’re working on a TV spot, videogame cinematic, or a feature, it’s all the same to us. It’s all about using the language of cinematography and animation in tandem to design the strongest possible sequences. At the end of the day, previz can be extremely fun for any animator at heart.

Joshua Wassung,
The Third Floor, Inc.