Pre-production

A successful journey starts with a good plan—you wouldn’t go on an Everest expedition without

adequate preparation. Filmmakers know this, of course. They know that making a movie, while not exactly a mountaineering adventure, can be as challenging as crossing the Khumbu glacier. They know that the best way to successfully overcome the challenge is to carefully plot a path around obstacles and crevasses in advance. That’s why filmmakers spend months, sometimes even years, planning, going over every shot and camera angle, designing the set and props and costumes, scouting for locations, refining the script, budgeting, casting, rehearsing . . . yet in too many films, all too often, the visual effects are pushed to the back end of the pre-production process. Maybe it is the fact that the bulk of the VFX work happens during the post-production period. “They’ll fix it in post,” “VFX are just the icing on the cake,” “we’ve got more urgent matters to tackle right now,” “the VFX guys can do anything”—these notions, while understandable, may eventually backfire on the filmmakers. Visual effects need every bit of attention and careful planning at the early stages as any other aspect of filmmaking.

If you’ve read through this book you are already aware of the many factors that affect the complexity and price of any given VFX shot. Many of these factors are directly related to the way the shot was filmed on set, and it is therefore crucial to plan these shots in advance, especially since so many things can go unexpectedly wrong. The pre-production period is a time to discuss all the VFX ideas, creative whims and wishes in context of practical and budgetary constraints, and come up with a solid game plan and specific solutions. It is a thrilling time where creative ideas start taking shape as storyboards, concept art, and previsualizations. It is also a time where the realities of VFX costs and various other limitations surface and must be confronted. The VFX post-production period can be generally broken up into these steps:

• Rough breakdown of potential VFX shots based on the script

• Preliminary bids and initial cost estimates

• Choosing the VFX supervisor, VFX producer, and VFX team/s

• Starting the conceptual and visual development of CG characters and environments

• Creating detailed plans and coming up with practical solutions through storyboards, VFX meetings, location scouts, and previs

• Finalizing the VFX budget and on-set plans.

Preliminary VFX Breakdown

The purpose of this very first step is to figure out, in very wide brush strokes, which scenes and shots might require visual effects, and to get an initial estimate of the scope of the VFX work for the specific project. With probably nothing more than the script at this stage, the director and producer go through it bit by bit and pencil in all the potential visual effect, with a short description of what is required.

There’s really no need to get too specific or figure out detailed solutions at this point, as this will happen later with the help of the VFX supervisor and VFX producer. Some things will inevitably change as pre-production kicks into high gear: the script will most likely go through additional revisions, and VFX shots will be added and dropped for practical or budgetary reasons. But at this stage, the preliminary VFX breakdown is used as a base for getting initial rough estimates and for sourcing a suitable VFX team (or several).

Since your VFX breakdown will be used for initial bidding, make sure that it has scene numbers that correspond to the script. At this early stage, there is usually no specific shot listing, so noting down an estimated number of shots per scene or per visual effect is acceptable—for example, “matte painting of distant ocean & ships, crowd tiling. 4 shots.” It is totally fine to leave in question marks wherever ideas are still in flux or when you are unsure about the correct solution. Things will get clarified once the VFX supervisor and producer join in and the planning process starts. It’s important to list everything at this point—even ideas you’re not sure about or effects that you feel are beyond the scope or the budget.

Things will naturally get filtered out as the process evolves.

The VFX Supervisor and VFX Producer

These two key roles can be roughly equated to a director and producer: the VFX supervisor is responsible for the creative, artistic, and technical side of the visual effects, while the VFX producer takes care

of bidding, budgeting, and scheduling. Together they are responsible for the planning, design, and execution of the visual effects, and will work closely with the director, producer, and DP, as well as the production team, on-set crew, and VFX team/s from the early pre-production phase all the way to the final stages of post-production. VFX supervisors may come from different backgrounds: some started out as VFX artists, others come from cinematography or second unit directing. But whatever their roots, they need to serve as a bridge between the filmmakers and the VFX artists, and thus must have a very strong knowledge of both the on-set filmmaking side and the in-house VFX work. They should be able to successfully carry on the VFX production through the challenges of pre-production, on-set, and post-production, and be equally at ease talking to a director or a CG lead, DP or lighting TD, editor, or animator. When on set, the VFX supervisor should be able to look at a shot not only through the filmmaker’s eyes, but also through the eyes of a compositor or matchmove artist. Likewise, when working with the VFX artists, he/she should keep a broader view of the film as a whole, while also looking at the specific technical and artistic details.

VFX producers, by nature of their role, do not necessarily need to know every nut and bolt in the VFX machine, but they certainly must have a deep understanding of the process. They should also be familiar

A page from a preliminary VFX shot breakdown for Sons of Liberty.

with general film production processes. Choosing a VFX supervisor and producer is a vital step. The right people can make a huge difference, and directors naturally prefer to partner with VFX supervisors and producers they’ve worked with in the past. If you’re looking for a new partnership, try to find a supervisor that is not only highly proficient and experienced but one that you feel at ease with. Sometimes good communication and mutual understanding are more important than credits and accolades. Think collaborators—these people are there to help you realize your creative goals, and this can only be achieved through intimate and honest interaction.

Traditionally, the VFX supervisor and producer are hired as part of the film’s production team, and are not affiliated with the VFX facilities that will eventually do the VFX work. This is necessary on a VFX-heavy film, and especially in a multi-vendor scenario (when more than one VFX company works on the film). But for reasons I’ll detail below, this arrangement is sometimes an overkill for low-budget films with a limited scope of VFX work. In such cases, it might be more economical to use the VFX company’s in-house supervisor and producer. Let’s examine these two models. . .

Dalam dokumen The Filmmaker's Guide to Visual Effects (Halaman 130-133)