I’m not the form of director who sketches out pictures on a serviette or carries round a Moleskine filled with thumbnails. I’m not an artist – I can’t draw. However I’ve at all times been somebody who must see the film in my head earlier than I can confidently step onto a set.
After I began prepping my newest movie, Mooch – a 91-minute noir comedy (very) loosely primarily based alone expertise as an emo-kid-turned-golf-caddy – I knew the largest problem wasn’t simply making the movie.
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The movie in my head
I’ve at all times been a visible thinker. Earlier than I write a scene, I image it. Earlier than I direct it, I attempt to play it out in my head, second by second. And after I’m additionally in entrance of the digital camera, that inside readability turns into much more important, as a result of the second we roll, there’s no time for indecision.
That’s the place previsualisation grew to become a game-changer for me – not as a luxurious, however as a survival tactic.
At first, I approached previs as a form of sandbox. I used it to construct tough variations of our predominant areas – beginning with the nation membership that anchors Mooch’s story – and simply performed round with blocking, motion, and area. I wasn’t attempting to duplicate a completed shot checklist. I used to be looking for the rhythm of every scene. The purpose wasn’t perfection – it was alignment.
And as soon as I realised I might share these scenes with my DoP, Kenneth Wales, and we might each stroll by means of them collectively, it clicked. We weren’t simply planning. We have been talking the identical language, days and even weeks earlier than stepping on set.
Much less guessing, extra guiding
Prepping like this gave me one thing priceless: belief. Belief within the plan, belief within the crew, and belief that if I stepped right into a scene as an actor, the remainder of the staff knew the shot, the tone, the tempo.
As a result of Mooch wasn’t a easy shoot. Some days we had 40 or 50 setups. Different days we have been constructing full environments from scratch. And in the midst of all of it, I needed to transfer fluidly between directing and performing.
The extra we might agree on upfront, the extra room I needed to truly give attention to the work in entrance of the digital camera
The extra we might agree on upfront – digital camera place, lighting angles, even edit factors – the extra room I needed to truly give attention to the work in entrance of the digital camera.
I’m not treasured about sticking to the plan. If we discover one thing higher on set, I’m all for it. However having that plan in place makes it simpler to improvise, not tougher. It turns into a reference level, not a set of handcuffs.
Constructing the film earlier than we shot it
The instrument I stored returning to all through prep was Previs Professional. It didn’t simply assist me visualise the movie – it helped me construct it. Early on, I began utilizing it simply to sketch out fundamental blocking and angles. However because the prep deepened, it grew to become the spine of how I deliberate Mooch.
I imported LiDAR scans of key areas – just like the nation membership locker room the place a pivotal heist scene takes place – and used them as correct digital stand-ins for the units.
That accuracy made an enormous distinction. If you’re each directing and appearing, you don’t at all times have time to re-orient your self spatially on the day. Having a 3D model of the area that I might revisit, tweak, and stroll by means of nearly gave me readability.
I used prop property from Sketchfab to decorate the atmosphere shortly – lockers, benches, golf luggage, something that would assist me get the texture of the scene. The flexibility to group, transfer, and manipulate these components simply was essential, particularly after I wanted to speak my concepts shortly to different departments. I might mock up a dolly transfer, take a look at out an extended take, and even see how a large lens would possibly distort the area.
These weren’t polished animations – they have been working diagrams for the best way I wished the film to really feel
These weren’t polished animations – they have been working diagrams for the best way I wished the film to really feel. And as an editor, I discovered it extremely useful to start out ‘pre-cutting’ the movie this manner – seeing how scenes might rhythmically unfold, even earlier than we rolled a body of precise footage.
Lighting was one other space the place Previs Professional made a huge effect. Kenneth Wales, my DP (this was our second function collectively), and I’d sit with the previsualised scenes and stroll by means of the protection beat by beat.
We might present our gaffer precisely the place practicals and key lights would possibly reside primarily based on the meant blocking, and we’d typically mild a complete day’s value of pictures within the morning because of this groundwork.
When time is tight – and it at all times is – with the ability to transfer that effectively with out sacrificing the look is every part.
What stunned me most wasn’t simply how a lot time it saved, however the way it helped the entire crew keep aligned. I might hand the script supervisor a previs scene and she or he might double-check continuity with out ready for me to wrap a take. It allowed me to dump components of my imaginative and prescient to others with extra readability and confidence, liberating me as much as give attention to what solely I might do: act, direct, and maintain the larger image in my head.
Prepping for the edit earlier than the shoot
I’m additionally the form of filmmaker who edits in his head whereas capturing. I can’t assist it. I’m at all times occupied with the minimize – how one shot flows into the subsequent, the place the rhythm lands, what the scene looks like when it’s lastly stitched collectively.
Utilizing previs to map these transitions earlier than we even rolled the digital camera meant I might already begin visualising the edit. For scenes with advanced geography – like our locker room sequence, the place the principle character steals from members’ wallets – this helped us keep away from protection traps and made the eventual meeting that a lot sooner.
It wasn’t nearly seeing the area. It was about understanding how the story moved by means of it.
Collaborating throughout the crew
One sudden advantage of storyboarding extra completely was the way it modified the best way I communicated with departments.
As an alternative of explaining each shot again and again, I might present the staff what we have been aiming for. Our script supervisor cherished gaining access to the previs – she might sit by the monitor and observe continuity with no need to drag me away from a take.
Our gaffer used it to pre-light total areas within the morning, saving us from resetting each time we modified protection.
Even the assistant administrators and extras coordinators leaned on it. For a scene just like the live performance sequence, the place we solely had 75 extras however wanted it to really feel like a couple of hundred, previs helped us stroll by means of the area and plan the framing accordingly. No want for VFX wizardry – simply sensible angles and inventive blocking.
Flexibility inside the body
After all, previs isn’t good. It’s a must to know when to step away from it. There have been moments on Mooch the place the plan simply didn’t maintain up in the actual world. A location seemed completely different. An actor made a daring selection. A dolly observe couldn’t go the place I wished it to.
Previs isn’t about locking your self in. It’s about liberating your self from pointless choices on the day
However that’s a part of the method. Previs isn’t about locking your self in. It’s about liberating your self from pointless choices on the day. If the big-picture plan is stable, you possibly can adapt the main points.
And as a director who believes in collaboration – who desires my DoP to carry his eye, my actors to carry their instincts, and my crew to carry their experience – previs lets me give everybody a place to begin with out dictating the vacation spot.
The tech facet of previs is evolving quick. We used LiDAR scans and 3D prop libraries to map out areas. A few of that was overkill, particularly on a good schedule. However what mattered most wasn’t the instruments – it was the intention.
Whether or not you’re utilizing software program, sketches, or Lego collectible figurines on a cardboard set, what you’re actually doing is constructing a dialog. You’re translating what’s in your head into one thing others can react to.
And once you’re juggling a number of roles, that translation turns into essential. Previs didn’t make Mooch straightforward – nevertheless it made it doable.
Recommendation to filmmakers who really feel overwhelmed
For those who’re a youthful director or cinematographer simply beginning out, I’d say this: storyboarding isn’t about being an artist. It’s about being ready. It’s about giving your staff a combating likelihood to grasp what you’re aiming for, even when the day will get loud and quick and unpredictable.
Don’t wait till you’re on set to make your choices. Make as lots of them as you possibly can beforehand. That method, those you do make on the fly will be considerate, not panicked.
The storyboards gained’t win you awards. Nobody sees them however you and your staff. However they are going to assist you to make higher films – particularly when every part else is stacked in opposition to you.
For extra on making a movie, see tips on how to make an indie movie on a finances and suggestions from prime filmmakers.
