supervisor. “From that library we created different variations
of moves we thought they might want to see,
then strung together the most dynamic ones.”
The artists built a rooftop environment using 3ds max
software and used character studio stand-ins to map out
the motion. Using this previz as a guide, the filmmakers
were able to choreograph the scene and choose which
shots would employ a CG Catwoman and which could
employ a live-action stunt double. “This gave the filmmakers
a clear understanding of how the fight would
play out, as well as the best way in which to shoot the
live-action moves,” says Wiebe.
Frantic Films also used previz to allay the filmmakers’
budgetary concerns. In the jewelry store heist
sequence, as Wiebe explains, the filmmakers originally
wanted the entire sequence to employ a CG Catwoman.
The artists created their first pass, comprising a low-res
Catwoman, using extreme moves. “We wanted to make
the action look as cool as it could,” Wiebe recalls. “But
because he couldn’t afford to do all the shots with a CG
Catwoman, the visual effects supervisor, Ed Jones,
picked some shots that he wanted to keep as CG. Then
we modified the rest of them so that a stunt double
could be used, therefore making the sequence more
affordable.” The CG Catwoman was modeled and animated
at ESC Effects in San Francisco.
In the Ferris wheel sequence, previz helped the filmmakers
determine where best to place their cameras
before shooting sequences. “A lot of the sequences we
worked on had scenarios similar to this one, where we
previsualized the sequence so that the filmmakers could
get a sense of how it needed to be shot. Based on our
first pass, they’d come back with set, location, or camera
revisions, depending on the situation at hand.”
The artists’ previz comprised a 3ds max Ferris wheel
and character studio stand-ins representing all the actors |
in the shots. “The filmmakers used our previz to figure
out how to set up the cameras so that they could get the
shots they needed without having the Ferris wheel get in
the way, all while preserving the
action of the
sequence,” says Wiebe. “In 3ds max, we were able to
best position our virtual camera to ensure that the filmmakers
got the most powerful shots they could in camera.”
Frantic Films also used 3ds max to create CG elements
for sequences they previsualized. For instance, in
the film’s nightclub sequence, Catwoman steals a whip
from one of the dancers at the nightclub and uses it to
intimidate the thug.
“Although Halle Berry was trained to use a whip, the
filmmakers didn’t want her swinging an actual whip
around because that might have been too dangerous,”
says Wiebe. “Artistically, they wanted to bring the whip
directly into the camera-they wanted to make the whip
the main character, the focus of the shot. So we used
3ds max to previsualize the motion of the CG whip and
get everyone to buy off on that, then tracked a 3D whip
we built in 3ds max into the shots.”
In all these ways, Frantic Films’ 3ds max previsualizations
helped the Catwoman filmmakers to ensure
efficiency throughout the stages of the film’s production.
“It’s hard to say exactly how much time and
money previz saved,” says Zorniak. “But suffice it to
say that when you’re burning $40,000 an hour on movie
set, you don’t want to waste time or money standing
around, trying to figure out how to shoot a sequence. In
this way, previz was indispensable.”
“With that said, previz is a very intense, time-sensitive
type of work,” adds Wiebe, “and anything that can
help you produce the previz more quickly will be a
huge benefit in the long run.
“3ds max definitely helps us in that sense,” Wiebe |
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