Using previs helps filmmakers create a live-action feel to the camera movement, as seen here in Shrek 4-D. TM & © 2003 DreamWorks LLC.

The live-action feel of the camera movement in the PDI/DreamWorks’ movies Antz and Shrek were also the result of editorial options explored during previs. PDI’s Layout Supervisor on both films was Simon J. Smith, who also directed the recent stereoscopic theme park film Shrek 4-D. “It’s very important that the head of layout communicates with the editor,” asserts Smith. “Normally, storyboards have 25% too many cuts. So you want to make sure that it feels like it’s been shot like a traditional movie — that’s normally establishing wide, then medium, medium, closeup, closeup and then a funny thing in the middle somewhere. That’s how you start, though you don’t want to do that literally every time. But there are things that you want to be more economical about, or things that would make the film more dynamic. The editor’s going to be expecting a certain thing, and if he doesn’t get it, he’s going to want to know why. With Shrek we had loads of coverage — we did several versions of sequences with 10 or 15 different shots.”

Layout supervisor and director Simon J. Smith was able to explore creative options with the editors on Antz and Shrek by using previs early in the production. Photo courtesy of DreamWorks.

Rolling ‘Camera’
Live-action cinematographic ideas are especially striking in 3D-CG movies, where a virtual camera moves around three-dimensional models in 3D space. Because you are operating in 3D, notes Smith, “You have the same problems that normal DPs have on set - and hopefully you have the same inherent solutions. The styles of Antz and Shrek were very live-action based in terms of camera movement. You make sure that you’re a little bit late on the dolly, and that the dolly never matches up perfectly with the pan and tilt. Audiences should feel there is someone behind our ‘computer camera’ and reacting to what they’re looking at.” To illustrate his approach, Smith at once brought his camcorder to PDI and jumped up and down to simulate camera shake, which was then rotoscoped.

An emphasis on cinematography is actually a key concern in the layout of all DreamWorks animated films. O’Beirne says, “(DreamWorks co-founder) Jeffrey Katzenberg, and to some extent Steven Spielberg, started this emphasis with Prince of Egypt. What we do for every show is pitch cinematic ideas. Just like an art director might say, ‘We’re following a Monet style for this movie,’ the people in our department talk about camera styling. Initially it’s in broad terms. If we want to make an Indiana Jones-type movie we’ll look at Spielberg films and see the types of decisions he made. It’s often unlikely I would show anything but a live-action piece to a director and say, ‘This is the type of staging and blocking I’d like to do.’ My references are more likely to come from live-action.”

Visual Evidence
A key benefit of previs is that it helps clarify the vision of the film early on, exposing problems when they can be solved with the least expense. Smith remarks, “If there’s any area where you can experiment, it’s rough layout. That’s exactly what it’s for. Once it goes past that you don’t want to start fucking around. We CAN do different versions and that’s the beauty of it. The talent here understands how far to go in order to communicate a particular moment in the story. Can Shrek look out the window here? Is he too big for the table? Can Donkey jump from here to there and look spectacular? All these physical aesthetics can be worked out quicker because we can manipulate them in 3D space.”

“For example, we know roughly that Shrek’s casual walk is so many units per frame and his run is so many units per frame, and his panicked run is so many units per frame. We can block out how far he is going to get in a particular shot. The essence of previs is that it provides confidence for the rest of the crew. When you’re trying to convince people that an idea is going to work, previs gives you some beautiful visual evidence.’