Virtual Pre-Viz tools

While all the talks are about the new virtual productions' tools on set, there is hardly anyone talking about the possibilities off the sets.

If you want to reduce production time and budget, you'll need to make sure that you're prepared. The problem, I would say, is not that the new tools are not affordable or available but that few people are using them.

The production structure is hard to step into because it is unstable, and your position will change constantly. In contrast to the corporate world, a production team comes together just for a short time and must work quickly from the start.

There is almost no time to introduce new ideas, even if they would prove advantageous. The other disadvantage is that new techniques require new staff members to learn the production protocol. Then we'll need to see if the expense is justifiable. The changes, however, are made by the new technicians, who often come from corporate or industrial sectors and bring their tools with them.

So, let's look at what the industrial world is now using.

The architecture and interior design sector use augmented reality on a tablet to project furniture or others on a space captured by the camera.

With an AR headset, you can also use it for a more immersive experience.

You can use a depth camera system to create things such as moving cars or avatars. Most new tablets and phones have this system built-in. The system provides precise data on the environment so that you can match animations to your surroundings. It's a great tool to use during location scouting!

With AR, you can explore your many looks and even try on costumes to help you make your costume selections before you use them in rehearsal. In addition, flat-screen displays or rear-projection systems can be used with an AR device for actors to rehearse in a virtual setting.

3D scanners are now easy to get and use. There are even 3D scanning phone apps that scan an object to showcase or use in a virtual set-up.

Applications are now allowing real-time rendering, an excellent tool for scene blocking. With VR or AR, the team can explore the scene.

With artificial voice cloning, the director can fill the blank or adjust dialogs later.

Those innovations are now easily accessible and so affordable that they can become part of a technician toolkit.