previz

Previz, short for previsualization, is the practice of planning and visualizing complex film, television, or animation sequences before live action is shot or final effects are created. It combines storyboarding, animatics, and digital 3D previs to build a working visual plan that communicates ideas, blocking, and timing to directors, producers, and crews.

Typical previs workflows start with concept development and storyboards to establish narrative, pacing, and key shots. An animatic assembles the storyboard panels with rough timing and, if available, sound. Advanced previs uses 3D computer graphics to model environments, characters, and camera moves, allowing layout of blocking, lighting, stunts, and effects in a virtual space. Virtual production tools and real-time engines can simulate real camera movement on set.

Outputs of previs include shot lists, camera blocking data, timings, and sometimes a fully animated sequence used for planning, budgeting, and communication with vendors. The previs process helps identify risks, test alternatives, and streamline the shoot by answering questions about scale, space, and feasibility before resources are committed.

Previz is used across film, television, animation, and advertising, and is increasingly employed in architecture, product visualization, and game development as a design-to-production tool. It is usually led by a previs supervisor or team that coordinates with the director, DP, art department, and VFX vendors.

Previsualization emerged with early motion graphics and 3D visualization and expanded with advances in computer graphics and virtual production, becoming a standard part of many production pipelines in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.