Digital 3D visualization of film scenes using game engines like Unity/Unreal before principal photography; reduces on-set time by 15–25%.
Previz utilizes game engine-based rendering systems like Unity or Unreal Engine 4/5, enabling real-time rendering at 60-120fps. Standard working resolutions are 1920x1080 pixels, with final previz deliveries outputting in 2K (2048x1080) or 4K (4096x2160). Typical scenes contain 50,000-500,000 polygons per frame. Three main variants exist: Gray-Boxing (simple geometric shapes), Techviz (technically precise models), and Postviz (post-production visualization of already shot plates).
In 1977, Douglas Trumbull developed early computer-assisted previz techniques for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Industrial Light & Magic established digital previz as a standard workflow with "Jurassic Park" in 1993. In 2002, Colin Green founded The Third Floor, the first specialized previz studio. With "Avatar" (2009), previz reached a new quality level through Virtual Production integration. Since 2018, real-time ray-tracing graphics cards like the NVIDIA RTX series have enabled photorealistic previz in real time.
"Mad Max: Fury Road" used 2,400 previz shots for the entire chase sequence choreography. Marvel Studios produces an average of 800-1,200 previz shots per film, with 40-60% of the final camera work being adopted. The workflow includes script breakdown, 3D layout, animation, and review cycles of typically 3-5 iterations per sequence. Previz reduces set time by 15-25% but increases preproduction duration by 8-12 weeks.
Storyboards visualize statically; previz moves. Animatics combine 2D boards with camera movement but do not achieve the spatial precision of 3D previz. Techviz focuses on exact technical feasibility, while Postviz combines already shot material with planned VFX elements. Virtual Production partially replaces previz with direct LED volume shooting but costs €50,000-€80,000 per shooting day compared to €3,000-€5,000 per previz minute.
Ich erhalte durch Previz exakte Focal-Length-Angaben und Kamerapositionen, die ich 1:1 am Set reproduzieren kann. Die virtuellen Kameras zeigen mir bereits in der Preproduction, welche Brennweiten und Bewegungen für die gewünschte Bildwirkung optimal funktionieren. Besonders bei komplexen Crane- oder Technocrane-Moves spare ich damit kostspielige Testfahrten am Set.
Ich nutze Previz als digitales Rehearsal-Tool, um Schauspielerbewegungen, Timing und emotionale Beats einer Szene vorab zu testen. Die 3D-Umgebung zeigt mir, ob meine narrative Intention visuell funktioniert, bevor teure Set-Zeit läuft. Komplexe Action-Sequenzen kann ich Schuss für Schuss choreographieren und dabei die Spannungskurve optimieren.
Previz kostet mich 15.000-40.000 Euro pro Sequenz, spart aber 200.000-500.000 Euro an Set-Kosten durch präzise Drehplanung. Ich kann Investoren und Studios bereits in der Entwicklungsphase konkrete Szenen zeigen, was die Finanzierungswahrscheinlichkeit um 30-40% erhöht. Die genaue Shot-Liste aus dem Previz ermöglicht mir exakte Kalkulationen für VFX-Budgets und Drehtage.
1. Was beschreibt „Previz" am besten?
2. Zu welchem Department gehört „Previz"?
3. Wie viele verschiedene Fachperspektiven bietet dieser Eintrag?
The Lexikon is part of the Filmfarm ecosystem — alongside budgeting (FilmBalance), an industry magazine (FilmCircus) and crew networking (FilmCall, CrewMesh). One shared vocabulary for the whole production.