In this course we will be previsualizing a live­action Nike skateboarding commercial, as a solo previs artist in Maya. We’ll be creating shots based on a sample agency storyboard and a sample director’s treatment. We’ll be creating a custom 3D character using Autodesk Character Generator and rigging him with a skateboard for animation. We’ll be customizing his texture and learning how to light using Viewport 2.0.

We will examine how a previs artist fits into a modern live action commercial production pipeline and how to accurately represent a real world camera in Maya. We’ll do some basic 3D character animation and examine how a real world camera is moved using a tripod, dolly, and technocrane.

By the end of the course we will have a finished animatic that we’ll edit in Adobe Premiere as well as a storyboard of that we’ll create in Adobe Indesign. We conclude by learning looking at previs related jobs at The Third Floor and Halon Entertainment.

Matt Workman is a Technical DP / Cinematographer based in New York City. He specializes in previs, motion control, and virtual production. Matt is able to work seamlessly with the agency, production company, and visual effects company by using 3D previs as a common visual language. Matt is the founder and editor of Cinematography Database (www.cinematographydb.com), a company and blog that focuses on modern cinematography.