What Is Previsualization? Previs in Film and Games Explained 

Long before cameras roll or a game level ships, most large productions have already watched their biggest sequences play out. The car chase has been timed, the camera moves agreed, and the stunts tested, all in rough 3D. That planning stage is previsualization, and it has become a standard part of how films, episodic TV, and games are made. 

Previsualization is the process of creating rough, moving versions of scenes before production, so that directors, crews, and developers can plan shots, action, and technical requirements in advance. Also called pre-visualization, or previs for short, it uses simple 3D models, virtual cameras, and animation—often driven by motion capture—to block out a sequence. 

Think of previs as a storyboard that moves. Instead of a sequence of drawings, the team gets a playable cut with timing, camera lenses, and character movement, which they can change in minutes rather than on an expensive shoot day. 

The meaning of previsualization is in the name: visualizing a scene before it is made. Filmmakers have always done this with sketches and storyboards, and animatics (filmed storyboards cut to sound) added timing. 

Moving previs took shape in the 1970s and 1980s. George Lucas cut together footage of World War II dogfights to plan the space battles in Star Wars (1977), and Francis Ford Coppola experimented with video-based “electronic storyboarding”. As 3D software matured in the 1990s, computer previs replaced much of that, and by the 2000s dedicated previs teams were working on most major effects films. Industry bodies later formalized the term and its subtypes, which are covered below. 

Previs is important because mistakes are cheap in previs and expensive everywhere else. It gives every department the same picture of the scene, exposes problems early, and helps producers plan budgets and schedules around what is actually needed. 

Common times to use previsualization include: 

• Complex action and stunts, where timing and safety must be worked out first. 

• VFX-heavy sequences, where digital and live-action elements must line up. 

• Pitching and approvals, to win funding or sign-off from a studio or publisher. 

• Virtual production, where scenes and LED volume content must be planned before the stage day. 

• Game cinematics and gameplay prototyping, to test pacing and camera before full production. 

The types of previsualization are usually grouped by when they happen in production and who uses them. These are the five most common. 

1. Pitchvis 

Pitchvis is previs made to sell an idea. Studios and directors use it to show the tone, scale, and key moments of a project to win funding or a green light. It favors impact over technical accuracy. 

2. Previs 

Previs, in the narrow sense, is the core planning pass for specific sequences. It sets blocking, camera angles, pacing, and edit, and often becomes the reference the director and editor work from on set. 

3. Techvis 

Techvis turns creative previs into technical data the crew can build and shoot from. It records real-world measurements such as camera positions, lens choices, crane and dolly moves, set dimensions, and green screen coverage. 

4. Stuntvis 

Stuntvis plans stunts and fight choreography with physically accurate movement. Stunt coordinators use it to test timing, distances, rigging, and safety before anyone performs the action for real. 

5. Postvis 

Postvis combines filmed footage with rough CG elements after the shoot. It lets editors cut sequences and lets VFX teams agree on what is needed before final effects work begins. 

The process of previsualization varies by studio, but most follow these steps: 

1. Breakdown: the previs team reads the script or design brief and agrees which sequences need previs. 
2. Asset creation: artists build simple versions of characters, sets, props and vehicles. 
3. Blocking and animation: performers are captured with motion capture or animators keyframe the action. 
4. Virtual camera work: the director or DP frames shots with virtual cameras and real lens settings. 
5. Edit and review: shots are cut together with sound, reviewed and revised. 
6. Hand-off: the final previs, plus any techvis data, goes to production, stunts, VFX or the game team. 

Previsualization for Film 

In film and episodic TV, previs plans a physical shoot. Its value lies in what it tells the crew: where cameras go, how stunts play out, and what VFX will need. The previs itself is usually discarded once the scene is shot. 

Previsualization for Games 

In games, previs is built in a real-time engine, so assets, animation, and cameras can carry through into production. It is used for cinematics, level layout, and testing how gameplay feels. With engines such as Unreal Engine now common on film sets too, the two workflows are increasingly converging. 

Keyframing every movement by hand is slow, which works against previs, where speed is the point. Motion capture records actors and stunt performers directly, giving the team realistic movement in real time and the ability to try several versions of a scene in one session. 

Vicon Shōgun streams live performance data into tools such as Unreal Engine and Maya, so directors see characters move in the scene as the actor performs. Shōgun handles both optical and markerless capture, and markerless motion capture takes setup time to almost zero: performers walk in, T-pose, and start, with no suits or markers. 

Framestore Pre-Production Services (FPS) tested Vicon Markerless for previs, tracking full bodies without suits while using markers on props. The team found it could explore ideas and agree on choreography faster, and that subsequent full optical shoots can be 50% faster. As Creative Director Vincent Aupetit put it, “We use Vicon Markerless as a creative sketchbook, testing ideas instantly before committing to a full shoot.” 

Explore Vicon’s motion capture for entertainment, or compare optical, inertial, and markerless systems in our guide to types of motion capture.