Hye-Young Jo, Ryo Suzuki, Yoonji Kim.
Abstract
Previsualization, previs, is essential for film production, allowing cinematographic experiments and effective collaboration. However, traditional previs methods like 2D storyboarding and 3D animation require substantial time, cost, and technical expertise, posing challenges for indie filmmakers. We introduce CollageVis, a rapid previsualization tool using video collages. CollageVis enables filmmakers to create previs through two main user interfaces. First, it automatically segments actors from videos and assigns roles using name tags, color filters, and face swaps. Second, it positions video layers on a virtual stage and allows users to record shots using mobile as a proxy for a virtual camera. These features were developed based on formative interviews by reflecting indie filmmakers’ needs and working methods. We demonstrate the system’s capability by replicating seven film scenes and evaluate the system’s usability with six indie filmmakers. The findings indicate that CollageVis allows more flexible yet expressive previs creation for idea development and collaboration.
Problem: Difficulty of Previs in Indie filmmaking
Before making films, directors work with storyboard artists or animators to visualize their ideas in 2D or 3D; this process is called previs. Previs is crucial in film production for creative expressions and effective collaborations.
The problem with traditional previs methods is that they require substantial time, cost, and technical expertise.
This may be manageable for big-budget film production teams, however, for indie filmmakers, these methods are often too expensive.
Solution: CollageVis, Previsualizing Indie Films with Video Collages
To solve this, we propose CollageVis, which allows indie filmmakers to create previs by collecting short video clips and compositing them as a video collage.
This image on the left is an example previs we made replicating the Netflix TV series Squid Game on the right. Compared to 2D storyboarding or 3D animations, video recording is already a familiar working method for filmmakers. Also, the final video collage is easy to understand, which is critical for effective communication among technical and non-technical staff.
Two User Interfaces
The CollageVis system has two user interfaces: collage board and virtual stage. And it mainly runs on a laptop, and the mobile is used as a supplementary tool for camera-related functions in each interface. The first interface, the collage board, handles source collection and modification of video collage for simple static shots. Building on that, the second interface, the virtual stage, allows layout and camera exploration for complex shots.
① Collage Board : Source Collection & Modification
The collage board takes videos as input and composites them on a board in real time. It also takes an image input and sets it as the backdrop. The input acting video can be a test shot of a real actor or a staff standing as an actor. Then, the user can apply a name tag, color filter, and face swap filter to differentiate each character.
② Virtual Stage: Layout & Camera Exploration
The virtual stage supports further exploration in layout and camera movement design. Instead of an image backdrop, it simulates a more detailed shooting environment, such as different weather conditions and locations in 3D. In this virtual environment, the user can test the layout of various components like actors, staff, lighting gears, and multiple cameras.
The system provides an accompanying mobile application to navigate the virtual stage and control the virtual camera, which allows camerawork exploration without technical proficiency in 3D software.
Then, the system outputs a previs video and a floor plan video showing the trajectory of each component for collaboration.
Please refer to our paper for more detail.
Reference
Hye-Young Jo, Ryo Suzuki, and Yoonji Kim. 2024. CollageVis: Rapid Previsualization Tool for Indie Filmmaking using Video Collages. In Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '24). May 11–16, 2024, Honolulu, HI, USA. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 16 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642575
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