What Is Storyvis

By MARIANA ACUÑA ACOSTA

Edited for this publication by Jeffrey A. Okun, VES
Abstracted from The VES Handbook of Virtual Production
Edited by Susan Zwerman, VES, and Jeffrey A. Okun, VES

Storyvis vs. Pitchvis

Pitchvis has been used for over 20 years. It is intertwined with previsualization, and it is used by directors or producers to quickly have a proxy version of a scene from a script; making it is easier to visualize the concept and sell it to investors, studios, or stakeholders.

Storyvis is how production designers, independent filmmakers or writers use 3D visualization to be able to craft a story. They may not use it for funding, the script may not even be finalized, but by being able to use newer technologies to construct part of the world and/or characters of the story they are building, it makes the story easier to convey. It is also used as a teaser for stories with complex narratives, making it easier to understand where the theme of a story could go – for example, a “dream sequence.”

3D Storyboards

Traditionally, storyboards and animatics have been created in a 2D format. Using game engine technologies, one can potentially skip this process and go straight into building a 3D storyboard. Younger generations of content creators that are used to working this way opt for simply putting together a master sequence, kitbashing characters and environments, motion capture or animation clips, adding cameras, and even physics, and they can use the camera views and the game engine timeline to take screenshots and export out image sequences or videos. This reduces not only iteration time but also creates 3D storyboards/animatics that are already lit, with effects, simulations, audio tracks or sound effects. There are tools available that extend these capabilities to 2D storyboard artists, making it easier to transition, such as the plug-in Epos1 for Unreal Engine. A storyboard artist does not need to know how to use Unreal to take advantage of the 2D and 3D offerings of the technology.

Interactive Workflows

The creative process is not as linear as it used to be. Storyboarding, look development, environments and concept art can now happen concurrently, using a much more dynamic process. The beauty of incorporating real-time workflows into the pre-production, design, creation and production processes is the ability to reinvent, reimagine and reassess the process of linear content creation. Reducing iteration times, co-creating, collaborating, and being able to quickly use a game engine as a “playground” for interactive design have been key drivers for adoption.

Linear Content

Stories transfer information, an experience or a point of view. Stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. Stories have a teller and an audience. The way stories are told, produced, consumed and distributed has significantly changed over the past decade. There is immersive storytelling in virtual reality, Roblox YouTube channels, VTubers, Tiktokers, video game streamers, branching narratives, the Metaverse, etc. The technologies that enable us to view content in different platforms, the format and how viewers can interact with the content are in constant flux. Gone are the days when newspapers, TV, cinemas, theaters and radio were the only means of connecting with an audience. It is only natural for the workflows on how humans create stories to evolve alongside filmmaking, which have not evolved much in the past century; however, the technology used on set has. LED walls and ICVFX (In-Camera Visual Effects) are part of that evolution, as are Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Volumetric Capture, etc.