Pre-Vis
This stage marked the final stretch of pre-production and planning for the project.
I used Blender for all of my pre-vis work. Since I’m comfortable with the tool, it allowed me to quickly test out different compositions and camera angles. This was also the point where I started thinking about mise-en-scène, how the environment, lighting, and character placement contributed to the overall mood of each shot. I blocked out the frames and attached moodboard references alongside each one to help keep the visual tone consistent.
I shared this early pre-vis with colleagues, tutors, and a few friends working in filmmaking to gather responses and feedback. A few suggestions came up repeatedly:
- There was a slight disconnect between the acts.
- The pacing needed work, the character (and audience) didn’t get enough time to absorb the new environment.
- Some camera continuity issues in Act 3, including a few moments that broke the 180-degree rule.
- The prologue needed to move faster, while Acts 1 and 2 could be slowed down to give the story more breathing room.
These suggestions were extremely helpful to address at an early stage. I kept them in mind as I moved into the next parts of production and adjusted things where needed. There were also elements that didn’t fully come through in the pre-vis but were planned to appear later, such as the particle effects for the flying fishes in the underground cave or the reverse-rain effect emerging from the stepwell. These would only make sense once developed properly inside Unreal Engine, so I left placeholders and focused on refining them during production.
Production planning
During this stage, I also created a shot list and a production timeline to follow throughout the project. This ended up helping a lot, it made the workflow feel much more manageable and stopped the project from becoming overwhelming. Breaking everything down into smaller, achievable tasks gave me a clear path to follow during production.
