Grab an Xbox controller and control characters, cameras, and vehicles in real-time with Playvis Controllers, gaining access to the freedom of a wide range of locomotion and interaction systems. Revolutionize your animation approach, scene creation, and film action staging. Playvis introduces a novel layer of interactivity to the previs process, delivering a gaming-like, user-friendly experience. Playvis adapts, extends and wraps Unreal Engine’s (and other engines) gameplay framework for previs.
Playvis Replay introduces a groundbreaking gameplay recording and 3D replay system designed specifically for previs, offering filmmakers a pioneering solution for capturing data that matters. Capture every single motion and 3D interaction during play sessions to film them later. As the first of its kind, Playvis Replay revolutionizes the way filmmakers approach previs, providing time-manipulation mechanics with granular control, during gameplay and after.
Experience unparalleled control over cinematic camera work using just an Xbox controller. Playvis Camera pioneers real-time optical mark and dynamic mount systems, maximizing the mapping capabilities of consumer-level devices and tailoring them for previs. This not only enhances the usability of interactions but also grants filmmakers full control, removing the dependency on additional operators for tasks that traditionally required them. Easily fly the camera, lens subjects, and capture shots in real-time during your play sessions. Transition seamlessly to a Virtual Camera or VR, exploring new dimensions of creative freedom.
Join a shared Playvis Multiplayer session, where directors, VFX supervisors, and shot creators can interact and collaborate in real time. Collectively control characters, vehicles, and perform camera work. Experience the power of a multi-camera live broadcasting system, the first of its kind in previs, facilitating collective scene creation. Playvis’ innovative multiplayer support redefines remote collaboration and review meetings, ensuring everyone is literally in the same game – or on the same page. Feature coming in Phase 2.
Playvis represents an evolutionary leap in film previsualization. It achieves what no other previs vendor or vfx house has managed in over 20 years of modern previs as we know it – enabling artists and filmmakers to visualize using the same intuitive controls and game mechanics found in popular video games, complemented by a previs-friendly, custom gameplay recording and replay system. Playvis has evolved from a supplementary feature to a core part of our creative process.
Much like its counterparts — pitchvis, techvis, stuntvis, and postvis — Playvis takes the fundamental principles of previs and evolves them into something distinct and unique. It’s more than a variant or subset – it’s a transformative approach that’s pioneering a whole new discipline within the field.
The ultimate measure of Playvis’s innovation will be its adoption within the industry. As we continue to develop and explore, we anticipate that Playvis will secure its place as an impactful new branch of previs. The defining moment will arrive when industry jargon includes phrases like “let’s playvis this shot” or “we need to playvis that sequence.”
We’re eager to witness this evolution unfold and we invite you to join us on this journey.
Playvis isn’t intended to replace traditional previs, but rather, it’s designed to enrich and support it. Playvis steps in where traditional previs might lack, offering extra capabilities and unique benefits. It collaborates seamlessly with traditional methods, providing a more thorough and efficient solution for previsualization needs.
Playvis elevates the value of your typical previs assets by infusing them with interactivity and game logic. This transformation enhances their adaptability, usability, and overall impact. Instead of just creating animations for static character rigs, Playvis shifts the focus to developing animations that are fueled by specialized controllers. These controllers allow animations to be used interactively, responding to the environment and other characters or assets.
While animations created with DCC applications and mocap continue to play a vital role, Playvis changes the way these efforts are directed. It helps save animation efforts by feeding into interactive controllers that can be used anywhere in the environment and react to game logic. Tasks like re-staging action or creating scene movers become outdated. Your animations can be used anywhere, offering the freedom to visualize and scout your performances in any location.
Playvis fills a crucial educational gap within the industry. As we navigate the evolving (and IT intricate) landscape of virtual production, Playvis provides a refreshing perspective, drawing attention back to the foundational strengths of Unreal Engine (and similar higher-level gameplay frameworks in other engines).
At the heart of it, interactivity and simulation are still underutilized concepts. Playvis bridges this gap by making these principles more accessible and encouraging their adoption in visualization. In this sense, Playvis isn’t merely another tool, but a pioneering way to envision film creation. Its potential is too significant to be left undefined and obscured amidst the fog of VFX ambiguities. By giving it a name, we aim to bring this concept into the light, allowing it to evolve and refine further.
The magic of Playvis is its ability to stimulate a sense of fun and engagement among filmmakers, bringing an element of interactivity that has been missing in conventional previs.
When presented with the unique blend of freedom, control, and responsiveness that Playvis offers (akin to playing a video game), the majority of filmmakers we’ve worked with have found themselves irresistibly drawn back for more sessions, eager to continue exploring this innovative method of tackling their cinematography challenges.
By offering directors and artists direct interaction with their projects, it heightens creativity, fostering a deeper connection with their work. This appeal is a testament to the power of Playvis in transforming visualization workflows and democratizing the film creation process.
No, Playvis isn’t something you can simply download from the Epic Store or Steam and start playing. Playvis is a specialized service and a comprehensive framework tailored for film companies and their specific feature film projects. Each Playvis service is custom-made to cater to the unique needs of each film project, its story, and its director.
That’s where a considerable amount of work lies in our service – ensuring the customization aligns perfectly with the project’s needs. If in the future we identify a universal application within these processes that can serve everyone, we might consider creating a consumer experience for audiences on platforms like Steam and the Epic Store.
Playvis develops a robust system that empowers anyone involved in the filmmaking process to generate a variety of shots. This system is a bespoke game build that we meticulously maintain and update with engaging content and revisions on a weekly basis. All media output (as all high-utility capture data) is generated from this application during Playvis sessions.
It’s more than just a tool – it’s a comprehensive framework that we employ to deliver shots, sequences, and master scenes (or beats). So, indeed, in addition to providing you with a powerful system for creating cinematic sequences, we also produce tangible deliverables like shots, sequences, and master scenes.
The term “real-time” is frequently used in the entertainment creation market, often in relation to various products and services claiming to offer “real-time workflows”. However, it’s crucial to understand that “real-time” is a relative term, dependent on what it’s being compared to. For instance, if a creative process requires constant stoppages, backtracking, or manipulation of timeframes, can it truly be deemed as “real-time”?
When we describe Playvis as “pure real-time”, we’re referring to the continuous, forward-flowing experience it offers to users. Unlike other creative processes that may require constant interruptions or adjustments, Playvis allows time to be manipulated without such constraints. This results in a fluid, seamless process, making Playvis a genuine example of “pure real-time”. However, it’s also important to remember that behind this real-time experience, there’s an extensive amount of non-real-time hard work necessary to facilitate this seamless user experience.
Playvis is engineered to offer real-time compositional control, striving to equal the precision typically found in non-real-time methods like 3D keyframed animation. This level of control is set to redefine the parameters of shot design, enabling directors and artists to perform modifications and enhancements to their compositions during a real-time play session. This dispels the misconception formed due to the existence of poorly designed controllers and gameplay recording systems, affirming that directors can achieve equivalent control as traditional methods, but in a real-time play session.
We’re dedicated to finding innovative ways to fuse pre-staged, pre-animated content with fully interactive, player-controlled simulations. Our goal is to breathe new life into your animation assets by placing them in an interactive context. With PLAYVIS, animations can be utilized across any environment or context without needing to re-stage or adjust them. This combination of deterministic and non-deterministic elements enhances the fluidity and dynamism of the previs process, providing an unparalleled level of adaptability and creativity. We believe this exploration has the potential to redefine previs, shaping a new standard for the industry.
For more information about Deepvis and its connection to Playvis, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]
The answer lies in the transformative experience it brings to the previsualization process. Playvis is not just a tool or a technique; it’s an interactive realm that converts the rigorous chore of traditional filmmaking into an engaging game. At its core, Playvis takes the timeless concept of playing with toys to plot out scenes, and elevates it to the next level by incorporating intricate video game logic.
The Playvis revolution doesn’t stop at improving the tactile and emotional experience of filmmaking. By putting a label on this unique approach, we aim to increase awareness and foster further development in this niche. It’s about spotlighting the potential of gameplay-based film creation and driving research into its myriad possibilities. Although some have begun to recognize this potential, Playvis takes it further, intensifying the impact and creating an entirely new level of film visualization.
In conclusion, Playvis offers a liberating, forward-thinking method of visualization that is both exciting and revolutionary.