I was greeted this morning by a contact from fellow New Yorker and creator of FrameForge Previz Studio, Ken Schafer. Ken is also the President of Innoventive Software,LLC. The good news that he was sharing involves a very nice statue that Ken will soon have on his mantle. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has awarded an Emmy for Technical Achievement for its flagship Pre-visualization Software, FrameForge Previz Studio.
Ken told me, “Everyone thinks of storyboarding software as something to use if you can’t draw, ”but it is really so much more. Previz Studio has so much depth of creative features. If you are doing a 3D stereoscopic production, FrameForge Previz Studio can let you virtually see the scene in 3D. It allows you to choose cameras, lenses, even 3D Rigs. This in turn gives the filmmaker the opportunity to be sure that there are no unwelcome surprises when you get to the set to shoot. The result is a smooth shoot with savings of both time and money.
When most people hear about a previz program they think, “Oh my God, this is going to be hard, I’m no artist!” The truth is that FrameForge Previz Studio is surprisingly easy and quick to use. I have used it on several of my 3D productions and found it to be a joy to work with.
And I’m not the only one. Here are the contents of a letter to Ken from Mark Kolpack, Emmy Nominated VFX Supervisor, talking about using FrameForge Previz Studio on Marvel’s “Agents of Shield”.
Since the pilot, I have gone on to supervising “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” the series and not only do I use FrameForge for our guest directors that come on board but often there are times when I have to board out sequences for my Visual Effects facilities so they can get a clearer idea of just what it is that I’m looking to create.
FrameForge makes getting the visual idea across so much easier than trying to use your words and hoping that the people you are speaking with will see the same picture in their head as you do in yours.
This software has become an indispensable tool in my Visual Effects kit.
With much gratitude,
Mark Kolpack
Visual Effects Supervisor
“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
www.markkolpack.com
It is always great to see someone who has worked as hard as Ken Shafer and his team to bring a vital tool to the rest of us to make our lives easier and more productive. Kudos to Ken and the whole staff at Under the Hill Productions for getting the recognition that they all deserve.