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Previs

aka Previsualization · Pre-vis

Previsualization — rough animated or storyboarded versions of sequences built before the shoot to plan camera, staging and timing.

Previs is the practice of building a rough, moving version of a sequence before production — from simple animatics to fully animated camera blocking — so the director, DP and VFX team can agree shot design, timing and feasibility before a single setup is lit. It is standard on action, VFX-heavy and effects sequences, and increasingly on commercials and music videos where every second counts. StoryboardCanvas turns a storyboard into a playable animatic in one click, with 27 camera-move presets and timing, so previs is no longer a separate specialist budget line.