Director’s ViewAR is collaborative previsualization and decision-making tool for film production based on AR and full body tracking technology. It enables directors to create previsualizations for visual effect sequences live on location, using just their phone or tablet!
The prototype was developed by the students Cody Gallo, Sebastian Christopher Hörberg, Daniel Venge Bagge and Ruben Sander Eriksen as a part of MIX301 - Media Technology: Theory and Development. This course is an introductory course to the Master's Programme in Media and Interaction Design at the University of Bergen.
From their research, they found that directors do not always know what their vision looks like until they actually see it. In addition to their research, the students used one of their team member’s previous experiences in film production. Cody Gallo has worked as a DGA Assistant Director in the film industry since 2010, giving him 12 years of insight and experiences that were valuable during the ideation and developing process of the prototype.
Based on these insights and experiences, the students designed and developed Director’s ViewAR, using mixed reality to visualize ideas before starting the film production.
Director's ViewAR utilizes the state-of-the-art technology of mobile AR body tracking to aid in previsualization generation during the pre-production phase of filmmaking. This allows you to view a mixed reality state in real time for an iterative and creative decision-making process. Sharing this with your film crew members throughout the pre-production will result in a faster and more efficient decision-making process.
The prototype's user interface consists of an asset palette of three robots which are colored red, green, and blue. The body tracking initiates once a person enters the camera frame and you tap on the robot. A model of the chosen robot then appears overlayed, tracking the skeletal movements of the person.
The color of the model can be switched by tapping another asset in the palette. This simulates changing attributes of an asset or switching out a whole asset, which helps the user see how mixed reality helps envision different creative options.
