Previsualization with Gnomon Instructor Brian J. Pohl

Meet Brian J. Pohl, a 25-year computer graphics veteran and a pioneering figure in previs. At Epic Games, Pohl not only managed the Unreal Fellowship but also served as its Academic Dean, scaling the program to impact over 1,000 Fellows. This innovative five-week initiative provided crucial training in Unreal Engine during the pandemic, building a vibrant community and connecting participants with industry professionals. Get to know one of Gnomon's most influential instructors and learn about how previs originated, works, and impacts filmmaking.

In a recent interview with Gnomon instructor Brian J. Pohl, we dove into his remarkable 25-year journey in computer graphics, starting from broadcast television to a pioneering career in previs for major films like Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Trek (2009). Working with George Lucas at Skywalker Ranch, Brian played a role in the development of previs, a critical process in modern filmmaking that allows directors to visualize scenes before they are shot. Read on to discover Brian's career highlights and learn about the essence of previs and how it’s being taught at Gnomon.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your early inspirations?

My name is Brian J. Pohl. I am a 25-year computer graphics veteran, and I got my start flying logos for broadcast television back in the mid to late 90’s when the industry was dominated by Quantel Paintboxes and Alias Power Animator running on SGI 4D workstations. Getting access to these monster machines was notoriously difficult and even more impossible to buy for oneself given their six figure price tags, so I concentrated my early college training efforts on finding a solution that would run on the personal computers of the time like the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST.

I finally purchased my own Mac IIci workstation with Stratavision and Electric Image around 1991 while I was serving in the US Army. After I left active duty in 1994, I moved back to the Midwest to start working as an independent contractor for various television studios and small boutique VFX houses for a few years with my now trusty and heavily upgraded Mac IIci in tow. Like most CG artists of the time, I was highly inspired by Star Wars on the VFX side of things and Toy Story for 3D animation production and needed more education.

Since I already had a degree, I focused on finding a post-secondary school where Maya could be studied without the need for all the additional classes. This is where I came across an ad for Gnomon in a copy of Cinefex. I applied for the certificate program and was accepted in its second class. Between my first and second academic terms, I took a contract job with a local L.A. VFX company, Reality Check Studios (RCS), to construct some graphics for a baseball stadium. There I met David Dozoretz, the previs supervisor on Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. He was working with RCS to construct animation for the film Titan AE. Pleased with my work, RCS put me on a follow up previs project with Dozoretz for the film Behind Enemy Lines. I asked Dozoretz how one could go to work on the next Star Wars film, and he offered to interview me up at Skywalker Ranch. It was an in-person and on-site trial with the existing previs team for two weeks. While I knew this would end my participation in Gnomon’s certificate program, I took the risk, traveled north, and lived out of a hotel room for those two weeks and got the job!

What was it like working at Lucasfilm & ILM?

Working at Skywalker Ranch was unquestionably one of the highlights of my career. Driving onto the “campus” was gorgeous. Tall trees, grape vineyards, a pond, wildlife, and a multi-story Art Deco and Victorian-style mansion left even the most experienced industry folks a bit starry eyed. However, after the initial shock wore off, it was business as usual and everyone working there just got used to the idyllic environment and having deer walk with you to your car in the parking lot.

Did you actually get to work with George Lucas?

Working with George was surreal. He is a private and quiet guy plus he is also extremely focused. He would make his rounds through the previs bullpen and the co-located art department, which was down the hall, on a regular basis. While he would stop to comment and chat with artists from time-to-time, he normally chose to privately interact with our supervisors regarding potential notes. George preferred more of a strict protocol, and regular editorial reviews were part of his routine because there was so much to accomplish. Attack of the Clones was the first film to ever attempt previsualizing an entire film and all its shots, not just VFX shots, as part of its production goals. It was also the first to implement the postvis process where tracked plates were combined with previs animation. George is an editor at heart and his directorial style is a process of visually dissecting multiple shots and seeing in his head how they can all work together.

George allowed us a lot of creative freedom and by the time we reached the last sequence in Attack of the Clones, his confidence in our abilities allowed our team to direct the end battle sequence entirely on our own with little interference. While he would still review our work in weeklies, the shots seen in the end battle of Clones were totally our brainchild.

What happened next?

After finishing work on Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, I joined Industrial Light & Magic’s previs team for three years, working on various films. I then moved back to LA, working at Digital Domain as the previs lead on iRobot and Stealth, followed by a brief stint at Sony Imageworks on the animated film Open Season. My former boss, David Dozoretz, offered me the chance to form a previs company, POV Previs LLC, with him. Running our own business appealed to me, and we became one of the original five previs houses in Los Angeles, working on projects like JJ Abram’s 2009 Star Trek reboot.

I later worked for Autodesk Inc, various VFX production houses, and Epic Games, where I spent 6.5 years as a technical program manager and instructor and built the Unreal Fellowship program for virtual production instruction. I saw the Fellowship as a way to give back to my industry. Now I’m back in the artist’s hot seat providing previs and postvis animation services for companies like Proof Inc while also producing training content for the Unreal community.

Can you tell us simply how previs works?

The task of making a modern-day film, especially one with a large number of visual effects, is extremely complex. Since it is the job of the director to lock down the actual performance of what is occurring on camera, access to the previs process before production gives them the ability to glimpse into the future of what their film could be.  

Previs is commonly divided into different subcategories. The main ones are conceptual previs for storytelling, techvis for determining animation specific data, and postvis as an early first animation pass tied to tracked principal photography plates specifically intended for VFX bidding. Within these phases, the director and his creative staff can leverage this process to make specific production decisions that will define the director’s vision, determine required production resources, and hopefully allow for a more informed, budget friendly execution of the filmmaking process. 

The process starts by conducting various interviews with the film’s creative team. Then the director, storyboard artist, and the previs supervisor map out a portion of the script the production wants visualized. While storyboards are being completed, the previs team conducts a worldbuilding phase to create the environment used in previs. This, combined with the storyboards and the director’s shot list, informs the previs team to begin producing shots. These shots are animated using good cinematography techniques and rendered out as QuickTime files and handed off to the editor to insert into a running edit. The director will then review that edit during weeklies and revisions are supplied to the previs supervisor for modification.

How did previs become an industry standard?  

Previs is the usage of certain computer-generated visualization techniques that are directly associated with the artist’s understanding of the actual filmmaking process, its cinematic language, and the artist's relationship and interaction with the director. Traditionally the process of figuring out how to shoot a sequence is accomplished by the director’s working relationship to the cinematographer and storyboard artist, but as films became more visually complex and dependent on computer imagery, a newer technical digital skillset was needed. 

During the late 90’s and early 2000’s this was only available by certain groups of early CG adopters. This innovative approach to visualization, while effective, was unfortunately riddled by many cinematography and filming technical errors. Unfortunately, a large majority of the early previs pioneers did not have the range of cinematic filmmaking experience of their traditional counterparts. This created a certain amount of tension with established VFX supervisors and cinematographers who found the work coming out of these new previs teams as only partially helpful and sometimes even counterproductive as they tended to marry the director to certain filming impossibilities not found in the real world. 

Despite the benefit of finding the director’s vision, the emerging previs industry had to rapidly educate its new workforce. This led to the eventual formation of a dedicated trade association known as the Previsualization Society. Its goal was to help define standards of practice, establish definitive terminology, describe artist roles, train those artists, and spread the word of this new process to more directors, producers, and guild organizations. Though no longer active today, the Previsualization Society, along with several other sources, helped spur the adoption of the previs as an industry standard.  

What course do you teach at Gnomon and what skills can students expect to learn?

The Game Creation 3: Animation & Cinematics in Unreal Engine 5 class explores the conceptual previs process using Unreal Engine’s Sequencer, Animation and Control Rig tools. Students are required to conceptualize, storyboard, block, and animate a 16 shot sequence of their own design, to demonstrate their ability to use animation sequences, various animation and skeleton editors, control rig activation, nested level sequences, additive animation, baking, blending, and retargeting. As the class evolves, students receive reviews on their sequence in progress and basic cinematography instruction to improve the realism of their individual shots. Once they have a sequence near completion, they are taught how to use the Movie Render Queue to output their film as an AVI, QuickTime or EXR sequence. 

How can students prepare for a career in previs? What advice would you give them?

If one wishes to pursue a career in previs or creating game cinematics, it is essential to understand cinematic language. Cinematic concepts like camera angles, composition, continuity, cutting and close-ups are crucial to producing a believable film. Students should study films of all genres and time periods while also learning various directorial and cinematic styles. You must become a “virtual” cinematographer just as much of becoming a CG and animation expert. I highly recommend using your cell phone camera or better yet a full frame mirrorless camera to capture the world around you. It is also important to get involved with various professional guilds, societies, and organizations who have similar interests. Networking and finding likeminded professionals will help to refine one’s own craft. Plus, if you have not already purchased your own computer workstation, stop waiting and invest in one.

Finally, do not be afraid to experiment. It is too easy to get distracted by perfectionism. You learn as much from failure as you do from success, so do not think it has to be exactly right the first time around. Previs is about exploring and trying things over and over to find the movie within the mind. Think of previs as a form of mental practice designed to free your ideas from your imagination and release them to the world. You have a story to tell. Isn’t it time to get started?

Gnomon proudly celebrates the professionals who are dedicated to nurturing the next generation of digital artists. Brian J. Pohl’s illustrious 25-year career stands as a testament to the power of adaptability and innovation. His passion for teaching and his commitment to excellence provide an inspiring example for our students.

Want to learn more about previs and VFX for film and games? Schedule a call with our Admissions Team!

About Gnomon

For over 25 years, Gnomon has educated many of the world’s best digital artists on its state-of-the-art campus in Los Angeles, California. Recognized as one of the top U.S. colleges in Forbes' 2023 rankings and called “the MIT of visual effects” by Fast Company magazine, Gnomon offers a variety of educational options to help students reach their goals in the entertainment industry, with certificate and degree programs, and over 100 individual courses. Our comprehensive programs, experienced faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities ensure that every student can achieve their full potential. Gnomon's strong industry partnerships give students real-world experience and a competitive edge in the job market. Connect with a Gnomon rep and take the first step in your art journey!  

Learn more about Brian Pohl on his website and connect with him on LinkedIn.