As Jurassic June 2016 roars to a close, new previs from Jurassic World has surfaced from Michael Cavanaugh (Tippet Studios) and Halon Entertainment. Previs, short for pre-visualtiation, is a placeholder animation technique used in filmmaking to help visualize what the final scene will look like in advanced. It is often used in intricately choreographed action scenes, or VFX heavy sequences.
The two videos below focus on a few key VFX points in the movie: the mainstreet attack, & final battle (Halon), plus the introduction to the Velociraptors, as well as their first encounter with the Indominus (Tippet Studios). What’s interesting is how closely the final scenes match the previs, with a few differences. Check out the videos below, and then read on!
Jurassic World Previz from Michael Cavanaugh on Vimeo.
Jurassic World Previs Reel from Halon Entertainment on Vimeo.
What stands out initially in these videos is the different look of the Velociraptors. In the reel from Michael Cavanaugh the raptors seem to be male Jurassic Park 3 variants, without the quills, each a different standout color. Interestingly many pieces of Jurassic World merch, such as raptor plushies, match these designs and colors. The other notable standout in Michael’s reel is the intense alternate introduction of raptors, as they corner the pig and slowly stalk it before Owen calls them off.
The reel from Halon more closely matches the scenes in the film, and much like the other it seems to be utilizing raptors based upon the male JP3 models – however, these are not uniquely color coded and are utilizing a reddish copper texture. Like the other raptors, this was also seen in early merchandise in the form of an unreleased Hasbro toy. Also visible is alternate Pternaodon model during the mainstreet attack, which I personally prefer to overly monstrous final film model (also in the reel).
It’s always fascinating to see the behind the scenes hard work that goes into making a film, from multiple talented individuals. Witnessing how a film evolves from script, to art, to previs, and ultimately the final product truly showcases the multiple creative forms that film goes through via the collaborative work of numerous artists. This again leads to a point brought up numerous times on this website, and fans abroad: where is the ‘making of’ documentary showing this, and where is the ‘art book’ that dives deeper?
June 2016 was the 23rd anniversary of Jurassic Park, 1st anniversary of Jurassic World and the 2 years until Jurassic World 2 – yet Universal and the Jurassic Park social media accounts did not acknowledge these points at all. It’s strange and frustrating as a fan of the franchise to see how the license holders continue to sleep on it, seemingly unenthused by the properties many potentials. To help grow this amazing community of fans that exist, Universal needs to further embrace these opportunities and break this continued radio silence.
I hope you all had a great Jurassic June! I know that I promised a breakdown of the unreleased Jurassic Park cartoon this month, however my schedule ended up far busier than I anticipated. It’s still coming, and soon, but it didn’t quite make the cut for June.
Stay tuned, there’s lots more to come – lets hope some official news is inbound as well, perhaps San Diego Comic Con 2016? Jurassic World is slated to begin filming in about 9 months, so surely news is on the horizon. Either way, Chronicle Collectibles will be unveiling more official Jurassic Park and World products at SDCC, so at least there is something. Sound off in the comments below, and remember, if you have news be sure to share!
