Creating Our First Previs in Unreal Engine – Lessons from Cool Cats of Funky Town

https://youtu.be/20aqPHy78-U

Previsualization (previs) has become an essential tool in filmmaking, allowing creators to map out scenes before stepping on set. My team and I recently took our first dive into previs using Unreal Engine for our short film Cool Cats of Funky Town. It was an exciting, challenging, and eye-opening experience that taught us a lot about the intricacies of virtual production.

The Project & Team Setup

Our team consisted of three key members:

• Me (Director/Unreal Engine Sequence Editor) – I directed the project, created storyboards and shot lists, and edited everything together in Unreal Engine’s Sequencer.

• Cami (Mocap Actress) – Performed the motion capture, bringing our characters to life.

• Ethan (Unreal Engine Technician) – Handled technical aspects in Unreal, ensuring the captured motion translated correctly into the engine.

We used Portsmouth’s motion capture facilities to record our actors’ performances. Since we were working in a virtual environment, we needed to build reference sets on the mocap stage to ensure physical movements aligned with the digital world. After capturing the performances, I assembled and edited the previs in Unreal’s Sequencer and later polished it in DaVinci Resolve, syncing audio, adding titles, and coloring the footage.

Challenges & Unexpected Hurdles

This project was anything but smooth sailing. Our first attempt at capturing motion ended in disaster due to unforeseen illness among some of our team members. Since we lacked experience and additional help, we had to reschedule everything for a second shoot, which thankfully went much better.

Another challenge was the time-consuming process of setting up motion capture. Suits had to be fitted, calibrated, and tested before we could even begin acting out scenes. This alone ate up a significant chunk of our production time.

One major lesson we learned was how important pre-planning the digital environment is. For example, when characters sit at a table in Unreal Engine, the real-world mocap data needs to match the height of the digital assets. Otherwise, you end up with awkward clipping, where characters float above chairs or sink into them unnaturally. These small details make a big difference in achieving realism.

Editing also proved to be a learning curve. I sometimes made mistakes that required hours of work to fix because I didn’t yet know the best way to troubleshoot issues in Unreal Engine. It became clear that mastering this technology requires patience, trial and error, and a lot of problem-solving.

What Went Well

Despite the setbacks, there were significant wins. The teamwork on our second shoot was incredible. Everyone contributed, which allowed me to focus entirely on directing and getting the best performances out of the actors.

Another highlight was the freedom to choose camera angles in post-production. Unlike traditional filmmaking, where a bad shot means reshooting, Unreal’s virtual camera system allowed me to adjust framing and angles after the fact. This was a huge advantage, letting me tweak compositions without costly reshoots.

What Didn’t Go So Well

One major letdown was the inability to sync facial animations with dialogue due to budget constraints. While we captured body movements, the lack of resources meant our MetaHumans' mouths didn’t move in sync with the audio, making the previs feel less polished.

What We’ll Do Differently Next Time

1. Better Time Management – We need more structured timing plans and schedules to maximize our shooting days.

2. More Preparation Time – Actors should arrive earlier to allow for suit fitting and calibration.

3. Improved Technical Knowledge – I need to deepen my understanding of Unreal’s editing workflow to prevent costly mistakes.

4. Budget Planning for Facial Animation – If we want more realism, we’ll need to invest in additional tools to sync voice performances with character expressions.

Final Thoughts

This project was an intense crash course in previs and Unreal Engine’s capabilities. While there were plenty of mistakes, the experience gave us valuable insights into the workflow of virtual production. It’s a technology that requires patience and meticulous planning, but the creative freedom it provides is worth the effort.

Our first previs might not have been perfect, but it laid the foundation for our next project—one where we’ll be even more prepared to bring our vision to life.