How to Create the ULTIMATE Previz with Polycam, Metahumans, and Move.AI in Unreal Engine 5

[@TheNightsfall1]

Honestly I can’t even begin to image how kind someone has to be to share their process like this for others to see and learn from and for free too, and in such a digestible way. You’re a natural and thank you for all you’ve shared. I’ve been using what you’ve thought and I saw an impressive clips on Reddit and they directly sited you for what they learned. Well done and keep up the great work

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

Thanks so much, I'm really glad this was helpful! It's really fun sharing these processes. What was the subreddit you saw my stuff cited?

[@reyals66]

I couldn't agree more and the timing of this video couldn't have been any better. I'm currently working on my first feature-length film and this video will be a huge help and a guiding force. Please continue to share more such videos as a lot of filmmakers like me could learn from them. I'm curious to know if you've used a Mac setup or Windows for post-production.

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

​@@reyals66windows!

[@ljeffort3994]

Please don't give up, I could see your videos are always top-notch quality but it is not getting enough views does feel unfair. Your tutorials of motion tracking are like a new light for smaller groups that are trying to make something nice with a small budget like mine. I do not know how to express this correctly, but please keep up the beautiful work! And always thank you.

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

Thanks so much! I'm not too worried about it, the views will come eventually haha. We'd love to see what you are making, consider posting in our Discord in the community showcase!

[@kristenenation]

Hi Charlie, I'm attending film school right now and this video is so valuable. I feel the workflows they are teaching are "old school" and this can save so much time. Its worth the time and effort for the actors to give their best performance because I'm a very visual person. I will definitely watch more of your videos.

[@kimberlykatiti6969]

Great stuff! I’m so pumped to get to work. This is so inspiring. I’m binging your videos today!!

[@TheDangerousBrew]

This was great. I'm a filmmaker who has been dabbling in game dev to tell stories, so this is really useful.

[@RobertFlowersTV]

This is what I've been advocating for years, if possible. Now it looks like it is

[@TheDreadLab]

Hey dude, just wanted to say how unbelievably cool and helpful this was for me. Keep going!

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

Awesome, glad to hear it :)

[@Thies_Gruenewald]

Super inspiring stuff! :) Thanks for your in-depth workflow! :)

[@outtoplay]

This was a gem. Really appreciate that you shared this wonderful info in such a detailed presentation. Much Thanks!

[@ETT-b6q]

I've done few previz projects in Maya to UE pipeline and had to start learning the engine on my own seeing how powerful it is. Really hope it becomes norm for previz. Great video!

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

Yeah the real-time global illumination is game-changing, and Metahumans a re fun to work with once you figure out all the kinks

[@HumbleHerman]

You had me at " ... Shocking, I tell you."

[@AdenMackdaddy]

This is so inspiring! I love your channel!

[@pigeon7316]

THIS IS SO COOL> KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

Thank you!

[@PainnGames]

Amazing stuff! Kee them coming, please!

[@8KHDRVideoBySittipong]

Thank you for sharing. It's the future of movie making.

[@GPLGamesOfficial]

Amazing work process, this process will be way more usefull for budget Film makers. Congratulations and make more useful contents like this ❤

[@pgjohnson5504]

Great process tutorial! I vote for me of these videos on this topic. I use Polycam when I scouts and location surveys. I’m an Assistant Art Director. I love seeing more use case scenarios for all of these programs. Now I’m going to watch the rest of your videos. Thanks for these!

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

Thanks so much, I am glad you found it helpful!

[@chelo111]

love the process/technique, being searching for a work flow on how to execute a short film/project....i like the process , i just wish i know how to create my own animations....the whole scanning process and using unreal engine is key, to show it to the actors so they know almost exactly what to do, is amazing....

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

I do have a tutorial on this channel showing a full workflow for using metahumans: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKGWgWOqiNOMY7ssi=ZiLl5X5Mi9zk6o14

[@chelo111]

@@TheDarkestAgeUnreal wow this 2 hour tutorial is mind blowing, thank you so much broddy....

[@Haniverse_00]

It's truly great. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@Matt-SarcasMo]

Super inspiring 🤩

[@CasinoDuelist]

I have had somewhat similar thoughts regarding filmmaking on a budget. How Unreal could, with good use and preparation, become a tool that will allow indie filmmakers to think outside the box and not find themselves so constrained. I especially find it interesting to do a scan and be able to plan a shoot in advance, for those situations where you only have a limited amount of time to film on location - either because of the lighting needed, or because of a need to minimize an impact on the everyday lives of the people that live or use the locations for their day to day things. Very interesting!

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

Yeah I forgot to mention in the video, but we were able to get about 50 shots in a 12 hour day for this shoot, only possible by having the confidence and precision of a previz like this

[@issacdhan]

I think, this is really amazing for indie filmmakers. It saves a lot of money and time. Which they can use to rent quality hardware for final projects. I can start this service I think. As I have done something similar before.

[@inteligenciafutura]

I have improved a lot in the realistic section without the need for a motion capture suit and an iPhone.

[@DJBFilmz]

I think this is great. And if I could build this into my future budgets as a filmmaker, I will.

[@Matt-SarcasMo]

We're going to see more and more of a new emerging role: AI Video Planner!

[@devosentertainment]

Hey Charlie. Thanks for this video. I'm a big fan of previs, and just now getting into Unreal. Looking forward to checking out your other videos. You in LA?

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

Thanks! Based out of Chicago and Minneapolis. But I am always down to collaborate with anyone anywhere :)

[@badmovi]

7:15 that poor lady, she has really good skin why you had to do her like that

[@DarrenMonks]

I want to make my second movie ising this. Incredible amazing fantastic brilliant

[@IAmVo]

Charlie you ROCK! I'm working on an Animated Film and we're in early stages. Would you happen to know a space or site, where animators who are proficient in Unreal are in a community? Im looking to collaborate/ commission a few short film projects. I'm wearing TONS of hats, and don't have the bandwidth to also be the animator. Any advice?

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

Thank you! The best place I can think of would be the Unreal Engine 5 facebook group or subreddit. But honestly I'm not sure. Consider joining our Discord and asking there in the general chat :)

[@Videoexplain21]

Hi bro can you make a video on how to make a zack d films video

[@xressentials]

Hey bro, high content, how do you add more than one actor in one scene LIVE - not pre-recorded - or I guess both? you create a local server with different machines running for each actor? or can we add more than one shared live link..etc..?

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

I'm not using Livelink at all, the animations are recorded using GoPros, and the footage isbuploaded to their platform and processed before being imported into UE.

[@JsAnimation24]

Really interesting previs process, but I guess I will redirect the question you asked back to you 😅 do *you* think it was worth it? 25 hours of previz work sounds like a lot, but if you are spending 100-200 hours making the actual film, then I think it's actually worth it. I guess it would work well for large-budget and longer films, but curious what you think of doing this for shorter or indie films?

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

Totally fair point, and my answer is the it is totally worth it because I really like to elevate short films as much as possible, regardless of the budget. Basically, a short film should be a labor of love in at least some aspect. Otherwise, what is the point?

[@recaia]

movie ai sync livelink with head iphone capture in unreal timeline ??

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

The iPhone is using metahuman animator. I didn't do anything with livlink. Move.Ai also is not live, the animations are processes in the cloud, then imported to UE and retargeted

[@neodidi]

Saves money for the most part.. Not exactly time.. As you'd spend time making the detailed previz

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

True, it does not necessarily save time in pre pro, although I am getting faster at setting up projects like this. It does save time on set, which is generally the most expensive part for indies.

[@neodidi]

@NorthwoodsInteractive yeah.. True.. Why I said it saves money. Cause with indie projects, time equals money. But it's a great approach I must say..

[@dawidd1933]

The title sounds like you invented pre - production industry. Man, it doesn't change anything. There are people and companies that specializing in previzuailzation for last 30 years. Nice that you sharing what you are doing, but the title is anoying clickbait.

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

I know what you mean, obviously previz has been done forever. But I have not seen much, if any, previz done in UE5 using full performance capture with metahumans, and a lidar scan of the location. Lots of stiff mannequins or rough animations, but nothing that makes me feel like the movie has been shot and edited to a point that it really represents what the final film could look like.

[@dawidd1933]

@@TheDarkestAgeUnreal Plenty of them, actually! I don’t understand when teams don’t do this. A great example is War Horse(2011) by Spielberg. It was a movie previously made in previs, but there weren’t a lot of VFX shots besides the horse. Definitely worth checking out companies like The Third Floor. Cheers!

[@natewoods5225]

What a hater…😂

[@dawidd1933]

@@natewoods5225It's not hate; I appreciate what he's doing. This is just a discussion about the previz industry. Feel free to add anything valuable if you'd like.

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

That's super interesting, thanks for pointing that out!

[@6SecondSilence]

What a giant waste of resources.

[@TheDarkestAgeUnreal]

How so? I itemize the amount of time it took at the end of the video. It's not too outrageous compared to normal pre-pro timelines