The Briefing Room

Los Angeles, CA (January 28, 2010) — The Previsualization Society, a non-profit, interdisciplinary organization dedicated to advancing previsualization (“previs”) in feature film, games, commercials and architecture, has gone live this month, with membership applications now formally being accepted and an online portal newly active on the Web. The initiatives are part of a ramp-up of activities for the Previsualization Society’s inaugural year and are key steps in the group’s mission of cultivating a community of knowledge and information around the previs process. Both initiatives are being launched on www.previssociety.com.

Official “Call for Membership”
The Previsualization Society is pleased to be expanding a membership that already includes a diverse cross-section of more than 300 charter members from around the entertainment industry. For the 2010 membership cycle, applications have been opened at the following levels: Previs Professional (full memberships for credentialed previs artists and supervisors); Associate (full memberships for industry professionals working in conjunction with previs); Educator (full memberships for accredited teachers and instructors); Student (full memberships for currently enrolled students); General (limited memberships for those interested in previs but outside of the previs industry).

Memberships provide tiered privileges and access to society documents, materials, information, forums and events. Company memberships and sponsorships are also offered. Visit the Membership Section of the Previsualization Society website for full membership requirements, benefits details and to immediately apply.

New Online Web Portal
The Previsualization Society is establishing a centralized hub of previs content and topics with the launch of its online Web portal on www.previssociety.com. The portal has been built out to facilitate presentation and exchange of information, ideas, news and contributions while also compiling historical timelines, reports, technical documents and galleries of previs work. The online Web portal will be further augmented later this year with a strong social engine to enable user-to-user text and video chatting, chat rooms, a job board, enhanced forums, personal user blog pages, enhanced user profiles and more. While many items are viewable via a free registered Web log-in, some content is offered to paid members only.

Other Activities and Actions
Among many other activities, the Previsualization Society is currently interfacing with key motion picture industry organizations to create and distribute a range of previs information and presentations. The Previsualization Society is also working with charter sponsor Autodesk to produce educational materials. Colin Green, President; Brian J. Pohl, Secretary and Daniel Gregoire, Treasurer, have been named as 2010 Previsualization Society officers.

The Previsualization Society is the first permanent group to be focused on the collaborative process of previs and its development, documentation, understanding and use. Creation of the Previsualization Society was announced in September.

About the Previsualization Society
Formed in 2009, the Previsualization Society is a permanent non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and development of previsualization, or “previs,” for all who participate in or benefit from the previs process. Members of the Previsualization Society are engaged with the production or use of previs around the world within such fields as feature film, television, commercials, games, visualization and architecture. Through a community that is as collaborative and interdisciplinary as previs itself, the Previsualization Society promotes effective applications, standards and practices, education and practical knowledge exchange and takes a leadership role in developing and articulating the capabilities of an evolving medium that is playing an integral role in how content is made. For additional information, please visit www.previssociety.com.