Just Cause Productions Utilizes 3D Previsualization

Michael here. Yesterday I got the chance to tour Just Cause Productions' facilities in Marina Del Rey and meet its co-president, Reuben Langdon and his team.

Langdon, who spent 5 years living in Japan and has done the motion capture and action design work for such notable games as Devil May Cry 3 & 4 and Resident Evil 5, has created a company that acts as a bridge between East and West (Just Cause has a sister office in Tokyo and has worked with the likes of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Jet Li).

Just Cause is a full-fledged, one-stop movie production house with services spanning from script, storyboarding and casting to previs, motion capture, stunts, live action shoots and post.

Moreover, Just Cause has created one of the world's first stereoscopic 3D previsualization systems. I watched as a Just Cause employee, working on a 3D monitor using proprietary software from Tim Dashwood and Fast Motion Studios, was able to adjust interocular, convergence, and more within the editing software. The ability to work out an entire edited scene in previs allows the filmmakers to make sure an edited scene works in 3D, before going out on set. This is vitial given the fact that shots or edits that work in 2D may not work in 3D.

Just Cause offers an environment in which filmmakers can experiment with motion capture and stereoscopic 3D, learning how to utilize these tools in their projects. I was able to play with one of their virtual cameras. It was a fun experience, and the technology is truly amazing: A live video feed of what I am shooting is projected in real time on a screen in the back of the volume.
Watch below:

Just Cause is also working on a 3D zombie film tentatively-titled "Death Trip to Wisconsin." I saw a portion of a proof of concept video for the film, and it looks great, with tons of zombie carnage and action. Expect a trailer soon!