Welcome to the Previs Society!

It is very exciting that we are up and running - applications for membership are flowing in, and people across the industry seem to know about us already, and about our mission.  A lot of energy has gone into making all of this progress, and I am very appreciative of the efforts of many, listed below.

Collaboration is a key part of our definition for previsualization, and a key concept which our entire industry is getting behind at this important moment in the evolution of film making. I am proud that this has been a part of our message and our foundational principle behind our new society. We all need to make sure that we encourage as broad a community as can be made around previs, so that its full potential can be reached, and can be understood as the mature industry that it is becoming.

The Previsualization Society was originally conceived as a Trade Organization, to promote the business of previs, and this remains our focus.  We will collaborate with many other groups to ensure that previsualization flourishes in as many diverse environments as we can, including outside the film industry. We will also work directly with business leaders in our industry to create the business conditions which will help our grass roots industry to thrive and mature. Major studios, who are our main clients, could get more mileage out of the work we do, and we want to partner with them to foster this. We also need to make the case that smaller independent productions know that previs is for them too. Beyond the film industry, we can show that the values and culture which surround the previs process can be equally powerful  in other industries and creative endeavors.

There is a lot to do to maximize the ability of our organization to achieve its goals. The main help we need to get these goals accomplished is contributions of expertise and enthusiasm from as broad a cross section of the community which surrounds previs that we can. When you see a forum topic about which you have an opinion, post it. And tell people about the Society, and its unique mission.

This said, my immediate priority as President is to build the strongest organizational structures for the Society. We are starting from a blank slate, and have a lot of basic systems to set up, so that people who are just hearing about us can  understand how to get involved, how their voice will be heard, and how they can become a future President. All of these constitutional issues are the main thing I need to make sure are not left as a project for the second Society President, and that people outside of our group of founders have a clear path between them and greater leadership roles in the Society.

Special thanks need to go to David Morin, who hosted our first meeting to discuss founding this organization, and has been a nearly daily supporter and mentor for our efforts all along. We would not have made it to where we are without his help. Brian Pohl has put an enormous amount of volunteer energy into the website, which is a critical part of our approach to completing our mission. Kara Misenheimer did an excellent job of helping us refine our messaging documents and manage our press launch efforts (which she handled very expertly). Dan Gregoire has done a great job in crafting our approach to the sponsorships that our Society will need to grow.And all the other founders - Chris, David, and Ron, have all put in significant time and energy to getting this organization up an running. I want to acknowledge how much dedication and thoughtfulness has gone into our formation, crafting our mission, and getting the sails of the Society filled.

Comments

[Daniel Gregoire]

Thank you Colin. Without your guidance, forward thinking and thoughtful approach none of us would be here to accept your thanks today.

I to would like to Thank David Morin for his sage advice and guidance through this process.

Also to be thanked is Richard "Dick" Lyons who, for the most part, has donated his time to the pursuit of making our trade organization legal and binding.

-dan