ROUND TABLE
and we’re determined to keep supporting their efforts! The area that is always the hardest to adequately cover is the hands-on, volume-based element of training. It’s an expensive exercise to devote an LED volume to educational purposes. Investing in skills training at a writers’ room level is also an area we are keen to develop and invest in further. Once writers are confidently writing scenes with virtual production in mind, it will make for a more frictionless experience when bringing the shots to life on film. JB: There are plenty of universities opening their own VP stages. This will eventually ensure that students are better prepared for the virtual production needs of the future. Animation courses must focus on encouraging students to have experience of real-time tools such as Notch, TouchDesigner, Unreal Engine as well as the more traditional software such as Maya and 3D Studio Max (now Autodesk 3ds Max). Students also need to realise that employers need to see a wide range of skills to ensure they can give themselves the best opportunity to slot into a complicated workflow at different levels. AG: Most education efforts at the moment focus on the technical aspects of VP, and very few focus on the application – which is much more powerful to boost one’s career. Disguise’s VP Accelerator programme strikes the balance of teaching technical skills as IT’S USEFUL FOR PEOPLE TRAINING TO gain access to on-set time WHENEVER POSSIBLE”
a filmmaking or technology-based role suited to their background and interests. JVA: The Disguise VP Accelerator is one of the things helping close that gap, but I think there should be more initiatives like it to better educate everyone. JB: There are lots of collaborations between institutions and industry. However, to fill the gap I have noticed plenty of practitioners offering their own courses. Two years ago, we created a scholarship programme with our local University of the West of England (UWE), which allows students to gain studio experiences, see how our Unreal artist works and how a virtual production shoot comes together. LR/JA: Open days, offering shadowing opportunities and developing internship programmes. We are supporting the University of Bath as they build out world- class facilities to equip their students with industry-critical skills. This partnership model, industry and university, is an important way to collaborate and
well as production application: how to correctly leverage the tech to create incredible content. Def: In what ways can the industry collaborate with educational institutions to bridge the skills gap effectively? Are there successful models or partnerships you have seen? ER: Create VP sandboxes, supervised by experienced virtual production professionals whenever possible. If not, just do it by trial and error in a professionally safe environment. I don’t know of a programme I like yet – but I hope to build one soon! JJ: It is always useful for people training to gain access to on-set time whenever possible. This can be tricky due to IP protection and NDAs, but getting first- hand observations of how professional VP teams collaborate can help people understand the experience part of filmmaking, something which cannot be learnt online or in a book. We simulate this by shooting some VP films against an LED wall where the students take on
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