ROUND TABLE
metadata is the key to efficiency on set and in post. By providing integrated workflows designed for virtual production environments, we can increase efficiency across the entire production pipeline. Def: What have been the benefits of virtual production on the industry? Olaf Sperwer, business development virtual production, ROE Visual: For creative people, I think control is the key. You can control the creative work output much better than you could before. You can pre- produce, play, tweak, control, move things – which is a big thing from the creative perspective, but also from a cost point of view. MC: You can produce many different scenes, even outdoor ones, on stage; optimising staff and actors’ time, which reduces travel costs and improves efficiency. Also, when shooting with large LED walls, the actors are placed in context with the scene – making acting easier and more fluid. And, when using chroma keying in combination with tracked cameras, the availability of real-time chroma keying and tracking information in layered recordings reduces the post-production time when additional tweaks are required. So, virtual production also reduces the time and budget required for post-production, while improving the results. Finally, the ability to review the final (or almost final) scene on-site, in real time, means the dailies can be approved right away.
IN THIS INDUSTRY, THE PEOPLE THAT NEED TO BE happy and empowered ARE CREATIVES”
JL: You get the flexibility to shoot imaginary locations and also locations at times of day that might otherwise be difficult to reach or have unpredictable conditions. Filmmakers can scout these virtual locations as if they were physical ones, with tools that mirror the behaviour of physical devices. Unlike a traditional blue screen or green screen, everyone on set can see what the virtual environment looks like and how it interacts with the physical set, talent and lighting. Changes can be made in a matter of minutes and custom tools can be developed for specific interactions or triggers, giving more freedom to adjust the environment for a shot. It can also reduce the costs of post-production as filmmakers can go to the shoot with more information of how the final shot will look, minimising issues later on that would be costly to fix. ICVFX is not a silver bullet and shots will still need touch-ups, but it’s still more cost-effective and faster than having to do the shot from scratch if the content is already of high quality. Cesar Caceres, product lead, Brompton Technology: I have the belief that technology is just a tool for creativity. In this industry, the main people that need to feel happy and empowered using this technology are the creatives: we’re making something that is going to give them new tools and new ideas for removing the limitations that the real world might have – that’s what virtual production is offering. During Covid-19, there was the benefit that you didn’t need to travel to use it, so it was giving you the possibility to be anywhere in the world at the same time with a small amount of crew. But beyond that, it’s democratising cinematography. Before, if you were a smaller studio, you wouldn’t be able to go to Australia, then Alaska,
then build a whole spaceship! Now you can – through Unreal Engine or any of these tools, it’s achievable. The initial investment is probably bigger – what we need to think about now is how to make virtual production a little bit cheaper. Def: What are some of the major challenges filmmakers face when adopting virtual production methods, and how can they overcome these obstacles? What’s the learning curve like for those new to this technology? OS: The whole ecosystem around VP is growing rapidly, and we need to support on an education level, because this is the bottleneck. We don’t have enough people – but we also need to think about what kind of people we need. If we look at The Mandalorian in 2019, that was driven by ILM (Industrial Light & Magic), which classically is a post-production company. I’m not necessarily a believer that we should give virtual production to post-production people. I think we need people with an overview – new kinds of integrators – in these projects, because workflows are really an issue. A good example is Netflix’s 1899 . In this case, a set designer led the whole planning, overlooking – not the post, but the preparation. He designed the set and organised the workflows in a such a way that saved money. For people to want to invest in expensive LEDs, they want to get a return on investment. But this is only possible when this technology is fully and completely understood. CC: A lot has happened over the last few years – it’s been a crazy time with everybody having to learn so many new techniques, and workflows changing constantly. Right now, I believe that we are in the maturity of the industry
IN THE BACKGROUND ROE Visual (above) and ARRI (top right) have years of VP experience
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