V I RTUAL PRODUCT ION | FEATURE
V irtual assets are part of the fabric of filmmaking, and have been for a while. However, improvements to the time it takes to create those assets has grown virtual production into a real step change in production, which now encompasses using traditional filmmaking tools and, increasingly, their specific terms. Head of Moving Picture Company LA (MPC), Kerry Shea, explains what she means by the term: “Virtual production right now is such a generalised, catch-all term, but what it truly entails is film and television production that allows creatives to interact directly with CGI content in real time. It’s not one single process or product; it’s several different methodologies and several different tools where you can work in a very small or large scope.” VIRTUAL PRODUCTION ORIGINS In fact, virtual production has been with us since the early nineties. Of course, back then, we weren’t talking real time, but filmmakers started integrating motion capture into their workflow in order to work with virtual characters. “We wanted to see more and more unique characters; to allow actors to perform those characters and have their performance directly translated. It was those directors who wanted to do animation, but didn’t come from an animation background who pursued this new type of production,” explains Shea.
Those directors wanted to direct actors, but also wanted to use what they were familiar with. That is, they wanted to use familiar camera outputs. “Virtual production back then just meant you wanted to see the performance as a CGI asset – now you can see them live on the set,” says Shea. “Originally when you were doing motion capture, you could just see a skeleton walking around and then you could see a better version of the skeleton, but you had to use a lot of imagination. Now, with the addition of game engines, everything is instantaneous. A director can look on set and see an actor and somebody in a motion- capture suit, then look into their monitor and, suddenly, they aren’t looking at an actor in a suit – they’re seeing an actor and a CGI character interacting with each other.
ABOVE Traditional filmmaking tools and techniques are being modelled into game engines
This immediate visualisation is a game changer for both the director and the performer – as well as everyone else on set. “For cinematographers, what has changed is that we are using traditional camera outputs like master wheels, pan and tilt heads - even the aesthetic of a handheld camera,” she explains. “We have those camera outputs, so we can walk around with the hardware, and yet what they see in the monitor is the CGI content. It’s not film, it’s not video; it’s the CGI content moving around.” As a result of game engines, it is now possible to affect lighting and feature different lenses, which is perfect for cinematographers, according to Shea. “They can then plan out the entire shoot and have control – or more control – over the camerawork, as opposed to the VFX companies simulating that in the back end. Now, instead, what you’re shooting is what you’re going to get in VFX,” she says.
We’re trying to go back to traditional film production almost, not looking to replace it
MAY 20 1 9 | DEF I N I T ION 59
Powered by FlippingBook