VIRTUAL PRODUCTION. TRAINING
VP ticks several boxes, including cost efficiency, creativity and reduced environmental impact, so the new normal in film and TV production was looking like a change for the better. Companies like Brainstorm, Brompton Technology and Mo-Sys were suddenly more in demand than ever before. That said, the technology that saved a raft of productions from drowning has been there for some time. Only now is it being appreciated. “Most of the concepts underpinning VP aren’t new and have been pioneered at a blockbuster level over a number of years; from Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings , Avatar and The Mandalorian ,” says Becky Gregory-Clarke, head of immersive at StoryFutures Academy, who leads the NFTS Certificate in Virtual Production. “Advances in real-time graphics, virtual and augmented reality technology, as well as a raft of new features added to freely available game engines, have all contributed to the recent uptake.” What’s more, VP isn’t limited to big productions – it’s also ubiquitous in broadcasting and news studios. After all, broadcasters had to report on the pandemic that was keeping their own news crews away from studios. CHASING PROGRESS When something is ahead of its time or accelerates at a speed nobody was expecting, we all need time to catch up. VP certainly appears to be a victim of
CRASH COURSE Students film on an LED wall as part of StoryFutures’ Virtual Production R&D Discovery Pilot
its own success. Although the tech-led transition toward it is undoubtedly the future, the industry can’t find the staff. Last year, the aforementioned StoryFutures Academy published its interim VP Skills Report, providing a map of the VP know-how required in the UK film and TV sector. Let’s just say, it was sobering. Among other things, the report found the UK is facing a possible skills gap across multiple VP disciplines, when demand for the technology is growing. Dark Matters is a full VP service facility offering all the assets of a
“Most of the concepts underpinning VP are not new and have been pioneered at a blockbuster level over a number of years”
ON THE RIGHT TRACK Anna Valley is getting ahead of the curve by ramping up its investment in virtual production
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