SUSTAINABILITY VIRTUAL PRODUCTION
O ne of the chief motivations for productions to be based locally in a volume is the reduction in polluting international air and road travel for dozens of crew members. The BFI and Disruptive LIVE have attributed more than half of total CO2 emissions from blockbuster film productions to transportation. Using an LED volume to change set locations can significantly reduce the carbon footprint, according to Ben Lumsden, executive producer, Dimension Studio and DNEG 360. “There is a growing awareness of addressing these issues and, as virtual production technologies mature, we can expect these developments to be further integrated into workflows,” he comments. “When we first opened, we saw a lot of productions state that sustainability was important to them. However, in reality, it took quite a secondary role,” explains Joanna Alpe, chief commercial officer at MARS Volume. “In recent months, we’ve seen a shift in this approach.” She attributes this to agencies taking bold moves such as banning travel for productions, producers requiring specific measurements of power usage for the shoot to generate environmental reports and a real increase in productions shooting in VP to replicate multiple locations around the world. “Data suggests the tide has turned, and this
provides a perfect opportunity for VP and ICVFX to shine as sustainable options for reducing carbon emissions in film and TV production,” she says. Cutting down on travel is the biggest win for sustainability, but more can be done. VP also streamlines the production process, allowing for creative decisions to be made on-set, which reduces the need for reshoots. Alpe states: “Clever use of minimal props and highly skilled virtual art departments create believable scenes and sets, where it’s nearly impossible to distinguish where the physical art department ends and the virtual takes over. By reducing the reliance on large-scale set builds (which ultimately get torn down and create a disposal issue), carbon emissions per shoot can be massively reduced.” The LiveStitch system, designed and developed by CineArray, offers several ways to reduce emissions. The system provides a live stitched image of every camera feed from an array and records this onto a removable SSD. Laura Tinsley, operations manager at CineAero, says the system is a first of its kind. She explains: “Previously, all footage would have to be sent with a driver, then immense processing power and servers were used to stitch and store the images before even being able to view daily footage. The LiveStitch system removes this step and means stitched preview footage can be sent securely via a laptop for review. “A unique way that LiveStitch further reduces the need for being on a set is its ability to provide a fully stitched live feed of the array from anywhere in the world. The LiveStitch has its own built-in uplink, allowing a whole VFX team at a studio to view a live feed and provide commentary. Only a skeleton crew needs to work at the location, which reduces emissions across the board.” Reducing the reliance on post- production workflows is another gain for sustainability. “By capturing VFX mostly in-camera, the post-production workflow is reduced and sometimes eliminated altogether,” points out Alpe. Current post-production workflows rely
VOLUME DISCOUNT Sustainability
can be improved by shooting in a volume or reusing materials in the community
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