Image credit: IGI
Virtual production is a game-changer that is becoming increasingly popular in the film and television industry. Through various software tools, studios can combine physical and virtual environments that appear incredibly realistic. No longer needing to wait for post-production, digital elements and backgrounds created by virtual and augmented reality, CGI, or other immersive technologies, can be created beforehand and integrated directly into a scene in real-time, which creates significant opportunities for creativity and collaboration among professionals.
Dean of the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design (SCMAD), Nate Horowitz, says bringing virtual production to various programs at the Story Arts Centre campus is something that will offer students tremendous insight into this growing technology that is gaining traction across film and television sets globally.
Working with Heads of Media from colleges across Ontario, as well SCMAD Academic Chair of Arts and Design, Dr. Chris Jackman, and Academic Chair of Communications and Media, Barry Waite, Nate says, “I want to bring virtual production in, and I want us to try it. I want us to see where it makes sense, and I want to start enabling, educating, and training to be able to do work in this big and growing area.”
Watch an example of virtual production in action from the award-winning virtual production studio, Pixomondo:
The first program that Nate is looking to implement virtual production in is Broadcasting – Film, Television, Digital Media and Radio. Karen Shopsowitz, the Program Coordinator, says, “Of course, it’s something that’s being explored. There is a lot of virtual production happening within the industry right now, both internationally and locally, and we need to prepare our graduates for an evolving production environment. Even something that seems so simple as upgrading the switcher in the TV studio is part of this evolution; it is a state-of-the-art switcher that also allows for web streaming and virtual sets.”
Gillian Edwards, Manager of Media Technology Facilities on campus, adds, “In addition to the new system in our Main Television studio, we have upgraded the switchers in our Journalism Newsroom and one for our Live Events sign out package, and both of those new switchers can stream and create virtual sets. Now on location and in-studio, our students have the opportunity to learn about and create virtual sets.”
VIRTUAL PRODUCTION INCREASES IN POPULARITY
Currently, virtual studios are booming, and Karen says this is not just driven by cost-saving efforts. “These are expensive to build and to maintain, but they allow creatives to tell stories in different ways. And that’s why it is important for our students to have this understanding of virtual production. I think of it this way — no matter how much technology comes into play - AR, AI, etc. — at the base is storytelling and that’s something we do so well within the Broadcasting program. But we also need to be keenly aware of where the industry is going and how technology has an impact on the various things that we create. I work as an Editor a lot and teach editing within our program. Giving our students a taste of how the software is changing is important; showing them how VFX, for example, is coming into play not only in post but in the actual creation of stories at the production stage.”
She adds, “I think the big thing is to see where this takes us in the not-too-distant future and how our program introduces various elements that will make sure that our students and grads are current. This year, for example, a couple of our interns were working companies that are getting more involved in virtual production.”
The opportunity for creativity with virtual production is boundless – we can’t wait to see how this opens doors for our students in the industry.
Want to see how this technology is implemented within film and television sets? Check out Pixomondo’s incredible virtual production videos:
Virtual Production One on One
Virtual Production: Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese Behind-the-Scenes
McDonald’s Virtual Production Shoot – Behind-the-Scenes Look
Virtual Production: “Engineering” Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Article by: Alexandra Few
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