The first session I attended of the Vertex 2021 conference was the Virtual Production talk with Ian Failes, Theo Jones, Paul Franklin, and Hasraf Dulull.
The panelists began by giving an overview of what virtual production actually is, in case any audience members were going into it fresh. Virtual production is a system of tools that allow us to combine live action footage with CGI in real time, although, as Paul pointed out, this can encompass a vast number of different areas, and so it’s hard to specifically point to one output and say “this is virtual production”- it can be used for so many different things.
What most people are excited about right now, according to the panelists, is LED Wall, which can run a CGI environment on a live action set, effectively replacing the need for green screen. This can save a lot of time and money when shooting, and from a director’s standpoint it’s useful to be able to change lighting or any number of different props or scenes without having to entirely rework the physical set. However, the panelists also discussed the fact that it’s important for clients to manage their expectations, because although virtual production can allow a very fast turnaround and almost anything can be changed at any time, there is the requirement of testing time and trial and error.
The panelists finished off by telling us that there is a big need in the industry for Unreal Engine experienced artists, and with the resources available for free online on blogs, YouTube, or Unreal’s own website, it’s easy for absolutely anyone to get started on it from their own bedroom. This is one unexpected advantage to COVID- easy virtual access.