Real-time recap: What to prepare for when going virtual

So this is it. Our final stop in a series spanning everything you need to know when discussing the prospect of making your next production a virtual production. Over the course of these articles we’ve covered the summary, terminology, flexibility and even the mystery of this shifting filmmaking frontier, and as we wrap it all up, it seems only fitting to discuss the reality of stepping on set for the first time. What you’ll see, what you’ll set up and who you’ll speak to are crucial components that are always good to to know beforehand, ensuring your first bout has nothing unanticipated and is as smooth as can be, prior to calling out ‘sound, camera, action’.

First, congratulations are in order. You took your production to new, innovative heights and are finally deep diving into the next phase of content creation and sustainable production. That’s no small feat. Having said that, even when equipped with all the information on paper, or perhaps even in your head due to diligent research and study, doing something for the first time is still an anxious undertaking. The goal here, as we cap everything off, is to make sure you are equipped with every wayfinder’s best friend when voyaging out for the first time: a map. Much easier to know where you’re going and what’s going to happen when it’s right there in front of you, right?

As we chart your course here, we will mark the largest areas of intrigue, to be sure you’re well on your way without major confusion – starting off with your first and largest stop, the volume. Despite covering it a few times in this series, including how it can vary depending on your stage of choice, the general exposure will be about the same for any first-time arrival. Whether it’s a boxed-in area or a smooth, cove-like curve, the volume will be your window into the virtual extension of your world and the space in which your camera lives during your shoot. (For more details on its definition, function and breakdown, check out the other parts of this series.) This is less about the big, bold wall and more about how to prepare for using it.

This leads us to the more important, directly applicable topic of anticipation and preparation: tracking. There are a variety of tracking solutions and we’ve covered a few of them, but regardless of which one is housed in your stage choice, it requires proper rigging to ensure your tracking stays consistent and clean. The best approach is typically to schedule a prep day so that both the camera department and real-time technicians can ensure one isn’t in the way of the other. However, sometimes that isn’t a luxury you have.

The next best thing is rigging and readying a camera, and finding an appropriate location for tracking afterwards, to keep the rigging and function as familiar for the camera department as possible while also remaining efficient. In either scenario, understand that in the menagerie of accessories and gear, tracking is a crucial aspect that must be properly set up in order to leverage the full power of the LED wall.

Alongside collaboration and communication between real-time technicians, the larger extension of that department is the VAD, the virtual art department. This is responsible for all virtual and technical tasks that occur on set during production. Depending on your role in the production, it could be the team you are in most contact with, adjusting parameters, lighting and assets.

Anticipating your direct collaboration with the VAD is crucial, as it plays an incredibly critical role in the proper functioning of the ‘virtual’ in virtual production. This also depends on your vendor, of course, as VADs differ in their level of involvement, but the premise and principle remain the same – this is a team of experienced and vigilant artists who ensure that everything within and around the monolithic virtual set extension goes according to plan, in collaborative cohesion with existing production departments. Adjacent to these core roles and values, it is also the team that can best help you understand how it’s all coming together. This can be invaluable in your virtual production journey, and certainly eases the nerves when staring at a 20ft phalanx of lights and wires. Although it can be a daunting first-time experience, having a group of experienced creatives supporting you can make all the difference when faced with something so powerful and enigmatic.

Lastly, the final X on this map is arguably the most important, yet the hardest to get to sometimes. I call this destination ‘the moment’. We can talk forever about the technicalities and inner workings of the innovations that create this workflow, how it all works, what it all means, but the reality is that you must not only anticipate the feeling of creative freedom; you must open yourself up to it.

As my final send-off, my largest piece of advice, industry experience and thoughtful insight is this: be ready for the moment. The moment when your conventional idea of limitations begins to fade. The moment your mind spirals into a creative fireworks display, and you have nothing but ideas when you discover what’s possible. The moment when silly questions become simple questions, and outlandish hypotheticals become nothing more than a request. That moment.

I’ve largely talked about how to overcome the intimidation factor usually associated with this incredible production pipeline, but now I think we’ve arrived at the place beyond that threshold. A place where there is no more apprehension or fear, due to experience; filled with nothing but the rush, the realisation of what’s possible – and sometimes forgetting what isn’t.

Virtual production is many things to many people, but at its core it’s an opportunity for creative grandeur for those who previously only dreamed of it; solutions for those who dare to ask.

So what do you say? Dare to try for yourself?

Matthew Collu is a visual effects artist and cinematographer with experience working in virtual production pipelines and helping production teams leverage the power of Unreal Engine and real-time software applications.