Fake it to make it: Virtual production for film & TV

Special effects that create computer-generated characters and backgrounds are found everyday in the gaming world and they have been standard fare in higher end Hollywood productions for years. But now, using a combination of more affordable technologies and open source real time 3D game engines as a foundation, these techniques are starting to move closer to mainstream film and TV production.  With networked laptops, game engines that can render high fidelity worlds, and a late model iPhone most everyone can experiment with these new technologies.

The guests on this episode of the Now & Next podcast are producer Andrew Scholotiuk and director Dylan Pearce. They have a sizable portfolio of feature films, TV shows, and games to their credit, along with a Lumiere Award for advancements and innovation in digital filmmaking. 

According to Andrew, it’s not just the technologies involved in virtual production, but the completely new ways of approaching the work that are exciting. “It’s going to allow for new partnerships, new ways of working either within a region or to connect and produce and create without boundary. This isn’t just about transposing what we did in the past into this new technology, but what can we do with this new technology that we’ve never done before.” 

And while there are always costs and learning curves associated with new technologies, Dylan points out there is an indie way to approach virtual production, using green screens, game engines, inexpensive tracker systems, and even iPhones to obtain superior quality content that used to only be feasible with big studio budgets.

In this episode, learn more about: 

• The role video game engines play in virtual production (01:15)
• Andrew and Dylan’s current system for virtual production and how it works (03:24)
• To what extent virtual production can help with rising costs under COVID-19 restrictions (09:25)
• Indie ways to get into virtual production (12:24)
• The skills needed to get into virtual production (18:10)

Canada Media Fund / Fonds des médias du Canada · Virtual production techniques for Film & TV: Unlocking the potential.

Download a transcript of the episode

Dig Deeper:

Read Edmonton 3D filmmakers win major Hollywood award on CBC to find out more about Andrew and Dylan’s Lumiere Award for 3D film
Toronto will soon be home to Pixomondo’s virtual production studio. The new facility is said to be the largest of its type in the world
Discover the potential of Unreal Engine 5 in developing virtual sets that appear larger than life;
Read Virtual filmmaking takes center stage in reopening Hollywood in the Los Angeles Times
Read Virtual Production And The Future Of Filmmaking—An Interview with Ben Grossmann, Magnopus in Forbes
Read The filmmaking technology behind ‘The Mandalorian’ is straight out of the Star Wars universe on Quartz
Read TFO Is Using A Video Game Engine to Make TV, And It’s Working by Patrick Faller on CMF Trends
Watch What Is The Uncanny Valley? by Mashable Explains on YouTube