Good Afternoon! In this weeks virtual production round-up, we have:
Cover Story: How cheap is cheap virtual production?
What's Hot: At-Home VP, Sci-fi & more
Starting Pixel News: Splatting, AI for VP backdrops...
Events & Training: SIGGRAPH, NAB...
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HOW CHEAP IS CHEAP VIRTUAL PRODUCTION?
A few standout videos (see What’s Hot below) have surfaced this week, showcasing how accessible tech can deliver impressive results. Are they production-ready? Well, that depends on your project’s requirements and complexity. But let’s not forget: the Blair Witch Project was shot for a five-figure budget, proving that resource limitations often drive innovation.
If you're sticking to ECUs and close-ups, could a high-quality TV suffice? And what about camera movement? Camera tracking has traditionally been expensive—until now. Turns out, there’s an app for that.
Green screens, once the bane of editors for their post-production demands, have entered a new era with real-time compositing. A colleague recently pointed out, “If chroma keying were invented today, we’d all be floored by what it can do.”
Combine a second-hand gaming PC, Unreal Engine (which is free!), a video capture card, and a few wires and dongles, and you’ve got the essentials. So, if it’s not the cost holding you back… what is?
Onwards with this weeks Round-up
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WHAT'S HOT
360-degree virtual production… with a TV… HERE
Camera tracking with an iPhone and a barn HERE
SciFi Challenge Trailer made in a bedroom HERE
How good is real-time compositing? HERE
Need actors for your movie without hiring ones? HERE
Virtual Production delivered by metahuman and AI HERE
Lo-fi or just smart VP for product photography HERE
STARTING PIXEL NEWS
The Top WhatsApp Chats from Last Week:
Technical Challenges in Virtual Production
Virtual production can face tricky issues, such as video freezing when switching settings in Unreal Engine 5.4 or lighting inconsistencies across displays. Fixing these problems often means carefully tweaking settings or restarting systems, which can be frustrating but are key to keeping productions running smoothly.
Streamlining Workflows for Environment Creation
New tools and techniques are being explored to improve how virtual sets are created and used. For example, combining cutting-edge lighting and rendering technologies like NeRFs and Gaussian Splatting with CyberGaffer could lead to stunning results. However, there’s still debate about whether traditional methods, like photogrammetry and LiDAR, are more reliable for building high-quality virtual environments.
Making Camera Tracking More Creative-Friendly
Creative teams are experimenting with wireless camera tracking solutions that offer flexibility, like Bliss or devices such as Steam Decks. These tools make it easier to capture movement on set but need careful planning to avoid delays or glitches, especially when mixing data from different tracking systems for complex shots.
AI Environments?
AI is shaking up how films and shows are made, with tools like Cuebric offering new ways to create virtual backdrops and environments, the discussion moved to whether these will replace 3D backgrounds. While AI can save time and money, it still has limits, particularly with parallax, lighting and making changes on the fly. There’s excitement about its potential, but also a need to keep control over the creative process.
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EVENTS
3rd-6th Dec | Tokyo | SIGGRAPH Asia | HERE
4th Dec | Frankfurt DE | After Work | HERE
5th Dec | Cal, US | VisuAI After Dark | HERE
6th Dec | Amst NL | IBC Kickstart Deadline | HERE
6-8th Dec | World VFX Day | HERE
11th Dec | London | Starting Pixel After Party @Focus | HERE
20th Dec | Final Call to apply to talk | NAB Las Vegas | HERE
4th Feb | Barcelona | Starting Pixel After Party @ISE | HERE
24th Feb - 26th March | Belfast | XR Festival | HERE
5-9th Apr | Las Vegas | NAB | Reg interest HERE
6th Apr | Las Vegas | Starting Pixel After Party @NAB | HERE
14th May | London | Starting Pixel After Party @MP&T | HERE
2-7 June 2025 | SXSW London | Reg Live | HERE
10-14 Aug 2025 | Vancouver | SIGGRAPH | Submit | HERE
15th Oct 2025 | London | SPL25! | Reg your interest | HERE
TRAINING
8th Dec | Online | Unreal Engine: Filmmaking | HERE
If you have any events or training drop us a note hello@startingpixel.com
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