Big LED walls!
Final VFX In Camera!
Real Time Compositing!
Film at any location!
Save on travel!
Save CO2!
Save the world!
You’ve heard the VP hype.
The reality is that Virtual Production is still Production. You may spend less days filming on location, but you still need to create those locations both virtually and practically. You still need skilled crew, talent, creatives, crafty, and lots of money.
In 2021/22 I spent some time with the Chicago Virtual Production Group exploring how LED walls and camera tracking might impact the local filmmaking community.
We did extensive pre-production, and filmed a few tests at various stages around Chicago. What I found is that full 3D CG environments are great, but they seem to be a solution in search of a problem.
Most productions on a VP stage only need a 360º video or photographs.
Anything more is overkill.
The assumption that many clients would be happy with kit bashed sets was quickly dissuaded by art directors. The limitations of what could be captured in camera (without the need for extensive post VFX) soured many cinematographers and directors.
LED walls paired with camera tracking are fantastic technology. They are an evolution of rear projection – the original real-time compositing.
VP is a vastly more expensive and convincing rear projection, and has a similar use case – it is not, as the hype makers might profess, a replacement for the entire filmmaking process.
