Commercial Integrator October 2021 - 40

FINAL THOUGHTS
Virtual Production and
Extended Reality Aren't
Going Anywhere
ON PAGE 22 we write about the exciting new
discipline of virtual production and extended
reality and the pro AV and entertainment professionals
pioneering the technology and pushing
its limits to create new ways of creating content.
I've been touching on this topic for a few
months now, ever since the Lucasfi lm-owned
visual eff ects company Industrial Light & Magic
began showing the world the
technology behind productions
like " The Mandalorian. "
I spoke to AV pros, manufacturers
and folks in the entertainment
industry who are wildly
excited about this technology
and what it can do. I even got
the chance to tour one studio
and see what virtual production
is capable of, and I came
away mesmerized. To put it into
words, this technology is cool.
Literally as I was putting
" The technology is still in its infancy because
it's a relatively new approach; it's very expensive, "
Gordon says.
According to the magazine, productions are
If your
integration
fi rm is well
equipped to
handle large,
complicated
LED
the fi nishing touches on that
article, I came upon an article in
Variety, " Productions Embrace LED Walls as
Necessary in Pandemic Times, " that looked at
the technology strictly from an entertainment
point of view.
What I discovered was that this concept
installations,
then this fi eld
of work could
be for you.
essentially taking signage that's meant for displaying
advertising or big TV images outdoors
and repurposing it to be used on a fi lm stage.
" It's not exactly meant to do what it's being
asked to do, " Gordon told Variety.
The magazine reported that
manufacturers quickly realized
they could embrace this new
market and are starting to deploy
technologies to solve some of
the existing issues, including
cost, weight, how far apart the
LEDs are spaced, how far they
need to be from the wall, the
time it takes to transmit the image
to the LED wall, display resolution,
LED brightness, how quickly
they strobe, heat, and so on.
" People are just getting their
sea legs with how to deal with
isn't entirely new, with some techniques
being applied to fi lm and TV as far back as
2001, like Steven Spielberg's " A.I. Artifi cial
Intelligence " in 2001, which is a beautiful fi lm,
if you haven't seen it.
Other titles using aspects of virtual production
include the second and third Matrix fi lms,
" Polar Express " and the " Planet of the Apes "
franchise, according to the Variety article.
The magazine cited Demian Gordon, president
and founder of the Motion Capture Society
and a virtual production supervisor with
credits in those fi lms, who said the pandemic
accelerated its use because of travel restrictions
and prohibitive quarantine requirements.
this new toolset, " Gordon said to Variety.
If your integration fi rm is well equipped to
handle large, complicated LED installations,
then this fi eld of work could be for you. It
takes loads of integration with diff erent systems,
and especially fl uency with 3D creation
platform Unreal Engine.
However, it's not just production stages
where this can be used. One expert in this fi eld
gave the example of an immersive environment
in a public space like a museum or airport that
allows a person to interact with the content via
their movements.
I have a feeling that we're barely scratching
the surface of what this technology can do, and
I'm excited to see what becomes of it.
Zachary Comeau, Associate Editor
zachary.comeau@emeraldx.com
@ZWComeau
CI Download: 2021 Hybrid Work
Special Report
According to a
recent Commercial
Integrator reader
survey, work from
home is expected
to stay. Although
the percentage
of integrators
planning new
hybrid work projects has decreased from
61% in 2020 to 43% this year, it is still a
sizable business opportunity.
Our new " Hybrid Work Special Report "
details the size and scope of the projects,
including specifi c data related to:
* Number of home offi ce installations
and average price
* Percentage of integrators who off er a
specifi c home offi ce package
* Most popular home offi ce locations
in the house
* Common hybrid work hardware
products
* And much more
This download is available for free at
commercialintegrator.com.
CI Webinar: An Integrator's Role in
Making Schools Safer
October 19th, 2021 at 12:00 PM ET
In this Commercial Integrator and NSCA
Business Series Webinar, learn how
integrators can better position themselves
to play a role in school safety. Chuck
Wilson, CEO of NSCA and co-founder
of PASS (Partner Alliance for Safer
Schools), leads a conversation about how
integrators can leverage PASS guidelines
to help education clients develop a
school security roadmap.
A better understanding of PASS's
tiered guidelines for school security puts
integrators in a consultative position with
clients. Integrators bring resources and
a roadmap to enhance the safety and
security of their environments, whether
it's around their services or the broader,
bigger picture of a comprehensive safety
and security plan.
School safety involves many
components and diff erent decision
makers (think school administrators,
safety offi cials, integrators, product
providers, etc.) No one individual is an
expert in everything. However, PASS can
help integrators play a key role on a safe
schools team.
Commercial Integrator, (USPS 005-160) (ISSN 2165-9850), Vol.11 No. 10, is published monthly by Emerald X, LLC., 100 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, New York 10005, 800-440-2139. Commercial Integrator
is a registered trademark of Emerald X, LLC. All reproduction, including photocopying, is prohibited without written permission. Postage Paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offi ces. POSTMASTER:
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40
Commercial Integrator OCTOBER 2021
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Commercial Integrator October 2021

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