In Broadcast - December 2020 - 72

72

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 10 - Issue 12 | InReview 2020

InTech

Cinema Turns to Broadcast
Workflows for Production
During COVID-19
T

he new wave of filmmaking
has entered Hollywood by
way of Virtual Production. Game
engine technology is being utilized
by VFX artists to render live digital
environments for playback on largescale LED walls. In lieu of the typical
green screen process, actors are now
able to respond to physical projections
of imaginary worlds, so live action and
VFX can be combined for in-camera
capture. Disney's The Mandalorian
exposed wider audiences to virtual
filming aesthetics by unveiling the
technological curtain through a series
of behind-the-scenes videos, including
Virtual Production of The Mandalorian,
Season One [https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=gUnxzVOs3rk],
which
has amassed 1.5 million views on
YouTube alone.
Although virtual production as a
technology has existed for some
time, it remains a niche field in which
few people understand its practical
application. Educators at USC's
Entertainment Technology Center
were eager to introduce their students
to this new technology. Founded in
1993 with the assistance of filmmaker
and USC alumni George Lucas, ETC
combines the art and science of
modern digital media as a way to
expose students to emerging tech
and develop their creative storytelling
abilities. To incentivize development
within virtual production, Universal
Studios, Warner Brothers, and
Microsoft would award three grants
to directors at ETC for projects based
on this technology; two sound stages
would be transformed into a testing
ground for recent graduates and ETC
member studios to learn the varied
applications of virtual previsualization,
production design, set scouting,
and filming within a full LED-wall
environment.
The R&D vehicle chosen for this
lesson: The Ripple Effect, a sci-fi short
film set in a not-so-distant future in
which the discovery of a new planet
becomes the human race's last
hope for survival. Penned by recent

USC grads Hannah Bang and Margo
Sawaya, they would be given the
chance to direct by utilizing virtual
development and production to prove
that large-scale ideas could coalesce
on a shoestring budget, with limited
crew. Industry-experienced ETC faculty
members Greg Caccio (ASC Associate
Member & Workflow Chair of the
Motion Imaging Technology Council)
and Kathryn Brillhart (VES Global
Board of Directors & ASC MITC Virtual
Production
Committee
Member)
would executive produce and oversee
production workflow, guiding crew
through the intricacies of live vistech.
ETC partnered with Global Trend
Pro and Lux Machina to utilize their
LED stages, along with a volumetric
capture team from Virtual Wonders
to provide accurate virtual models
of the filming spaces, so the crew
could better plan set construction and
gear placement. Brillhart exposed
the filmmakers to virtual location
scouting and visualization within 3D
environments developed through
Unreal Engine, and VAD artists from
Halon Entertainment and ICVR would
be present during filming to export

live environmental renders. " The goal
of what we're doing with each of these
environments is to walk away from our
shoot days with final visual effects that
were captured in-camera, " explains
Brillhart. " Typically, a VAD team would
work in tandem with a VFX team to
achieve final pixel in-camera VFX. With
our limited schedule, we relied on our
VAD teams to get as close to photoreal imagery as possible. We set goals
for each scene to test the 'level of
photo real' that would sell each shot.
For example: Would the content need
to look photo-real to our eye on the
LED wall, or only through the camera's
lens? Making evaluations like this
during pre-production can help save
resources for shots that require more
detail. " With all of their dominos linedup, production was set to go.
However, just as filming was
slated to begin, the industry-wide
COVID-19 production shutdown went
into effect. ETC was forced to delay
production and would now be faced
with the additional complications
of implementing on-set safety
protocols. Crewmembers would be
required to undergo rigorous COVID

screening, wear PPE, remain at a
distance whenever possible, and no
more than 12 bodies could be present
at Lux Machina at any given time.
These restrictions presented a myriad
of logistical hurdles, including the
inability for people to group together
at video village. The stage operators
at Lux Machina and the VAD artists
from Halon Entertainment would
need to remotely collaborate with the
production's creative team to minimize
crew on set. Additionally, director
Margo Sawaya would be stuck on the
East Coast and would somehow need
to telecommunicate for the first two
days of production. In a profession
that necessitates close in-person
collaboration, could this project really
get its feet off the ground?
Brillhart and Caccio viewed their new
predicament as an opportunity - not a
hindrance. " Remote monitoring and
workflows were built into our original
proposal before the shutdowns
happened, " Brillhart recalls. " However,
Covid Safety became a way to
challenge ourselves to push these
technologies farther. It was very
unique not to have the option to


http://www.inbroadcast.com https://teradek.com https://www.youtube

In Broadcast - December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - December 2020

Contents
In Broadcast - December 2020 - Intro
In Broadcast - December 2020 - Cover1
In Broadcast - December 2020 - Cover2
In Broadcast - December 2020 - Contents
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 4
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 5
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 6
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 7
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 8
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 9
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 10
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 11
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 12
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 13
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 14
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 15
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 16
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 17
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 18
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 19
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 20
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 21
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 22
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 23
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 24
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 25
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 26
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 27
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 28
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 29
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 30
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 31
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 32
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 33
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 34
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 35
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 36
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 37
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 38
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 39
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 40
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 41
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 42
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 43
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 44
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 45
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 46
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 47
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 48
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 49
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 50
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 51
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 52
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 53
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 54
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 55
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 56
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 57
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 58
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 59
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 60
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 61
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 62
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 63
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 64
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 65
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 66
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 67
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 68
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 69
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 70
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 71
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 72
In Broadcast - December 2020 - 73
In Broadcast - December 2020 - Cover3
In Broadcast - December 2020 - Cover4
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202403
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202402
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202401
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202312
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202311
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202310
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202309
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202308
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202307
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202306
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202305
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202304
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202303
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202302
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202301
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202212
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202211
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202210
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202209
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202208
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202207
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202206
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202205
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202204
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202203
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202202
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202201
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202112
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202111
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202110
https://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202109
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202108
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202107
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202106
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202105
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_PTZ
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202104
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202103
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202102
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202101
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202012
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202011
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202010
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202009
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202008
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202007
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202006
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202005
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202004
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202003
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202002
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_202001
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_INREVIEW2019
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201912
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201911
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_NewYork2019
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201910
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201909
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_inshowguide2019
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201908
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/CTA-DAY3
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/CTA-DAY2
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/CTA-DAY1
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/CTA-VISITOR
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201906
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/CTA-PREVIEW
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201905
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201904
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_NABSHOW2019
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201903
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_cabsat2019
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201902
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201901
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_INREVIEW2018
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201812
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201811
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_NewYork2018
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201810
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_inshowguide2018
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201809
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201808
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201806
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201805
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201804
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_NABSHOW2018
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201803
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201802
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_cabsat2018
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201801
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201712
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201711
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201710
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_NABSHOWNYexpo2017
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201709
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_inshowguide2017
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201708
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201707
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201705
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_NABSHOW2017
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201704
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_cabsat2017
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201703
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201702
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201701
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_INREVIEW2016
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_NABSHOWNYexpo
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_20110708_DEMO
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201610
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_inshowguide2016
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201609
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201608
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201607
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201606
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/lesommet/inbroadcast_APAC03
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201605
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_NABSHOW2016
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201604
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201603
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_cabsat2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201602
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/lesommet/inbroadcast_APAC02
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_CCW15expo
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/lesommet/inbroadcast_APAC01
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201509
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_IBC2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201506
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_BROADCASTASIA2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201504
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_NABSHOW2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_cabsat2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201411
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201410
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201409
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcastIBCPRINTEDGUIDE_201409
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201408
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201407
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201406
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201405
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201404
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201403
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201402
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201401
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201312
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201311
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201310
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201309
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201308
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201307
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201306
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201305
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201304
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201303
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201302
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201301
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201211
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201210
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201209
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201208
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201207
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201206
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201205
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201204
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201203
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_201202
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_20121201
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_20111011
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_20110708
http://europe.nxtbook.com/nxteu/lesommet/inbroadcast_20110506
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com