Everything in-camera
EVERYTHING IN-CAMERA
Where is virtual production going, and how can you ride the wave? We chat to Nic Hatch, CEO of Ncam, to find out
What used to be a blank green or blue soundstage can now be viewed by
the director and production team in a form that corresponds to the end
results far more closely than ever, making the creative choices that
much easier
If you read the headlines (especially Mandalorian-related ones), it can seem like virtual production is a wholly new concept rather than a constantly evolving methodology that’s been with us since, at the very least, Digital Domain’s work on The Jungle Book. However, what used to be relegated to previz is starting to touch nearly every department. With a little bit of planning and client sign-off, nearfinal VFX is making its way into film and episodic productions much earlier in the process, giving rise to greater collaboration between the artists and supervisors on both sides of the spectrum.
And yet, for all this momentum, virtual production is actually a fairly young process with limitless room for growth. The question is, where will it go next and what will ultimately drive it in that direction? To answer this, we sat down with Ncam’s CEO, Nic Hatch, as it’s quite literally his job to think about how productions are going to blend real-time 3D, XR and live-action content now and in the future.
3D World: Virtual production is all the rage right now, especially with COVID-19 changing how we work day to day and, even though people are making a push for it, is it ready for primetime?
Nic Hatch: The short answer is ‘yes and no’. In some instances virtual production works perfectly, and in others it’s a bit like the Wild West. Virtual production techniques have been around for a long time, but not many studios were using them. Then, when the pandemic hit, everybody started rushing to figure it out. But it’s a complex puzzle. Some of the big pieces exist, e.g. LED walls, game engines and the type of in-camera VFX that Ncam Reality enables, but other pieces are either brand-new or non-existent.