The True Cost of Virtual Production

THE LOGISTICS OF LOCATION SHOOTING CAN BE EXPENSIVE BUT HOW DOES VIRTUAL PRODUCTION COMPARE? A VOLUME STAGE PROMISES TO REVOLUTIONISE THE WAY CONTENT IS MADE, CREATIVELY, SUSTAINABLY AND COST EFFICIENTLY. MAKERS EXPLORES WHAT IS POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE IN VIRTUAL PRODUCTION RIGHT NOW – WEIGHING UP THE COST OF CREATING IN VIRTUAL PRODUCTION VERSUS THE SAVINGS THAT PRODUCERS CAN EXPECT FROM ADOPTING THE TECHNOLOGY.

Image © Quite Brilliant. Productions like The Mandalorian (Disney+) have championed the use of virtual production (VP), where computer-generated 3D environments rendered in real-time by game engine technology, tracked onto LED walls or enclosures (volumes) can create in-camera visual effects (ICVFX). Filmmakers are starting to opt for VP over the traditional location shoot, not just to forgo travelling to deserts to shoot sci-fi planets, but also to build interiors, whole cityscapes, and jungles.

Double Oscar-winning VFX Supervisor Paul Franklin from DNEG directed the thriller short Fireworks, (Wilder Films, with Dimension Studios and Lipsync Post Production) that uses extensive VP to tell its story.

“From the filmmaker’s point of view the key benefit of VP using an LED volume is the ability to effectively mount a location shoot in the controlled environment of a stage,” says Franklin. “This goes much further than just the elimination of unwanted interference from the outside world that so many of us know from location work. Because the environment is digitally controlled, you can maintain the same lighting setup all day. You are not governed by the movement of the sun in the sky or changing weather conditions.

“The creative possibilities with the volume are significant,” Franklin continues. “The immediacy of having the world right there with you on the stage can contribute to a synergistic meeting of minds on the set – everyone can see how the shot is shaping up without having to make the leap of imagination that large expanses of greenscreen usually demand. In particular, the cast can immerse themselves in the world of the film, giving them a bit more to work with.”

He continues: “The visual results can be quite spectacular – there is an inherent integrity to be gained from capturing the image in one moment, and subtle photographic effects that can be nearimpossible to achieve in post come as a standard result from the process.”

On location, or not?

Using VP de-risks the production process according to Michael McKenna, CEO of Final Pixel, a creative studio specialising in end-to-end VP for film, television and advertising.

“You are less at the whim of nature and unforeseen events related to travel, weather, logistics, political instability and so on, which can often occur on location shoots,” he says. “You can get all the dialogue just how you want it, and not have to reshoot later when you didn’t get what you need on location due to running out of time.” It's a view shared by Chris Chaundler, Managing Director of Quite Brilliant, an on-site production partner for two big VP stages in London (Garden Studios and MARS Volume),

“There are obvious benefits when it comes to trying to shoot multiple environments – some of which might be hard to get to – in a short space of time, plus the bonus of having fully controllable lighting so you can have 10 hours of magic hour as opposed to 30 minutes on a location,” Chaundler says. “You also then own that location, so it becomes more cost-effective the next time you shoot there. We have a permanent beach and snow set up for 12 months a year, so there’s no reason to be crossing the equator when you’re out of season.

“Likewise, talent is always a factor; it’s much easier and cheaper to get your talent to one location than flying them around the world,” he adds.

Alexis Hagar, Effects Director for creative studio Lexhag, points out that this applies to crew costs as well. “You can achieve more with fewer people on a VP stage,” he says. “If you’re intending on shooting in-vehicle material, you can save time and money by not having a whole crew standing around watching a car on a low-loader driving around a location.

“You might also save on re-shoots,” he adds. “If you visit a location and capture the right imagery and then need to pick up material, instead of going back, you could re-shoot with a skeleton crew in a volume. And be aware that could be you shoot your major action and wides at the location and the more incidental shots on a volume.”.

So does this mean everyone will soon be shooting in LED volumes? It turns out there’s more to think about.

“Ultimately, one will need more planning to shoot on a VP stage than on location,” says Hagar. “If something unexpected happens on location, there will be several options [to handle] the issue. With a VP stage you’re limited, creatively, with what you have available on the day in terms of the media you can present on screen.”

“The systems used on the set are by necessity very complex and there are numerous potential points of failure,” says Franklin. “Anyone embarking on a

“THERE ARE OBVIOUS BENEFITS IN HAVING FULLY CONTROLLABLE LIGHTING. YOU ALSO THEN OWN THAT LOCATION, SO IT BECOMES MORE COSTEFFECTIVE THE NEXT TIME YOU SHOOT THERE.”

Images: Virtual production tools used by Nviz on The Midnight Sky for Netflix.

Image © Final Pixel. VP should always factor in enough testing time in pre-production to iron out the kinks in the process and to be sure that the filmmakers are going to get what they want on set.”

“It could be the difference between shooting something or not,” agrees Hagar. “If something fails, be prepared for a very rainy day.”

Show me the money

“Producers should always have a clear understanding of what it takes to create a scene for VP, and also the costs of the VP shoot themselves, whether in pre-production or through the production process itself,” says Janek Lender, Head of Visualisation at Nviz.

“I wouldn’t recommend people start with VP as a purely cost-saving tool,” warns McKenna. “Rather look at the benefits it can bring to the production and creative process – reaching inaccessible or difficult-to-shoot-in locations, shooting multiple locations in one day with talent, having full control over the environment you are shooting in and so on.”

Chaundler feels it’s impossible to say how much it all costs. “Every shoot is so different,” he says. “We’ve done VP shoots for as little as GBP25,000 for the day, but that’s pretty basic.

“The main cost will always be the cost of the LED volume itself,” he adds. “There’s also some additional prep time and optimisation for the assets, so you need to look at how you offset this cost against other factors, such as no travel, less post, fewer props and lighting.”

However, any good VP outfit can present different, often more cost-effective ways of approaching the production and especially the creation of the assets.

“Virtual sets, prepared panoramic photographic environments, and so on, all need to be prepared in advance of the shoot,” says Franklin. “In effect, a virtual art department, running in parallel to the physical art department, needs to be set up. Talented designers possessed of the skills needed to do this work can often be difficult to source.”

Other new roles may be required. Hagar suggests these include: “LED processor engineers, playback artists, VP Supervisor – although I believe this will become part of the VFX supervisors’ future role –digital art director, and camera tracking engineer. But they are not always necessary; it depends on the volume and the shot.”

However, you might not need to find the kit and operational crew yourself. “Any good stage will provide a means to playback the content and the crew to do so,” says Hagar. “Turnkey studios will enable you to walk in and shoot; all the special equipment will be there.”

Bear in mind that there still needs to be postproduction. “The amount of post needed to finish a LED volume VP project will depend entirely on the nature of the environments that the show is creating,” says Franklin. “If the world of the story requires lots of animated elements, such as traffic or background crowds, then a significant amount of post work may be inevitable. But if the LED volume is being used to create something self-contained –for example, a deserted desert, or the interior of a dark lonely cave – then there is no reason that the shots can be completed without a lot of additional postproduction.”

“Hopefully [post] is in the world of clean-up and not in background replacement,” says Hagar. “But by the simple fact that you can see what you shot, editing can start immediately; there is no need to pre-comp anything. This can start the creative post process quickly.”

“Our typical response is VP is not cheaper in every case… yet,” says McKenna. “As workflows and systems develop it undoubtedly has potential to be, but it all depends on the alternatives available to achieve the same level of production value. Being able to achieve multiple locations, even in one day, is a very compelling factor however for reducing costs [that are] usually tied up in company moves and delays.”

VP visualisation

VP can also save time and money before shooting starts. The team at Nviz has been working in this field since its work on Hugo (2011) and has recently used VP tools for Morbius (Sony), and The Midnight Sky and The Irregulars for Netflix.

“ANYONE EMBARKING ON A VIRTUAL PRODUCTION SHOULD ALWAYS FACTOR IN ENOUGH TESTING TIME IN PRE-PRODUCTION TO IRON OUT THE KINKS IN THE PROCESS.”

“Using VP tools for visualisation within the pre-production phase allows the director, DoP and VFX Supervisor [and other HODs] direct control of the visualisation process, by creating master action sequences which are then 'shot' using a virtual camera system,” says Janek Lender, Head of Visualisation at Nviz. “Primarily, it allows the director to iterate the animated action within the sequence to 'home in' on the story he/she is trying to tell, and allows them a sandbox within which they can test and refine their ideas. Secondly, the edit produced is the product of choices the filmmakers have made themselves, and is therefore a blueprint of the film itself, which can then be used for shoot planning, stunt planning, VFX shot breakdowns and accurate costing.”

Real-Time Supervisor, Filipe Magalhães adds, "It takes the pressure off and allows for critical analysis of their needs in a pragmatic way. We can help with decision making and in a lot of cases effect real significant change. Even simple things like on-the-fly measuring of bluescreens/set distances as well as camera lensing decisions can have a large impact on budget requirements on the day of the shoot. The communication is direct, oftentimes with the art department, at a stage that can help budgets across the production. Better decisions make for much more efficient budgets.”

“VP definitely allows us to get to the story faster, and by doing so, it saves time and money compared to traditional pre-production,” agrees Lender.