Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1151096
VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY www.postmagazine.com 11 POST JULY/AUG 2019 incorporation of game engines into our visualization pipelines has allowed us to achieve greater visual fidelity, accuracy and speed than ever before. Filmmakers who are new to the virtual space can take an iPad, and with a few clicks of the con- trollers, capture a whole selection of shots that can be immediately fed to editorial. Rendering through Unreal allows everyone to see everything in more of a finals-like way earlier in the process. Working in real-time allows previs to remain in editorial longer through post, up to, and including screenings for studio executives, and ultimately civilian test screenings without Maya playblasts scat- tered amongst WIP VFX thus ripping the audience out of the story. Virtual art departments are becoming more ubiquitous as well. On-set tools are allowing filmmakers to previsualize shots closer to final than ever before. You can swap assets, effects, characters and envi- ronments all per request, on the day. LED screens, virtual cameras, photogramme- try, motion-control, simulcam — direc- tor's have more control without being hindered by technical limitations allowing them to focus on telling the story they want to tell. Game engines continue to reveal new efficiencies outside of the traditional VFX pipeline. As more studios embrace the technology, assets can also be utilized concurrently across the transmedia spectrum: Publicity and marketing, video game tie-ins, Web content and every subsequent franchise spin-off. Ultimately, the technological trends are dependent on the artists and film- makers themselves. You can have all the amazing toys at your disposal, but if you don't have the leadership and the right team to collaborate, create and execute it, the toys won't matter. In the end, it takes a human touch to make the magic trick happen. Ask Chris Ferriter, our executive producer & CEO, who stresses that it's not about following trends. "It's all about giving filmmakers the tools to tell a better story," he says. "If a piece of technology or a new technique doesn't increase quality or help control cost, it probably won't see widespread adoption." Warner Bros.' Aquaman The Orville on Fox Warner Bros.' The Meg