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BITS & PIECES www.postmagazine.com 9 POST SEPT/OCT 2021 NEP LAUNCHES VIRTUAL PRODUCTION BUSINESS SEGMENT PITTSBURGH, PA — NEP Group (nepgroup.com), a technology partner for con- tent creators, has launched a new virtual production business segment called NEP Virtual Studios, as well as brought on board leaders in realtime production with the acquisition of Prysm Collective, Lux Machina and Halon Entertainment. Cliff Plumer will lead the new operation, with Jeff Ruggels serving as SVP of finance and operations; Phil Galler and Zach Alexander acting as co-presidents of the Lux Machina NEP Business Unit; and Daniel Gregoire and Chris Ferriter serving as executive creative director and president, respectively, of the Halon NEP Business Unit. With the rise in streaming services and consumers demanding content at a faster pace, producers are under significant time and cost pressures to deliver. Virtual production processes enable directors and creative staff to see an en- tire scene, complete with visual effects and CG enhancements, live on-set, and to restage, revise digital sets, make lighting changes and adjust camera angles on the spot. This ability to iterate shots interactively has transformed the way movies and shows are being made, speeding-up collaboration and production, and opening new creative options and solutions, all while reducing costs. In addition, carbon footprints can be reduced by eliminating the need for travel and physical set construction. At the same time NEP was targeting opportunities to expand its existing virtual production business, Plumer was building a coalition of creative produc- tion and technology specialists to deliver a streamlined virtual production solu- tion. Prysm Collective partnered with Lux Machina and visualization specialist Halon Entertainment in that effort, and by now joining forces with NEP, enable an accelerated path to realizing both the NEP and Prysm strategic visions. Plumer has more than 30 years of experience on the cutting edge of en- tertainment technology. He has served as CEO of visual effects studio Digital Domain, and as CTO of Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic. Plumer also served as the president of Jaunt Studios and CEO of The Void, and has con- tributed to more than 100 Hollywood feature films and television series, includ- ing the Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers franchises. Prysm Collective, Lux Machina, Halon Entertainment and NEP all share sig- nificant experience with Unreal Engine integration. Prysm Collective is an Epic MegaGrant recipient for development of virtual production cloud workflows; Lux Machina has built multiple LED stages for Epic Games, consulting closely with Unreal Engine developers on new virtual production features; Halon is one of the earliest adopters of Unreal Engine for realtime film and television content creation; and NEP has been using Unreal Engine to service broadcast clients with realtime graphics for several years. FILMLIGHT LAUNCHES 'COLOUR AWARDS' LONDON — FilmLight recently launched a new event honoring colorists and the art of color worldwide. Winners of the 'FilmLight Colour Awards' (https:// filmlight.awardcore.com) will be named at the EnergaCamerimage 2021 confer- ence in Poland this November (13-20). The judging and awards are being organized with the co-operation of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), International Federations of Cinematographers and CSI (Colorist Society International). "For years I have believed that as cinematographers, we need to acknowl- edge that there is more to creating the best cinematography," says Roberto Schaefer, ASC AIC-Imago. "The finished product is the work of many talented and artistic individuals who should be recognized in a wide, cross-departmen- tal way. I hope that this will be a beginning." FilmLight has started to unveil the panel of industry luminaries who will eval- uate the nominees. So far, they include Oscar and BAFTA-nominated cinema- tographer Danny Cohen; PostWorks's Peter Doyle; HBO Latin America's Beatriz Pineda; cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle; cinematographer Nicola Daley; and Goldcrest Post Production's Jet Omoshebi. "We conceived the idea of the Colour Awards because we wanted to empha- size the creative and collaborative role of the colourist in the whole industry, and this is boosted by the support we are receiving from the three leading professional bodies," says Wolfgang Lempp, CEO of FilmLight. "I'm sure that having both colorists and cinematographers, artists and technologists on the judging panel will spark some lively debates. I look forward to seeing the re- sults of their deliberations and honoring the best work." While FilmLight is sponsoring and organizing the Colour Awards 2021, users of any grading technology are welcome to enter, as are colorists from the larg- est post facilities to home set-ups.