Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/815991
m a r c h . a p r i l 2 0 1 7 c g w 1 7 anniversary of the Camaro. First, though, a live re-creation of the AR visualization was shown during Epic's presentation at the Game Developers Conference in March, showcasing the real-time technologies used for the project. "I think this is the first time that there has been a real-time live-action film done with real-time visual effects in it," says Angus Kneale, COO at The Mill. "With Unreal's cutting-edge game-engine technology, filmmakers are able to see their photoreal digital assets on location in real time. It also means the audience can effect change in films in ways previously unimagined, giving interactive control over vehicles, characters, and environments within a live-action cin- ema experience. With Mill Cyclops, we are able to render and integrate digital assets into the real world to a level never seen before. Cyclops takes the reflections and image-based lighting, and lights the vehicle in real time while the IBL changes for every frame, corresponding to the background plate. That is revolutionary." JOINING FORCES The Mill has a small but fast-growing real- time group in New York that uses Epic's Unreal Engine (UE) for its projects. Early last year, Epic representatives, including CTO Kim Libreri, visited the studio, where they were shown the Blackbird. "It blew us away, seeing the novel approach to how car commercials could be done," says John Jack, special projects producer at Epic. The two groups floated the idea of a joint venture utilizing the Blackbird, Unreal Engine, and Mill Cyclops, a virtual produc- tion tool kit that was born in 2014 as an on-set mobile VR app and has since been incorporated into Unreal. "That was the genesis," says Jack. "We then got to the point where we thought we could produce an entire commercial with an AR compo- nent, then an entire short film, all in UE, taking the traditional post process out and doing the whole thing in real time." The Mill, which had worked on previous projects with Chevrolet, pitched the idea to the car company's agency, Common- wealth, with whom they had a prior rela- tionship. Both the client and agency were in. They, like Epic and The Mill, were looking beyond the obvious as to what the project could lead to. " 'Finding New Roads' is more than just a tagline at Chevrolet. We embrace that mission in the advanced engineering of our cars and also in the way we service and communicate with our customers," says Sam Russell, general director of global Chevrolet marketing. "The technology involved in producing this film provides a glimpse into the future of customer en- gagement and could play a unique role in how we showcase car model options with interactive technologies like AR and VR." PREPRODUCTION ROAD TRIP The Mill was the driving force behind the project, providing the creative, direction, fi- nal edit, and so forth, as its real-time team and 3D artists worked hand in hand along with Epic's UE team. Filming occurred "from first light to last light" on Decem- ber 20, 2016, at Angels Pass in California. There were two practical vehicles on location that day: the Blackbird and the camera car. Footage was then shot from the tra- ditional camera car that was outfitted with some non-traditional equipment. Additional aerial footage was filmed from a drone, although only a few of those shots were used in the final film – two overhead shots and those showing the entrance and exit to the tunnel. In the film, the terrain, action, road, sky, trees, mountain, and tunnel during approach were all live action, with the exception of the two Chevy ve- THE RACE IS ON IN PROJECT RAVEN, A REAL-TIME DIGITAL FILMMAKING EXPERIMENT FROM EPIC AND THE MILL.