Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1513434
o c t o b e r • n o v e m b e r • d e c e m b e r 2 0 2 3 c g w 2 3 OUTLOOK AI Will Make Virtual Production More Accessible BY ADDY GHANI DISGUISE: VP OF VIRTUAL PRODUCTION T his year has seen virtual production shed its science-project status. Gone are the experimental stages and rst-time set- ups. Instead, we have huge, complex virtual production stag- es that run like clockwork. There's just one problem—most still aren't scalable. The costs are high, and you need a huge team of technical wizards to make it work. In a world still recovering from strikes, many productions aren't able to pay for that. That's why, as 2024 approaches, I believe we'll transition into more nimble, exible stages that can be built quickly and operated by just a few people. To meet this need, we'll see an increasing number of stages that can switch shape and size very quickly, helping produc- tions get the shots they require. And it's not just infrastructure that'll be more exible. Productions will also use technologies like 2.5D and generative AI to be exible, too. With 2.5D and AI tools, a new school of creators will be able to capture backdrop footage with their phones and upload it to an LED volume. It's a process that's much more adaptable and cost-eec- tive than hiring a team of artists to create 3D backdrops from scratch in a game engine. At Disguise, we're busy developing products to help. For instance, we recently integrated with SaaS platform Volinga.ai, creators of a NeRF [neural radiance elds]-based technology enabling the cap- ture and representation of 3D scenes from 2D images. Aer up- loading their phone footage via the Volinga RenderStream plug-in, Disguise operators will be able to convert it into a 2.5D image with parallax. That means they can modify the weather or atmosphere of their phone scene, then capture it from any angle on a virtual pro- duction stage, without recreating it in 3D. These technologies mean processes that traditionally take a long time can now be done almost instantaneously. In the coming years, they'll let newcomers quickly generate 3D worlds without requiring a high budget or huge team, helping to create a customized t for creatives across dierent budgets and projects. For me, this is all very exciting. When you start matching produc- tions with the right virtual production stage, team, and infrastructure, you'll see an explosion of creative possibilities. Next year, I believe we won't just be seeing amazing virtual production tech in shows like The Mandalorian, it'll be incorporated into indie lms, TV episodes, and commercials.