Virtual Production Volume (aka “The Volume”) comes from the term for an area of light. The light volume. This is a typically housed in a sound stage and is encompassed by LED panels/processors and a camera tracking system all driven by clusters of super computers to display photorealistic CG environments for filmmakers. The volume is the latest innovation in filmmaking that allows filmmakers to shoot their projects against any imaginable environments without leaving the comfort of a sound stage or the tedious and daunting tasks of removing green screen in post production.
Rendering of the volume at Stage 15
Virtual Art Department (VAD)
The VAD is a department that works directly with the Production Designer to create environments, sets pieces, props and vehicles for the production. The VAD team builds these sets the same way as a traditional art department would, using real-world scale, precise measurements and detailing, the difference being that they build them inside a game engine rather than physically. The VAD works closely with the traditional art department because the real and the virtual sets will have to live and blend harmoniously with each other on the stage.
In Camera Visual Effects (ICVFX)
ICVFX is a term that covers the techniques used to capture virtual content directly into the camera without the use of green screen or post-production compositing. The term covers a range of methodologies, such as:
3D ICVFX - This typically refers to game engine content (assets and environments built for Unreal Engine) being rendered on a display (typically an LED video wall) in real-time.
2.5D ICVFX - This term refers to altered 2D playback that has been digitally altered and given the illusion of being 3D with parallax.
2D ICVFX - This refers to video or image playback. Usually has no illusion of parallax. Driving (Traveling) shots are most often archived in this manner.
Frustum
A frustum is the area of view of a camera. In ICVFX terms, the Inner Frustum is what the production camera sees of the digital content. The Outer Frustum is everything outside of the camera’s view. For consistent, realistic illumination on an LED volume, the outer frustum keeps the rest of the environment static while the inner frustum moves in time with the camera. To account for latency concerns between camera movement and real-time rendering, there is typically a buffer zone outside of the inner frustum.
Camera tracking
The process of tracking the camera’s position in physical space in order to coordinate its movements with content displayed by the real-time engine.
Parallax
The perceived shift in an object's location when seen from various angles. By maintaining one focal point and traveling in a straight line, this is simple to see. As the subject moves, each background item will move independently of the others and change position.
Now that we’ve defined virtual production and supporting terms we can get into steps that can aid both producers and filmmakers in creating a successful show. The first thing to discuss is the five tenets of virtual production. These are guiding principles to keep in mind throughout the pre-production and production phases of the filmmaking process.