约翰.休斯在宁波出席签约了约翰休斯(宁波)视觉科技有限公司与象山中桥影视文化有限公司合资创建工业化虚拟拍摄公司(InSyst Studios)的意向书。这个项目,工业化虚拟拍摄公司的一个选项,建议落地在象山中桥影视文化有限公司在象山影视城外围的拍摄设施园区中。因为疫情延期了,但是新数字影棚的设计和预算已经完成,标的在2023年融资建成,开始调试和实验,2023年底每季10集的美剧《红色达尔文》剧组将进场。持续3年。新设施包括沉浸式环屏背景显示和拍摄伺服体系,采用工业标准化的体量(75英尺直径、20英尺高、270度的LED数字虚拟背景环屏和圆顶的辅屏)。最近加入约翰.休斯集群的国际专才:国际发行总裁,精通亚裔环球影视经纪的罗斯芒德.普渡;视觉特效现场总监乔.海尼克,奥斯卡最佳视觉特效获奖人和最近虚拟制作专家;场景引擎伺服和虚拟背景制作人让.迈尔;虚拟主题体验制作人,多媒体混合现实制作专才唐.迈克本。
电影虚拟制作(虚拟现实-实时可视化数字影棚)是近年电影行业、电影设施开发和经营商都在关注的一个新题目。修思团队在此分享以下的商务要点:
1. 虚拟现实-实时可视化数字影棚的成功建设,是视觉特效公司拥有新型的虚拟制作设施,例如迪斯尼工业光魔公司2019年以来发布的《曼达洛人》实践。
2. 修思虚拟视觉制作的客户对象是中-低预算的影视制作,包括短片和广告片制作,与目前以迪斯尼工业光魔公司的实践并不相同。
3. 修思虚拟制作提供一站式的解决方案,允许没有视觉特效制作能力和经验的剧组免去过多的流程学习过程。虚拟制作融合视觉特效制作,例如不同于迪斯尼工业光魔公司针对《曼达洛人》的制作实践,修思的业务面向不仅是为了一个大IP《星球大战》的一出美剧巨制《曼达洛人》。
4. 修思虚拟制作确实为新影棚准备了一部北肆拾畝的《红色达尔文》美剧,会连续三年在这个影棚拍摄。一旦影棚的建造工程完工,它的创作组将进场参与新影棚的调试和试用。
5. 建设和经营第三代数字影棚的信心,是建立在过去30+年来随着视觉特效科技进步积累的制作经验之上:团队骨干积累了200+人年的好莱坞创作和制作经历,其中四名为宁波市2020年引进的国际专才;150+部电影的合同制作,其中4项获奥斯卡最佳视觉特效奖;26项视觉算法和设计工具的发明,其中5项或奥斯卡最佳科技成果奖。在2014年开始使用标准化的沉浸式虚拟现实体验(270度环屏,75英尺直径,20英尺高)过山车以来,完成了6个欧洲和中东的虚拟内容制作,2022年开始代理北美数家上百个内容IP和解决方案进入中国主题公园和乐园市场。
StudioX, VR Real-time Visualization Stage Methodology Fusion with Visual Effect Production Pipeline.
- It is VFX COMPANY who owns a digital stage. -this is the same as ILM
- Our customers are mid-lower budget productions including short films and commercials. -this is different from ILM
- We provide one-stop-shop solutions to allow customers voiding VFX challenges. -this is different from ILM.
- We indeed facilitated a proprietary multi-season network series, Craig Talmy’s network series Red Darwin, through which we practice a dynamic VFX pipeline of the VR shooting-production flow. -this is the same as ILM, but in a fraction of production budget comparing to Mandalorian’s
- Our entire confidence of StudioX is based on VFX experiences and the current talent capacity, which we have past 30+ years of track record to get job done beautifully without LED Volume Digital Stages. And we have since 2014 produced Immersive VR Ride Contents, so already familiar with the principles of LED Volume and its camera view. -the latter has been on the same standard dimensions of ILM’s 270-degree, 75feet diameter circular LED backdrop.
If facing production customers, the above with technical competence is the key to provide and help them to get benefited from the new virtual production methodology. The VR-RV or alike would take a while to become a turn-key solution offered by Stage Operators. It is difficult to make it happen for small capital to provide the service, or low-budget film making, but many customers in North America already demanded inexpensive and practical, partial solutions. It is believed that more and more multimedia mixed reality products are on demand in formats of short video, commercial, enterprise and government promotion, and partially for film and series productions.
Post COVID, We need to catch up our delayed InSyst Studios joint venture, to utilize an existing stage dwelling. Further, we aim high to define, build and operate more world state-of-the-art urban studio complexes.