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We need a video, and a miracle...
Pandemic woes
Corey Burton from IVC contacted me to create an opening video for RMS Exceedance 2022, a yearly summit for insurance specialists focused on disaster management. The initial request was for a straightforward opening video, something I had done many times before, so I agreed—it seemed easy. However, moments later, he outlined a much more challenging task. Still in the midst of the pandemic, this would be a virtual summit. I was asked to produce a CG stage tailored to their brand, in 4K resolution, with three different camera angles, as photorealistic as possible, and likely one hour of runtime for each camera. The pandemic had hit my department hard—I was the only one left. This was going to be tough.
Real-time
Virtual Production
I immediately began exploring Unreal Engine. I knew it was primarily a game engine, and although I had spent a few years working in games, my familiarity with the technique was minimal. However, I knew Unreal could render a set in real-time, which meant producing roughly one hour of footage per camera, could be rendered in 1 hour. But then things got more complex—they wanted live moving cameras. This shifted the challenge from rendering to managing a much more intricate setup. We now needed a live greenscreen or XR stage, synced with up to three cameras operating simultaneously. This required live keying, tracking, and strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols. I found a suitable virtual set on the Epic Unreal Marketplace that had the right look, but it needed extensive modifications. So, I quickly had to become very familiar with Unreal Engine.
So many toys
Production
We shot for two days at Meets the Eye Studio in San Carlos, CA. I worked closely with the team, constantly adjusting the scene and directing the aspects I couldn’t handle personally. There were so many new elements to this type of production, and I was definitely feeling some imposter syndrome. I had never done anything like this before, yet somehow I was expected to have all the answers.
Post
all's well that doesnt explode
As luck would have it it all went off pretty well. We got about 4 hours of footage in the can, nobody caught covid, and the folks at RMS were pretty happy. The resulting footage looked pretty decent accept for a bit of green spill. We got rid of most of that in post which went on for about a week.