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The Screenskills Virtual Production Training programme was a fully-funded day of VP
instruction for HETV Trainees across six UK locations. With the funding support by the
ScreenSkills High-End TV Skills fund and with contributions from various UK high-end TV
productions, each participant gained first-hand insight into the merits of virtual production
and practice-led experience that they could apply to their own burgeoning VP careers and
further training ambitions.
Final Pixel Academy, the training arm of Final Pixel, works internationally to deliver stage
setup and training for companies and educational organisations seeking to build or scale up
their virtual production capacities. In January 2024, FPA embarked on its two-month tour of the
UK with the aim of delivering VP knowledge and hands-on practical experience for trainees
working in HETV.
The immersive training programme introduced trainees to end-to-end virtual production workflows and the exciting technologies at the core of virtual production. Working with stage partner Target3D and in partnership with Digital Catapult, FPA trainees gained access to industry experts and cutting-edge technologies in a commercial studio, providing an up-close look at the future of production. By shining a light on this rapidly advancing element of filmmaking, the HETV Virtual Production training provided participants with the requisite skills, knowledge, and connections to embark upon a future in virtual production to and incorporate it into their own professional and artistic practice.
Before the training day, the trainees took a compulsory webinar to strengthen their existing
knowledge of virtual production and to insure that their knowledge aligned with the intensive
one-day training course’s curriculum. That session shared examples of relevant HETV and film
productions to explore the current state of virtual production and its relevancy to various
HoDs. Once at Target 3D, Final Pixel Academy provided professional VP crew and training
staff, as well as industry guests who shared insights from the set, and shared experiences and
expertise from a first-person vantage point. Examples of case studies were from Barbie,
Hijack, House of the Dragon, The Batman, 1899, Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, The
Mandalorian 3, and The Creator (2023). Presenters also shared career routes for HoDs,
explaining the potential career networks and learning pathways for these evolving roles.
The final stop of the virtual production was at Target3D (an Advanced Media Production
Studio) in East London. Trainees had the opportunity to work alongside industry experts,
gaining practical insights and crucial hands-on experience for their professional development.
Target 3D proved a more-than-apt venue to host such a training programme:
“We’ve got 2 studios, here in London on Dock Street and Gateshead in the Northeast of England. These studios are connected by a 10 gigabyte (10G) line and we have a 5G local network and we can do all sorts of advanced media production, virtual production, motion capture, photogrammetry, and volumetric capture,” said Allan Rankin, Managing Director at Target3D, whose studio was part funded by Innovate UK and built in partnership with Digital Catapult.
Throughout the day, participants listened to presentations from industry professionals,
watched four different virtual production demonstrations, and even had the opportunity to
develop and shoot their own test scene with a choice of background. Rankin added,
“I think it’s really important for people to get hands-on, and I think that will have a big impact on
people when they go to do shoots in VP settings – that experience will be really valuable.”
Emily Gunn, HETV Engagement and Projects Manager, addresses an audience of trainees at Target3D in London.
The day broke down as follows:
A live, onboarding session of VP technologies and introduction to the landscape of the OSVP team, VP Tech Demo for better understanding of how it works in practice in-studio and both its limitations and benefits. Topics included:
Producing a Virtual Production
Creating Virtual Art and content for the LED wall
Control and On Set Virtual Production (OSVP)
Filming in a Volume, for crew and creatives (e.g. Directors, DoPs)
Core, a mini-hands-on masterclass where cohorts broke into smaller working groups
and experienced key competencies across creative and technical proficiencies through
student-led learning approaches.
Q&A, feedback and What’s Next? at the end of the day allowed for facilitation of wider
discussion, feedback loops, instructional advice and “what’s next” for career pathways
and training.
The benefits for both trainees and the wider sector are numerous. The High-End TV Skills Fund
Virtual Production Open Day offered opportunities to emerging creatives and industry
professionals the ability to work closely with those at the forefront of new creative and
technical methodologies of filmmaking, while also spurring their own interests in this rapidly
evolving landscape.
HETV Engagement and Project Manager, Emily Gunn underscored the value of such trainings
because they welcome and teach creatives from all aspects of the industry, not just audio-
visual.
“The impact is huge,” she said, highlighting the cutting-edge nature of the HETV Virtual Production Tour and the possibility for participants to jumpstart their careers as a result.
Feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive and indicated an industry-wide
desire for greater familiarity with virtual production, as emphasised by feedback from some
of the trainees.
“The industry is moving very fast,” shared one participant, “I’ve always been
fascinated about screenwriting and virtual production...and through [programmes such as
this], I can see from the area of pre-vis, and how that is going to work with a screenwriter.”
Consequently, participants not only acquired valuable skills and knowledge in virtual
production, but also gained exposure to cutting-edge technology and industry best practices.
By aligning with strategic partners like Target3D and Digital Catapult, Final Pixel Academy
were able to successfully deliver an innovative Virtual Production training program, laying the
groundwork for future collaborations and advancements in the field from London and
beyond.
For further information, please contact:
Dr Jodi Nelson-Tabor | Head of Final Pixel Academy
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